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Bell Media is hiring "multi-skilled journalists" in the same cities where they just laid off national reporters and camera op/editors. They're looking for one person to do it all (edit, produce, report and shoot stories) for the network. Likely for much, much less pay.
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Will that be the kind of reporting where we only see the reporter's reflection through the side mirror on the vehicle?
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Much as I abhor the labor practices of Bell media I can say that if someone wants to break into TV or radio it might be an interesting experience to work in one of these low-level small town jobs.
It appears they might also be union jobs so at least there will be some oversight to limit exploitation.
But really, getting your feet wet in broadcasting in a small town can be a rewarding experience.
My first full time job was at the long gone CJAT in Trail B.C.
it paid dirt but it also let me do just about anything I wanted to do and the camaraderie among the staff was wonderful.
It also gave me a stepping stone to get hired back in Vancouver and from there into Toronto.
Broadcasting and news is a strange career path but it took me on the richest I've had in my life.
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Did someone recently leave CP24?
"CP24 – Toronto’s Breaking News – is looking for an experienced News Anchor / Reporter. As an accomplished journalist, you will bring credibility and solid news judgment to the role. The successful candidate will have outstanding on-air presentation skills and a track record for anchoring and reporting on live breaking news events."
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Lisa Laflamme?
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turkeytop wrote:
Lisa Laflamme?
CP24, not CTV, and it would have been recent.
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newsguy1 wrote:
Much as I abhor the labor practices of Bell media I can say that if someone wants to break into TV or radio it might be an interesting experience to work in one of these low-level small town jobs
Up until a few years ago, I would have agreed with that assessment, given that my own career started in a small market station and expanded as I gained experience and moved up to larger markets. The problem today is that more and more of the larger market positions that rookie journalists used to aspire to fill are being eliminated, leaving those in smaller markets with limited opportunities for advancement. This is why so many younger journalists are giving up on the business and moving to PR and other career options.
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I would say this is exactly the plan. Purge the high paid veterans who require an entourage to record a segment, or perform a live one, and replace them with the new crop of one person does all, saving several salaries. I went through a similar scenario in 1986 when my broadcast career ended after new owners of the station took over and we were all relieved of our duties, and replaced with virtually family and friends of the manager , who had no on air experience but likely were not paid. That's when I made a major change in my life, got a truck license and was never unemployed again.
Last edited by mic'em (March 9, 2024 10:47 am)
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I suspect even newbies aren't going to spend any significant length of time at a station being a Jack or Jill of all trades for a salary that falls under the pay scale of "Are you f---ing kidding me?"
A stark contrast to the old days, when a wet-behind-the-ears radio grad would be thrilled to have an entry-level position at a station scrubbing the toilets for sh*t pay (pardon the pun).
PJ
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When I was in the newspaper business we would have co-op students from the college and universities working in the newsroom or as an ad builder in creative, or occasionally in the sales department. A few were hired by the company to cover a maternity leave or as a full time job in news, creative, or sales assistant.
All of the students seemed to enjoy the work but were looking at their time as only experience. Even the few that were hired didn't stay any longer than a year and treated work at the newspaper as a step to move them closer to the work and career that they really wanted.
This was 10 years ago, so I am sure even fewer students now get experience from newspapers. Some papers no longer have a physical building and staff work from home.
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Paul Jeffries wrote:
I suspect even newbies aren't going to spend any significant length of time at a station being a Jack or Jill of all trades for a salary that falls under the pay scale of "Are you f---ing kidding me?"
A stark contrast to the old days, when a wet-behind-the-ears radio grad would be thrilled to have an entry-level position at a station scrubbing the toilets for sh*t pay (pardon the pun).
PJ
Given that many of them will never be able to afford to own their own home, and such ... I can't blame them. I also started at ridiculous pay at a weekly newspaper. That newspaper was hardly a cash cow (others were); but I'd say a lot has changed, and in some respects for the better.
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Many schools and media outlets have rethought the concept of "internships" at print and broadcast outlets and its good to see that many are requiring that students be given some legitimate learning opportunities and, in some cases, to get paid for their work (even if it's just a small honorarium). I've seen situations where interns are literally shoved into the corner, given a stack of CP copy and told to "rewrite this and when you're done, I'll give you some more." At one station I worked at, the interns were referred to as the "flesh coloured mic stands" because they were often sent to cover news events simply to stick a mic in someone's face and let others ask the questions. And there have been abuses. One professor at BCIT told me about the Vancouver TV station who wanted the intern to apply illegally for government benefits for the purposes of a story, promising her a job and covering her legal fees if she was caught. That was shut down very quickly by the school.