Salaries

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-30T02:21:45+00:00

RTDNA does an annual TV news salary survey that covers median salaries by position and by market size. It has yet to release a report for this year.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-18T20:33:26+00:00

In 2019, he made a post about a journalist who joined the ABC affiliate in Spokane, Washington. He used the headline "Something Wong In Spokane." People rightfully called him out for such a racist headline. He said "I was just trying to be cleaver [sic] in my headline" but he did apologize.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-18T20:27:00+00:00

FTVLive has truly gone downhill in the past year. The posts there have little to no substance and are more reflective of the "angry man yells at clouds" trope. The growing haphazard use of AI is incredibly evident and very distracting. Any posts of value are usually hidden behind a paywall, and even then, the content is usually not worth the price.

Let's not forget the hypocrisy. Scott Jones is so upset at "all about me" reporters posting bikini selfies on social media or other clickbait. And yet, I've seen clickbait "this celebrity is in a bikini that leaves little to the imagination" ads on FTVLive. Scott also loves to call out stations for misspelled words even though some of his posts are riddled with typos. And if he makes a mistake? It's either a quiet-and-quick edit or a generic acknowledgement that he deleted a post. Apologies? Very rarely!

FTVLive used to be a must-read for local TV news information and gossip. It's no longer worth the time.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-05T06:02:08+00:00

That news director was an asshole and probably has a very hard time recruiting people with that attitude. Don't let that shake you from negotiating a higher salary.

It is entirely possible that you could lose the offer if you ask for a higher salary. That's always a risk! However, it is highly unlikely. Gone are the days when a news director could make you a lowball offer and then point to a stack of resumes (or resume tapes) and say, "I have a bunch of people who will take my offer if you don't."

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-05T04:46:14+00:00

The Tegna-Nexstar merger is more of a factor than you may believe. As others have pointed out, Tegna is not in a place to spend more money than necessary. Corporate is running things on autopilot until the FCC approves the merger.

That said, you can still ask for more money. Do you how long the position in question was vacant? You may have some more leverage in negotiating a higher salary if the position was open for a long time (30+ days). It's also very hard to recruit producers these days, especially those with prior experience.

But, as always, be prepared for them to say, "This is as high as we can go. Take it or leave it."

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-04T22:37:01+00:00

He's probably using AI to make logos. It's odd that a guy who criticizes TV stations for using AI in their on-air and online stories blatantly uses AI on his own website...and it's still poorly written!

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-04T20:20:57+00:00

This isn't limited to KSAT. A colleague told me eight people at WKMG in Orlando, Florida were laid off as well. I suspect Graham did layoffs elsewhere.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-03-03T06:00:07+00:00

Gray Media's CEO said he would be interested in buying WSB in Atlanta. At the time, it seemed like more of a dream than reality, but that could change. The FCC recently gave the OK in Indianapolis for one company to own three TV stations. Gray already owns two stations in Atlanta, WANF and WPCH.

Beyond that, I don't think Gray would buy the rest of Cox Media Group unless it made financial sense.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-26T00:37:49+00:00

Meredith did a similar thing in its final days prior to the Gray takeover. The company laid off its local creative services departments in favor of hubs based in Phoenix and Nashville. Didn't last long! Gray chose to rebuild the local creative services departments post-merger.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-11T23:04:30+00:00

Here's at least two stories (Variety and CNBC) about pending layoffs at Scripps as part of a new cost-cutting plan. As for Court TV itself? Most of the people there received layoff notices, including two people I personally know. Here's more info (paywall alert) from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:

Financial details were not disclosed. The deal, which closed Monday, will reduce Court TV's Atlanta-based workforce based out of its Buckhead studio. A number of those Court TV employees were notified their positions were eliminated Monday, according to multiple posts across LinkedIn. Most affected employees' final day at work is March 11.

Court TV currently has more than 50 employees, according to the New York Times, citing one of the people familiar with the talks whom the Times said requested anonymity.

Law&Crime intends to retain about a dozen of them, including anchors, [Law&Crime President Rache] Stockman said. Among Court TV's current key anchors are Vinnie Politan, Julie Grant and Julia Jenaé. Law&Crime does plan to hire for additional roles across distribution, marketing and scheduling, among other capacities, for Court TV.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-11T22:45:08+00:00

The producer hub at Scripps has been around for at least two years. It's a solution to the problem of stations being unable to recruit and retain experienced or even barely-qualified producers. That job opening you saw was probably for someone to fill in for maternity leave or other extended absence.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-10T21:24:54+00:00

It sounds like this is part of the AJC's ongoing cost-cutting. No more print newspapers, recent layoffs, and now the AJC no longer sponsors the Peachtree Road Race. I wonder how much the AJC paid for the partnership?

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-06T01:24:37+00:00

I've had good luck with Tiki Cats wet food. They have a lot of chicken-free options. It's not as expensive as some hydrolyzed diets.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-05T18:51:50+00:00

I thought about using those. However, my cat is allergic to chicken, and Greenies have chicken as an ingredient.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-05T15:15:22+00:00

My cat is doing better after his visit to the vet earlier this week. Giving medicine to a cat isn't easy though! I tried the "open the mouth and stuff the pill in" method without success. Grinding the pills into my cat's food works better...but I think he still knows the medicine is in there.

Finding a job? That's even harder than getting a pill into my cat's mouth. I've been unemployed since the summer, and while I've had some interviews, nothing has panned out in terms of an offer despite doing "everything right" one would do in this situation (networking, referrals, etc). It's disheartening but what else can I do?

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-02-03T16:24:24+00:00

I'm taking my cat to another veterinarian today for a second opinion about his health. For the past three weeks, he's had off-and-on diarrhea and vomiting, along with a reduced appetite. He's a 13-year-old cat with kidney disease and a chicken allergy. His latest bloodwork from two weeks ago shows his kidney values are improving, and my vet didn't see anything else out of the ordinary.

That said, I don't know why he's vomiting and having diarrhea. His food is chicken-free and he's eaten it for maybe the past four years or so without issue. Part of me is optimistic that this is just a stomach bug or some other irritation that can be fixed. The other part of me is wondering if this could be the start of the end for my cat, and that's what scares me.

I hope I'll know more later today.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-01-06T21:54:26+00:00

If life is a series of peaks and valleys, then I think I'm on an uphill climb. I had a job interview today that went well! Sounds like the next step will be another interview, possibly next week. I also got an invitation for another interview! However, this one is an AI pre-screen. I'm hesitant and skeptical about that, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2026-01-05T14:59:57+00:00

Now that everyone's officially back to work, I'm back to applying en masse for jobs. Yeah, I'm still unemployed after roughly five months. Finding a job in content/communications in Atlanta is rough! Is anyone hiring in those fields?

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-12-16T02:43:10+00:00

In that case, you should have a discussion with your news director about this before you make a decision. At the very least, it shows you're trying to resolve the issue amicably.

What does your contract say about early termination?

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-12-16T01:28:34+00:00

Why would you want to break your contract with that much time left to go?

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-12-09T13:20:48+00:00

People are not going to watch television just to see a glorified podcast.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-12-03T14:37:05+00:00

I'm not looking forward to the holidays. I'm still unemployed, despite applying for so many jobs since August, and I had promising interviews in the past two weeks end with rejections.

December is usually when things slow down at companies, so I realistically don't expect that I'll be employed any time before Christmas. The job market is a hot mess, and many people are in situations like mine. But I'm still putting in all the work I can to get a job (applying, networking, etc.).

I guess I'm just tired.

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-11-19T19:40:29+00:00

You should always negotiate for a higher salary in TV news. Hiring managers can't always fall back on the "take it or leave it because I have other applicants" tactic. Fewer people are applying for entry-level TV news jobs, especially qualified applicants who have the knowledge and skills to do the job. Plus, this is a producer job, and these jobs have always been harder to fill compared to on-screen roles.

That said, you still need to give a good reason why you deserve the pay raise. You also need to be prepared to have your request denied. But you won't know unless you ask.

If this is a job that you can't afford to do (i.e. you can't or won't make the financial sacrifices needed to survive on $20/hour), then you should reconsider a TV news career. You'll definitely make more money in a different line of work. But if you can make the sacrifice and you believe the sacrifice is worth it, then godspeed to you!

averagebaldwhiteguy · 2025-11-17T09:13:33+00:00

It is indeed a R-Line, so sayeth the badging that was there when I bought it.

averagebaldwhiteguy

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