Oregon Media Insiders

that this is the other shoe to outsourcing? Instead of outsourcing jobs to emerging markets to cut costs, broadcasting is "outsourcing" jobs to younger and much cheaper employees.

Heavy salaries let go, replaced by baby bloggers.

And the bonus is that younger media hires have probably never even considered the concept of a fair, neutral, even-handed newscaster -- a generation of foxified broadcasters who think injecting their opinion and POV is primary goal in every story.

Local news, even in big markets is facing really rough competition. I work in a small market and believe we'll be down to two news stations within five years. What's more, the two remaining will be humbler operations. I'm glad to have put in my 24 years while the going was relatively good. Sure, the pay didn't match what my college peers earned in other businesses but I had fun and never went hungry.

My advice if you're going to continue in this industry---learn to wake up early and do a morning show. That's where the growth is, sucky hours and all. If you're doing an 11 o'clock program exclusively don't make long term plans.

And, most importantly, don't expect your managers to blink when you say "It's a big pay raise or I'm leaving." You're probably a lot less critical to the organization now than you've ever been. You can walk before they make you run---or you can get control of your spending and your ego now. We're lucky to work in a truly exciting business. The business, unfortunately, is shrinking...

It seems that by any measure, CBS made the decision to fire seasoned journalists from its ranks based in part by age and I assume cost. Most on-air personalities trend younger and for a news gathering operation, this means cheaper. I’m sure this trend is reflected on the other side of the camera as well. In the case of at CBS 5 San Francisco, I’m familiar in part with the career of reporter Bill Schechner. Years ago on NBC, he co-anchored “Overnight”. It was a class program – extremely well written with highly respected storytellers at the helm. So clearly, given Bill Schechner’s reputation as a superb and highly literate reporter, it’s clear his ability to relay information to his viewers didn’t factor into the equation when firing him. I’m sure this is also the case in the others at CBS 5.

My hope is that television news doesn’t serve as an employment refuge for the young and inexpensive alone.

WBBM-Chicago, a CBS O&O just whacked Diann Burns, the lead anchor saving themselves about $2M/yr. in the process. Among the 17 staffers cut, the lead sports dude out as well. Only one sales person gone.

From the Trib - General Manager Joe Ahern:

"We have to rethink how we do business," said Ahern, who hired Burns shortly after he arrived at Channel 2 in the hopes of turning around the station.

"The paradigms are changing in the way in which we do business. Our commitment is never going to change—to do news and programming and community service—but [it will be] in a different way. All our people are being asked to do more and face the challenges of the future. But that's the dynamics of the business and, frankly, most businesses."

whatever.

SCJ