August 3rd, 2009 
joel Every decade of television news was represented at the top of our poll of favorite TV anchors. At the very top was a tie between Ned McGrath of WICU and Lisa Zompa of WSEE. Ned’s cohort Hyle Richmond came in third, with WJET’s Karla Mullenax and WJET/WSEE’s Don Shriver tied for fourth.
I apologize that at the end of the week, we kept getting names for consideration that were too late for the poll. However, it was a great week of remembering the dozen’s of people who came into our living rooms over the years to keep us informed about our community.
This week we want to ask about the job market. Not today’s but four years from now. Our family has entered a new season of life as we send our oldest away to college. Although my son at one time considered following his old man into a media career, he opted for the perceived broader opportunities in education.
If you had to advise someone contemplating a career in journalism, advertising, broadcasting, public relations, new media, or corporate communications, what would you say to them? Can we even predict what the job market will be like for these fledgling writers, speakers, and designers in 2013?
On a scale from 1 to 5, what are the job prospects in 2013 for today's incoming communications majors?
- 2: Tough - industry consolidation and massive change will have the newcomers competing with 15-year veterans for the same jobs (53%, 19 Votes)
- 1: Poor - I don't see much future in media careers (33%, 12 Votes)
- 5: Excellent - a communications degree gives you such a broad scope of knowledge you can use nearly anywhere (6%, 2 Votes)
- 4: Good - Although it will be competitive, there are plenty of jobs in a wide range of fields if you have the drive to get them (6%, 2 Votes)
- 3: OK - hopefully, if the economy comes back by then, it might be better than it is now, yet still highly competitive (2%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 36
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I see things settling down in the media (TV in particular) in two years or so. This time of drastic change and cuts is almost over, I think. VJ’s and automation are facts of life, and everyone needs to accept them. This also means that schools need to accept them and change the course of study to deal with the changes. I’m happy to say the school that employs me is doing just that.
I tell my students that this is an exciting time to be getting into the business. How many times will people this young have the opportunity to re-shape an entire industry ? Believe me, I spent a great deal of time lamenting what was and what it did to me and any number of friends, but it is time to accept what the industry is becoming. Please don’t think that I am just spouting opinions from an ivory tower of academia…I get up at 3 am every Saturday and Sunday to operate the automation system that forced my career change. I look at it from both sides.
The time for negativity should be over. Accept and embrace the changes – make them work, and you can still create a good broadcasting career. The hard work aspect is one that will NEVER change.
Good points Legend. I agree with all you have said. The time for negativity is long since past. What is done is done. Time to move on and make the best of a difficult broadcast environment.
I also agree that in another couple years all the cuts and automation should be over with. Broadcasting has had a difficult go of it – the transition to automation is never easy. Lately things are starting to get better.
There are still careers to be had in broadcasting. For those who are computer literate the possibilities are endless. The days of only doing one job in TV (ENG Cameraman) or Radio (Disc Jockey) are long gone.
If you can Shoot, Edit, Write Script (Coherently) operate robotic camera controls and do-it-all you will have a set of skills that will ALWAYS be in demand.
Thanks for the great post, Legend. Always nice to start a Monday with a positive tone. It made my day
Thanks Tim. Funny thing is, back in the day at 24, we did everything the automation does now by hand. Not certain if it’s still that way or not. We switched the show, ran audio, advanced the CG, directed, rolled tapes and commercials — on 2 inch tape. Add to that the odd OTS slide or super slide – my first gig there while in school was operation of the film island…yes, I am a dinosaur.
It was fun then and with understanding and the proper attitude, it will be again. Rough spots eventually all wear down.
It is, though, I think more than ever – a young person’s business.
Come on folks, if you are going be so negative in your voting about the future of communications careers, we need to hear some rationale. And try to look beyond the immediate recent months of layoffs, buyouts and consolidation to the years ahead.
Okay, Big Guy, from someone formerly in the trenches, here goes. The skill sets that we old-timers learned are outdated. I hope the local (and all) schools are realizing that they need to teach the students the new skills they need. Yes, they need to be able to shoot, edit, write, frame shots, backtime, voice coherently, etc. The old skills we all learned (except maybe how to edit film and quick-string a quadhead 2″ machine) are still important, but these kids now need to learn how to get stories to the web fast, how to update those same stories, how to try and develop stories in realtime, how to develop contacts in gov’t. and business in less time than we had, and most importantly, how to develop a relationship with their audience almost instantly. In the old days, a reporter had months to develop these relationships – the audience didn’t have anywhere else to go. Now, the audience can get their news from a myriad of other sources. These kids need to learn how to give their audience a reason to watch THEM. By that, I don’t mean because they are hotter than the reporter at another station, but because they are better and distinctive – because they are giving the audience more and better information than they are getting elsewhere. That not only takes talent, it takes guidance from their instructors in college and their news directors. In short, in order to get noticed in the long-term – they need to be in the business to get the freshest, most innovative information to the consumer, not just to get recognized at the Plymouth or Rum Runners or Lefty’s. The kids that realize this will have longlasting careers.
I am often asked about a career in radio and television. I tell young people that if they are serious, they must first learn to write effectively, so a degree in journalism is the way to go. But that simply is not enough. They must also consider a minor in business, or political science or psychology.
Unfortunately, the days of the traditional ComArts degree are long over. I also would recommend a four year degree in new media, electronic marketing. The TV or radio production can be learned as electives or on the job.
For those kids who tell me they want to be the next Katie Couric or Brian Williams…well, I laugh and walk away. This industry has way too many Ken and Barbie dolls and most of them are…unemployed or bartending partime at the Plymouth to make ends meet in this market.
Sorry Joel but it’s hard to be positive about losing my job at WQLN after 12 years. However, if there are any positives it’s the people I have met over my tenure that made WQLN a very special place to me. I won’t list them all here but will over at PBRTV.com in a very long article. A few I will never forget include Paul Brown who had a set of pipes that I only could dream of having when I was in radio. Another is former station chief engineer Dave McIntyre who showed this radio guy the ropes of TV. He also had many great stories about his long time at WQLN as well as life in general. I’m glad that he was able to retire from a job he put a lot of years into. It’s those examples and others who were the heart & soul of WQLN that paved the way for people like myself. Soon it will be the end of the world as I knew it but it’s all in the name of progress, I guess.
I think my particular situation kind of says it all about future on-air opportunities in radio.
August, 1974…I was a 19 year old rookie working 7-midnight Saturday nights, my voice eminating from a little building on Robison Road…honing my craft and (hopefully) getting better at what I did.
August 2009…thanks to voice tracking my voice still eminates Saturday night from 7-midnight from what is now a much bigger building on Robison Road. Any 19 year old rookies have no chance. Whether or not I got any better is for the listener to decide
Oh and Tom…I echo your thoughts about Paul Brown. I felt the same way about him and Tom McLaren when I was there 1973-74.
R.I.P. WSEE is correct, they must first learn to write, but forget J-School, which is psuedo-literate; revert to English Comp 101.
What is it with WICU’s past ND’s? They leave 12 and go into academia as faculty. Mike Conway left in the 90’s, went back to school, got his PhD and now teaches at Univ. of Indiana. I saw today that Phil Hayes is on the faculty at Mercyhurst Northj East. What makes these folks think they are so enlightend?
No doubt, writing is the weakest part of broadcast journalism these days. It is the complaint I hear most from folks in the industry (and out of it) all over the country. I bend over backwards to tell my students, learn how to write. Luckily, another former TV colleague is an instructor here – former EP – and teaches two newswriting classes. So I have a place to send them to learn.
Tom, I would like to echo your sentiments about Dave McIntyre…the absolute best. I start my class with Dave McIntyre’s 3 rules of TV.
one man banding is happening. its been happening for years. it has just become more prevalent. the question is:
will it take away from the “journalism” can a one man band get information, update information while shooting and editing? the answer: the journalism will suffer most of the time.
top markets are now using one man band including market 8 in washington dc. (wusa), san diego, buffalo, even he networks have some sort of “multi-media journalism” position.
for those in market 146 (erie) there are no “one man bands” aka “VJ. If you think about it, the stations here would save so much money if they had one man bands.
It’s going to happen everywhere, just a matter of when. As far as hurting journalism…consultants did that long ago.