No, but you asked whether the NY and LA -ist sites would follow the fate of DCist, and it's important in that context to note that the three sites and stations are each completely independent operations these days.No disagreement. Did I mention an operational consortium?
Never has a more truthful thing been said. Even as soon as 10 years ago you could find similar separation options in commercial radio, now this looks like the best deal possible.No, it just shows you how low the bar is in the media industry. In the corporate world, what you've described would be considered a bare minimum.
"Almost 80 grand" isn't what I'd call a princely sum in Boston, which is one of the most expensive cities in the US.I get that they ahve to keep it going. But you would think that if finances are in a tough place that you might not hire and hire and hire and by the way, pay very well considering where the industry is. I had a friend interview there for a podcast producer job that paid almost 80 grand.
This seems to be another intractable problem: the money has to come from somewhere, but where are public media going to get the money? Either the funding models are broken, or the distribution model is broken, or public media need to be more attuned to what their audiences are interested in, or better fundraising expertise and execution are required, or some combination of all of these. Possibly some ambitions need to be trimmed back. Even so, I want to avoid back-seat driving here; instead, this is an acknowledgement that these are not easy problems to solve. Public media in other countries have different models of funding and distribution but some of the same problems.If you want to produce a quality product, you need quality staff, and you need to compensate them well to get them and keep them, especially in a market like Boston. The same skills that make a good producer, editor, reporter or host are ones that also make for good PR or marketing people, and those jobs tend to pay much better, which leads to a talent drain out of broadcasting.
If public media doesn't do something to stop that drain, who will? It's certainly not going to happen at commercial radio these days.
But if you listen to WBUR CEO Margaret Low tell it, their advertising revenue has fallen dramatically since 2019:
Yes, you're right. Mea culpa.They are no such thing. You're thinking of Boston College.
No, it just shows you how low the bar is in the media industry. In the corporate world, what you've described would be considered a bare minimum.
Boston University was founded by Methodists. You are thinking of Boston College which is actually in Newton and is the Jesuit institution. Two separate schools.It might be a little more complicated than that, Mark. Boston University is a Jesuit school, much like Fordham in the Bronx, or University of San Francisco, or even smaller-market schools such as University of Scranton. There are a number of Jesuit universities, and they may all adhere to common HR policies and practices.
Never worked in financial services, but can speak from experience both personal and from friends and families in various industries, a month per year was not at all a standard. A week or two, and two was an exception, was par for the course. No COBRA help; only unused vacation was paid as a lump sum. And the base was typically two weeks, not four, before the added weeks for service. And the non disclosure was to even get the limited payout described; no “bonus” for that.No, it just shows you how low the bar is in the media industry. In the corporate world, what you've described would be considered a bare minimum.
When I was in financial services, the standard was a month for each year having worked. Utilities were a little less generous but still resulted in a decent payout. Often there are lump-sum payments as well to cover COBRA premiums, in exchange for signing an additional non-disclosure agreement.
Boston University was founded by Methodists. You are thinking of Boston College which is actually in Newton and is the Jesuit institution. Two separate schools.
WBUR has two dozen employees who will take voluntary retirement buyouts. The station also plans to lay off seven employees. 31 people is 14% of its staff. So WBUR will go from around 220 employees to 189. (With 189 people on staff, the station will have to stop doing local news updates at 8pm? Too few people to go to midnight?)
And let's remember that Boston is unique in having two News/Talk NPR stations. I would assume WGBH-FM has a similar number of employees doing radio. That would total around 400 radio employees at WBUR and WGBH-FM.
Meanwhile, if you combined the current staff of every FM music station up and down the dial in the Boston market, both full and part time you wouldn't even come close to 400 total people... throw in the sports stations? Still no. Add BZ... Mmm still no.
Two questions for you:
If those stations didn't have to report earnings and make profits for stockholders, would they staff differerently?
If they didn't have to deliver demographics for advertisers, would they program differently?
Those are questions we all need to ask...before we wonder how EMF has so much cash to buy stations.
The business model we know is broken. We know it's broken, Maybe it's time for a new model.
Yep. Time for commercial stations to claim that they're churches.
I mean, those are all rhetorical questions...Two questions for you:
If those stations didn't have to report earnings and make profits for stockholders, would they staff differerently?
If they didn't have to deliver demographics for advertisers, would they program differently?
Those are questions we all need to ask...before we wonder how EMF has so much cash to buy stations.
The business model we know is broken. We know it's broken, Maybe it's time for a new model.