TV or print journalism?

[Hoopsfan23]

I have always had an affinity for print journalism but a friend of mine is trying to pull me over to the television side. I would primarily work off-camera, write, research etc. Should I stick with print or try something new? At 25, I wouldn't mind trying something different. But if I made the career move, I don't know how easy it would be to get back into print journalism. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

neither

 

[forever_town]

I know some print people diss broadcast journalists. However, the way I see it: They're both different skills. One forces you to be able to condence a ****load of information in a way that can be digested in brief sound bites and get it right. The other forces you to be able to sift through a ****load of information and find it in different places, write it so that it can be digested readably and get it right.

Then there's always law school...

I wouldn't make the move, but that's just me.

 

[spud]

I know some print people diss broadcast journalists.

I am one of these people.

 

[Dan Rydell]

Neither. Print is not a growth market anymore, and TV is just full of bull****.

Do something better with your life. Find a happier environment than this.

Find something happy and make money. I would suggest construction management at this point.

Build something strong, watch it grow. Then build something else, watch that grow.

Repeat as necessary. Good values, and you're home in time for dinner most nights.

 

[spnited]

Sure, Dan. He should do what you say, not what he might want to do.

Great that you're not in the business and you're happy. Doesn't mean everybody else will be.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

I have always had an affinity for print journalism but a friend of mine is trying to pull me over to the television side. I would primarily work off-camera, write, research etc. Should I stick with print or try something new? At 25, I wouldn't mind trying something different. But if I made the career move, I don't know how easy it would be to get back into print journalism. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

If you make the jump, just be prepared to relearn a lot of the skills you've developed for print. Good newspaper writing doesn't work for TV. It's a totally different animal.

Having said that, if you're good at it there are plenty of off-camera jobs. It's a ***** to find good producers -- broadcast majors all want to be on camera. Like print, the pay is **** at the bottom but pretty decent if you get to a bigger market.

And I wouldn't necessarily argue with Dan Rydell on this one.

 

[GB-Hack]

Honestly, I'd take a crack at it. Find out what it's like. See if you can find some spots to freelance at so you can keep your writing sharp, but you never know if a job is going to be something you want to do unless you try it.

 

[mike311gd]

I have always had an affinity for print journalism but a friend of mine is trying to pull me over to the television side. I would primarily work off-camera, write, research etc. Should I stick with print or try something new? At 25, I wouldn't mind trying something different. But if I made the career move, I don't know how easy it would be to get back into print journalism. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

Follow your heart, guy. If your passion is fully in print, stay there. But grabbing a little taste of the other side isn't necessarily a bad idea. You might even like it. Who knows?

Is there any way you can do some volunteer work at the station before making the switch? If so, I'd suggest getting your feet wet first, so you know exactly what to expect -- at least for the most part. I did a lot of television work in college, and it was some of the thrilling times I've had in the communication field. Ultimately, I chose print journalism because I had a stronger passion for it. But I had a taste for both. Maybe that's what you need.

You're only 25. Don't worry about if you can get back into the business. If you've got talent, you'll have a place to work.

 

[TheMethod]

The way this business is headed, it's probably to your benefit to have as much experience with an many different media as possible.

 

[spup1122]

I work in TV. I like it much more than I did print. I am also off camera and it's a fantastic situation.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Method is right. With multimedia and everyone emphasizing online stuff, which includes videos and other types of streaming content, having a wide variety of talents only helps you. Heck, at this point Associated Press radio wants a lot of their newer, younger hires to have some sort of experience in the type of TV stuff you're looking at. Not as talking heads, but as someone able to generate video content to go with their stories for websites. You can see a lot of it on yahoo.

 

[Rufino]

So much depends on where you're doing this. ESPN goes through research drones like some folks do tissues - several folks I know have gone that route and been miserable, a couple are quite happy. If that's what you're talking about, be wary. On the other hand, if you're involved in researching and putting together specific magazine type stories, it might be great.

At least you're not talking about local TV sports, it appears. That's good, because the consultants keep pushing stations to cut, cut, cut sports until eventually there's not going to be anything left. Some stations have already gone that route.

 

[Ace]

The way this business is headed, it's probably to your benefit to have as much experience with an many different media as possible.

True.

And, Dan, construction managers are at the whim of the economy, often have to travel for weeks on end and work long hours. Other than that, it's a great job.

 

[spup1122]

So much depends on where you're doing this. ESPN goes through research drones like some folks do tissues - several folks I know have gone that route and been miserable, a couple are quite happy. If that's what you're talking about, be wary. On the other hand, if you're involved in researching and putting together specific magazine type stories, it might be great.

At least you're not talking about local TV sports, it appears. That's good, because the consultants keep pushing stations to cut, cut, cut sports until eventually there's not going to be anything left. Some stations have already gone that route.

Wow. Maybe it's my market, but here, sports gets almost as much time as news some days. Three or four days a week, they get more.

 

[Rufino]

Wow. Maybe it's my market, but here, sports gets almost as much time as news some days. Three or four days a week, they get more.

It's definitely your market. I have a pair of friends working in NFL cities who get two minutes at 6, 2:45 at 11 at this point.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Wow. Maybe it's my market, but here, sports gets almost as much time as news some days. Three or four days a week, they get more.

It's definitely your market. I have a pair of friends working in NFL cities who get two minutes at 6, 2:45 at 11 at this point.

At my shop it's 2:15 at 5:30pm and 2:30 at 10pm, and this is a city with all 4 major sports and a major D-I university.

One station in town eliminated sports a few years ago but brought it back within months. I think the backlash was pretty severe. The average viewer doesn't care much about sports, but you look like a Mickey Mouse organization if you don't have a sports department.

 

[spup1122]

Our guys get 3 at the lowest end and 5 at the top end. On big prep or D-1 nights, they get half the show.

 

[BigSleeper]

I say follow your heart. If it works out, more power to you.

But consider what Dan said.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

And I would tell you not to listen to Dan.

"TV is just full of bull****" is the stupidest statement I've ever seen on this board, which is saying something. EVERY job is full of bull****. The best wade through it, and succeed in spite of it.

All my life, I wanted to be a sportswriter. I chose my university because it had a student paper that sent generations of journalists into the newspaper world. When I left -- without a degree -- I couldn't get a job. It was 1993, the economy was in the toilet and I couln't get an internship. I fought and scratched and freelanced for a year, but realized it wasn't going to happen. That's when I moved into sports radio.

Now, a lot of people laugh at sports radio. And, much of that laughter is deserved. I was fortunate that I work in Toronto, which has a real good station. But that was my last chance. I knew at that moment, that what I did there would make or break my career. Three years later, I was in television -- a total neophyte, almost completely untrained for the medium.

Again, I knew there were plenty of people with Dan Rydell's attitude towards TV. But what he -- or anyone else -- thinks shouldn't matter to you. What do you think? If you want to do newspaper, radio or TV -- and do it well, you can. Yes, there's a ton of bull****. Yes, there will be people you can't stand. Yes, there will be ridiculous decisions made that affect you negatively. All of those things wil make you want to kill someone.

But, at the end of the day, if you outwork people, if you come up with good ideas/good stories, if you listen to the people who will help you, if you keep a positive attitude -- you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

I know because I did. Good luck.