Newspaper Survivors

Word.

 

so barring the smaller paper being able to compete on the pay scale with the bigger boys, what (besides job security) would make a person stay at the smaller paper? are there perks that would make it more appealing, i.e., work environment, days off, vacation, year-end bonuses based on company profit, even things like health club memberships, subsidized housing, etc.?

 

One hope of staying at any place for a while is the possibility of moving up at that paper. I know at my shop I've targeted the sports editor position as a goal in the somewhat near future (3-5 years) and then maybe managing editor after that. There's one way to solve the pay scale problem by staying where you're at . . . get promoted. Of course, this assumes the positions above me open up and I stay in the business that long, but advancement is certainly a reason to stay.

 

but at a smaller paper there aren't going to be many spots on the ladder to climb. so how does the smaller paper convince say a sports editor to stay for the long haul and put down roots when the only rung up the ladder is the managing editor and he/she isn't going anywhere? obviously the smaller paper will never be able to go above a certain ceiling in pay so what other things could they offer that would make you stay?

 

Job security, for one. I know an SE who probably could have been a big shot at a much bigger paper, but chose to stay in a sub-40k circulation because he felt there was more security and stability there.

 

Settle for a small professional footprint, or risk moving to something (position, paper) that might not exist in the near future.

Man, the sacrifices asked by journalism never end, do they? We're at the point where they ought to issue collars as soon as we take our vows of poverty.

 

I asked for more vacation time when I left a major metro to come back to the paper I'm at now. That's always a plus for me. Other than that, there aren't really "benefits" that would make or break me staying somewhere. If I'm already plugged into and enjoy the community, that plays a big role in staying, but the paper doesn't really have a say in that.

 

Podunk Press.

 

I can also attest to staying on at my smaller daily and passing up bigger and better opportunities simply because of the stability and security factor.

 

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
USA Today
and a major, local newspaper in most (if not all) of the top 50 markets and many of the top 100.

I think what you are most likely to find, apart from the NY Times, WSJ and USAT, are regional papers across the country, where several local papers are combined into one. The mastheads for the former papers may remain, and there will be local content in each city and town (that is what you will sell readers and advertisers on). And each paper will push its web presence hard to the reader, accessible through PC, laptops, netbooks and smartphones.

 

I think you're right about the regional paper concept. Gannett and a few others (Lean Dean) are already consolidating beats in regional newspapers, and the next step is a centralized desk at the major market paper. At that point, the regional papers are essentially picking up its content and becoming lightly-staffed bureaus of the major metro. They may keep their flag & masthead (a lot of smaller cities are often resentful of the big city's shadow), but other than a few local stories on P1/sports front and maybe an inside "local/regional" page, the content will be largely indistinguishable from the larger paper.

 

1. I despise traffic more than almost anything in the world. A lot of it is my past bad experiences with car accidents, major freeways, etc. Pick a reason, but I appreciate my 5-minute "traffic delays" vs. an hour of going nowhere on a regular basis.

2. I enjoy the people in smaller towns.

3. If I continue to do my job well, my security is on solid ground.

4. I get paid enough, I've got almost all the bills paid, I can put a little away.

5. I live 10 minutes from the ocean, 6 hours from my sister, and can visit some of my best friends on a couple hours flight.

So why in God's good name would I go somewhere else?