Local 4 Photographer Contract

[MasterB]

Good that they got a deal done. I'm surprised that some TV stations have a union given in the bigger cities need them why aren't all of the local TV stations not in a union is it because the big TV station group owners don't want a union shop at the TV stations.

[Editorcj]

If anybody cares, the highlights from the contract are, 3 years with raises of 5%, 3% and 3%, 2 more positions added, allows for MMJs but limits the number and what they can and can't do, no layoffs of union photogs if MMJs are employed and eliminates the option for 10 hour shifts 4 days a week. This is second hand information but I trust my source.

[Fred]

If anybody cares, the highlights from the contract are, 3 years with raises of 5%, 3% and 3%, 2 more positions added, allows for MMJs but limits the number and what they can and can't do, no layoffs of union photogs if MMJs are employed and eliminates the option for 10 hour shifts 4 days a week. This is second hand information but I trust my source.

So they gave up jurisdiction over who can shoot as long as they get fired first and gave back the 10 hour shifts that company wanted so badly 20+ years ago. With the current cost of inflation, they got a 1.4% raise this year and negotiated a .6% pay cut per year over the following 2 years if the inflation rate stays the same.

[Editorcj]

Allowing a few MMJs and the station finding, hiring and keeping qualified and competent people to do that job is another thing.

[paul8539]

What is an 'MMJ'?

[Editorcj]

Multi Media Journalist, more precisely reporters, who shoot and edit their own stories for either air or online content. They dominate small market TV Newsrooms.

[sinklair]

I can’t believe a top market like Detroit is copying a failed MMJ experiment found in small markets like Marquette, Traverse City, Alpena, and Lansing. You use to aspire to get to big markets because they wouldn’t pull this crap. Now it’s all about saving a few bucks while driving down the quality of storytelling.

[Editorcj]

I think Sarah Michals at Ch 7 does it the right way. She will work with a photographer to shoot interviews and broll, then while the photog is editing her on air packages, she will take those elements and put together some tictoks or instagram posts that promote the story and or give it a wider reach.

[Rate This]

I think Sarah Michals at Ch 7 does it the right way. She will work with a photographer to shoot interviews and broll, then while the photog is editing her on air packages, she will take those elements and put together some tictoks or instagram posts that promote the story and or give it a wider reach.

Didn’t anybody think to standardize all that stuff so all of the talent does it the same way?

[Editorcj]

Everyone brings a different skill set to the job, some do social media better than others.

[Rate This]

Everyone brings a different skill set to the job, some do social media better than others.

Is there a polite way to say things like this put you in second or third depending on the measure? Having a template and then having the reporters filling in the specific information would make it easy for the less inclined talent and provide uniformity to the digital product. I like almost nothing about 4 but their website though... the writing style is pretty good... it can't be that terribly difficult to emulate and changing writing styles is pretty low cost. They do social media well... there has to be a reason they are difficult to unseat.

Media management today reminds me a lot of the big 3 in the 70's and 80's... lousy product and they wonder where everybody went... If your newscasts don't pop, there's no excitement to them at all and you have solo anchors and non-live reports leading off your newscasts even in todays diminished local news environment you aren't gonna get anywhere. Most stations still field live reports and features at 11... 7 repackages the 10pm on the channel some people don't get that nobody watches (or do they now?) and calls it good.

[Deleted User 15924]

Everyone brings a different skill set to the job, some do social media better than others.

Is there a polite way to say things like this put you in second or third depending on the measure? Having a template and then having the reporters filling in the specific information would make it easy for the less inclined talent and provide uniformity to the digital product. I like almost nothing about 4 but their website though... the writing style is pretty good... it can't be that terribly difficult to emulate and changing writing styles is pretty low cost. They do social media well... there has to be a reason they are difficult to unseat.

Media management today reminds me a lot of the big 3 in the 70's and 80's... lousy product and they wonder where everybody went... If your newscasts don't pop, there's no excitement to them at all and you have solo anchors and non-live reports leading off your newscasts even in todays diminished local news environment you aren't gonna get anywhere. Most stations still field live reports and features at 11... 7 repackages the 10pm on the channel some people don't get that nobody watches (or do they now?) and calls it good.

Let's be honest Rate.
To a certain extent neither you or I are qualified to critique how the broadcast industry runs itself. Yeah I'll ask questions and say why I'm asking. But if someone actually working at a station retorts my suggestion, I shrug it off figuring they know better than some spanktologist or bus driver.

[Rate This]

Everyone brings a different skill set to the job, some do social media better than others.

Is there a polite way to say things like this put you in second or third depending on the measure? Having a template and then having the reporters filling in the specific information would make it easy for the less inclined talent and provide uniformity to the digital product. I like almost nothing about 4 but their website though... the writing style is pretty good... it can't be that terribly difficult to emulate and changing writing styles is pretty low cost. They do social media well... there has to be a reason they are difficult to unseat.

Media management today reminds me a lot of the big 3 in the 70's and 80's... lousy product and they wonder where everybody went... If your newscasts don't pop, there's no excitement to them at all and you have solo anchors and non-live reports leading off your newscasts even in todays diminished local news environment you aren't gonna get anywhere. Most stations still field live reports and features at 11... 7 repackages the 10pm on the channel some people don't get that nobody watches (or do they now?) and calls it good.

Let's be honest Rate.
To a certain extent neither you or I are qualified to critique how the broadcast industry runs itself. Yeah I'll ask questions and say why I'm asking. But if someone actually working at a station retorts my suggestion, I shrug it off figuring they know better than some spanktologist or bus driver.

I did a small stint in media and decided idiots with big egos wasn't my cup of tea. That said I'm just making an observation. It's a declining business that has tried to reinvent itself and made it clear that the people who are doing the reinventing don't use the thing (social media) they are pushing very much. It has become a sort of downward spiral. But the places that are on top have some reason they are able to buck the trend and stay at least ok. Just like good vs. not so good sports teams or Honda and Toyota spanking the big 3 in the 70's, 80's and 90's.