Where The TV News Jobs Are: Fox, Cable   

"The TV reporter will be covering architecture for the architecture channel."

So much gloom has permeated TV news in recent years that many young people contemplating a career in the business are being advised to think about another profession.

They should if they're entering TV news for the glamour, money and prestige, say several of the industry's experts in job placement.

But if they're willing to work hard for moderate – sometimes inadequate – wages and find satisfaction in the life of a reporter or producer, there are plenty of opportunities, now and in the future.

The opportunities, however, are no longer concentrated in the traditional jobs at local network affiliates or on network news staffs. Independent stations and cable operations – local, regional and national – are the growth areas for TV news. And news delivered into homes by direct broadcast satellite (DBS) is on the horizon.

"The next generation of television journalists may be narrowcasters," says Don Fitzpatrick, who runs one of the industry's top job referral services. "With fiber optics cable or DBS people may be able to dial up to 500 outlets. TV news will become like magazines. Instead of covering a fire or city hall, the reporter will be covering the latest in architecture for the architecture channel."

"Narrowcasting" already is here to some degree. CNN, ESPN, The Weather Channel, CNBC, C-SPAN and Court TV are some examples.

Fitzpatrick and others believe the best opportunities in the near future will be in local cable and at independent broadcast stations affiliated with the Fox Network.

"Cable news will be starting in Washington, New England, Chicago and elsewhere," says Fitzpatrick. "Fox wants all its affiliates in local news within a couple of years. So, there will be jobs in this business for those who want them. But the pay will be lower all around. The days of getting into TV news so you can own a BMW and buy that nice little house in the country are over."

Perhaps the biggest myth about TV news is that jobs are disappearing. Certainly, staff reductions at the networks and many local stations have strained the traditional marketplace. But jobs are available. It's the pay and advancement that are limited.

"There are the same number of jobs today as there were 20 years ago," says Sherlee Barish, who has her own career placement and talent agency. "They're just in different areas.

"What makes it seem like there are less jobs is that people are not changing stations that much. And when positions are eliminated, people can't find similar jobs at the same pay."

As a result, she says, many take jobs that once went to less experienced applicants. That makes it more difficult for someone at the entry level.

I help in the job search for graduates of Northwestern University's broadcast journalism master's program. Starting salaries for entry-level average in the $11,000-to-$15,000 range and often that means the person shoots, edits and reports his or her own stories. Known as "one-man-bands," they are normally required to provide a half-dozen stories daily for their news operations. It's demanding work and even after a year or two of experience, they find limited opportunities for promotion to a better job at more pay.

However, it's not that way for everyone. Even during this tight job environment at local stations, there are opportunities for producers, assignment editors and other behind-the-camera personnel. But too many young people want to be reporters in a market glutted with reporters, many of whom are experienced and unemployed.

Whenever a local news director has an opening for a reporter, he or she is inundated with audition tapes and resumes. It's not unusual for a station to get 150 to 200 tapes, no matter the size of the market or its location.

"I haven't had a reporter opening for more than a year," says Ed Wickenheiser, veteran news director at WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, "but I still get a couple of unsolicited tapes each week.

"Finding producers is another matter. My counterparts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh tell me the same thing. We're all starting to hire kids and train them. A good producer can move on to a bigger market quickly."

Perhaps the best advice for young people getting into TV news is to be flexible. Technology is changing so rapidly that fewer people are needed in the technical areas; individuals who have multiple skills and not simply air presence are at a premium.

"Not everyone is cut out to be in radio and TV news," says Rod Gelatt, the longtime head of broadcast journalism programs at the University of Missouri. "We tell our students they may want to focus on other careers where they can use the same skills of writing, reporting and videography, like corporate video, public relations and marketing.

"But if they're still determined to work in TV news, they can find a job," Gelatt says. "Good people always do." l