Not happy at first job out of college... HELP!

[youngjournalist 0]

Someone please reassure me and tell me it's not going to be like this when I move onto a bigger market.

 

This is my first job out of college. Our newsroom is crazy-- we've had about five turnovers. I've only been at the station for about five months.

 

Our newsroom is short staffed and everyone is doubling and tripling their duties.

 

I knew it was going to be bad at my first job, but is it really this bad? I'm barely making it by financially month to month.

 

What I love to do has turned into something I am no longer happy doing-- and I think it's because of the newsroom I'm working in. Other co-workers that I've talked with say they're in the same boat-- our newsroom screams 80s; we have an 80s set and graphics package, we're not HD, I used better camera equipment when I was in college...

 

I am over playing all these roles and not getting any extra pay for it. We're the only station in our market who gets scold for overtime. We're the only station who gets paid less than other reporters in our market. I know I'm not going to get paid six figures starting out, but it's so pathetic.

 

Someone please knock some sense into me. Stick around because it's going to pay off in the end when I'm in a top market... or is this how it really is?

 

[qunewsguy 377]

Don't sweat the stuff you can't change, like graphics, not being HD, "80's looking newsroom", etc. The next News Director to hire you won't care about any of that (Unless "graphics designer" or "chief engineer" is part of your current job title).

 

The TV business is in turmoil, and things are changing all the time in the smallest markets. New automation and one-man band technology, budget issues, economic problems... I've been working in small and medium markets for the past seven years, and this isn't the business I started in when I graduated from school.

 

Some things, like pay and staff size, will get better with larger markets. If you really don't want to worry about doing someone else's job, find a union shop (though those are less and less prevalent in small markets).

 

On the flip side, some things won't change as you move up the ranks. People still come and go. Budgets are still tight due to the economy. And unless you're really selective about where you get hired, you won't be able to do the kind of "real journalism" in most shops that you were taught to expect to do in college.

 

If you think you'd fall in love with journalism again, stay with it until you can get to your next job. If you're not under contract, start looking. If you are, get in touch with some old college professors for advice. If you're struggling money-wise, please don't hesitate to talk to your ND about your situation.

 

When going for that next gig, it pays to make connections. Talk to people, do a little digging, and find out what to expect once you get past the interviews and land your own spot in the newsroom.

 

Less than a year out of school, you're still young. Explore the field a bit more. You still have plenty of time to make a career shift if you decide to.

[Guest]

No one gets into TV news for the money.

[Guest NewsHound]

Its this whole topic that is part of the reason I changed my major to Marketing from Broadcast Journalism.

[WXmanTim 88]

 

Someone please knock some sense into me. Stick around because it's going to pay off in the end when I'm in a top market... or is this how it really is?

 

 

Sadly, it's how it's becoming more and more. I started out in a small market (192) making next to nothing (but slightly more than I expected for that size market) using crappy equipment (the station was still on tape cameras - that failed nearly as often as they worked correctly - but did have non-linear editing. But on-air playback was done via a "Final Cut Pro" timeline...not kidding).

 

I was happy the first several months until I realized I had been misled and management had no intention of fulfilling a verbal commitment made prior to my signing the contract (no lectures needed, bit lesson learned). But I stuck it out until the end of my deal and started looking for another position.

 

Turns out, I didn't get another on-air job. Crap happens.

 

You're going to need to bring down your outsized expectations about the "noble" profession. We you mislead? Yeah, likely - and unintentionally - by your professors. It's not a "noble" profession, it's a job...and for your bosses it's a balance sheet entry.

 

You are a balance sheet entry.

 

As long as income (ad revenue) is more than the expense (you, equipment, electricity, programming, etc) you will at least still have a job. The closer those two become to being equal, the less likely your bosses are going to hire more (and reduce your work load) or do upgrades (facilities, sets, equipment).

 

But...you're one of the lucky ones that got hired right out of college. Your news director likely received - literally - a box full of dvds to sift through and you're one that caught his attention...and you followed that up with a good interview. That means there's a box full of unrealized dreams that would love to be in your situation

 

I may very well be in that box somewhere.

 

But...as I said, I worked through the remainder of my contract and left on good terms with my old employer. I now live in the city I love and work - off air, but at a major market O&O - in a low-stress position where I'm making 1.5-times what I was in my first job.

[PTVNews 194]

Interesting topic. I'm halfway through college and trying to decide if I should transfer to a college that offers a journalism program. Or if I should pursue my other interests. I've been interested in TV news since I was young but without going into lots of detail, I don't know if it would be a good fit for me. I'm talking about off-air jobs by the way. But I wonder that if I try my other interests will I always wonder what could have happened if I went into TV (whether news or some other production...aka network shows, American Idol, CNN, etc). It's a balance between interests, money, job security, location, etc.

 

I don't know your exact expectations but I'm sure that working in markets 1-30 aren't really that bad. But who know what the future will hold. I'd say you should start looking for a better job as you accumulate this current experience. Why not? Good luck and keep us updated!

[alaskanews 113]

Sorry for catching onto this so late, I don't get around these parts too often any more.

 

My first on-air job was at a station that was less than ideal. I thought about quitting many times, but people I respect told me to stick with it - but not to get wrapped up in newsroom politics (which is difficult for me) and focus only on my work. I did that, trying to make my tape the best it could be, and once my time was up I moved to a good station where I just got back from a two week assignment in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago.

 

This profession is not something you do for the money. You have to love what you do, even during the bullshit. There will be bullshit at every station no matter how good it is or how big the market. Even though I'm at a great station I still get frustrated.

 

You need to think long and hard about why you got into this business. Why do you want to get to a "top market" so badly? What are your goals for the next year, next 5 years and over your career?

 

Feel free to message me with anything you don't want to talk about in public.

[ElliotJones 52]

If you can work at a station that came straight out of a 1993 B&H Catalog, with a completely ass backwards newsroom to boot, you can work anywhere.

[jdcnow 14]

I'm reminded of "Making News: Savannah Style". If my memory serves, didn't WJCL literally have to go to, like, the Office Depot down the street, in order to make copies of documents for a story because their copier was on the fritz? Good times, good times...

[PelicanGuy 117]

Yes, I remember that show.

 

It's no different in print journalism too. As one has said, you have to LOVE journalism to do your job.

[kjohnson 17]

Speaking as somebody who can't seem to get "the" first job, I wouldn't mind the bad pay, awful equipment, and the other problems. I just want to do what I went to school for.

 

The only thing I can add, see what you can do to fill a niche where you are. As Tim said, it's all about the balance sheet. As long as corporate looks at journalism as profit center (it isn't, that's what Traffic is for...), we'll be looking at that problem.

 

Long story...be glad you got the first job. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get the first one. 4 years, a degree, and intern work. Now I'm looking at work where my degree and experience (as limited as it is...is actually wanted).