What do you make?

[trifectarich]

My first job out of college (late '70s), I made $295 a week. I did such a fabulous job that I was given a raise after only three months there — an additional $5 a week.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I started at $20,800 ($10/hr.) in 1999, and left at about $38,000 in 2008.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

Started at $24K in 2003, maxed out at $45K, now out of the business, thank God.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

My newspaper salary went from $34K my first full year (1996) to $58K during my last year (2008). I also had a radio show my last three years where I made an additional $12K-$15K.

I make basically the same now as I did my last year in the business, but I work 40 hours a week, have never worked a weekend day or a holiday and when I leave for the day, I don't think about work for a second until the next work day starts.

 

[User 11148]

My first job out of college (late '70s), I made $295 a week. I did such a fabulous job that I was given a raise after only three months there — an additional $5 a week.

In the mid-1980s, I started at around $225 a week. Standard practice there was a review/raise after 3 months, a review/raise after 6 months, and a review/raise after a year (then yearly after that). Was there about two years and saw my salary increase to a whopping $257.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Started at $24K in 2003, maxed out at $45K, now out of the business, thank God.

Ditto on the last seven words here, which I inadvertently left out.

 

[Ace]

I'd tell you but then someone would tell my wife.

I think I made more delivering the Cleveland Press than some on here. What a travesty.

 

[Pencil Dick]

More than I ever made in journalism, and I spent more than a decade with one of the destination newspaper companies.

 

[SockPuppet]

First full-time gig starting in 1973 at $120 a week ($6k a year).
When I got out in 2008, was making $66k a year.

Side question on this: Talked to a much younger former colleague who has a job that is mostly digital/video production. He's making $34k, his employer considers his $8k benefits package to be part of the "compensation package" so in the employer's mind he's making $42 k. BULL****.

This is the stuff in our current world that pisses me off. Your salary is what you get paid; your benefits are what your company should provide to keep you healthy. To consider benefits part of your paycheck ain't right.

 

[YankeeFan]

Side question on this: Talked to a much younger former colleague who has a job that is mostly digital/video production. He's making $34k, his employer considers his $8k benefits package to be part of the "compensation package" so in the employer's mind he's making $42 k. BULL****.

This is the stuff in our current world that pisses me off. Your salary is what you get paid; your benefits are what your company should provide to keep you healthy. To consider benefits part of your paycheck ain't right.

Yes and no.

When discussing salary, almost all of us would use the dollar figure of our actual pay.

But, when companies budget for a position, they have to account for what a person actually costs.

And, when any of us look for a new job, we certainly do take the benefits into account. We compare them, and understand that we need to make more money if the benefits package is not as generous, or we might be willing to give up a little in salary in return for a good benefits package.

 

[KJIM]

"Compensation package" includes benefits. "Salary" does not.

In the employer's mind, he or she is right to believe the employee is costing the company $42k, because he is. It not correct to refer to that additional $8k as "salary," but it most certainly is "compensation."

Benefits are not birthrights.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Side question on this: Talked to a much younger former colleague who has a job that is mostly digital/video production. He's making $34k, his employer considers his $8k benefits package to be part of the "compensation package" so in the employer's mind he's making $42 k. BULL****.

This is the stuff in our current world that pisses me off. Your salary is what you get paid; your benefits are what your company should provide to keep you healthy. To consider benefits part of your paycheck ain't right.

Yes and no.

When discussing salary, almost all of us would use the dollar figure of our actual pay.

But, when companies budget for a position, they have to account for what a person actually costs.

And, when any of us look for a new job, we certainly do take the benefits into account. We compare them, and understand that we need to make more money if the benefits package is not as generous, or we might be willing to give up a little in salary in return for a good benefits package.

Yep..

When you got kids - and kids with braces, glasses, medical issues - benefits are an important part of the package.

 

[boundforboston]

What's the general range for a preps reporter, a college beat writer and a pro writer?

 

[Dick Whitman]

What's the general range for a preps reporter, a college beat writer and a pro writer?

It varies by market and paper size, but in general, I'd say:

Preps: $25K-$35K
College: $40K-$70K
Pro: $60K-$90K

 

[BTExpress]

Your salary is what you get paid; your benefits are what your company should provide to keep you healthy.

But it goes far beyond health insurance.

I have $350,000+ in my 401(k) and a modest $750/month coming to me in a pension in a few years as part of my Tribune Company benefits.

 

[Ace]

Your salary is what you get paid; your benefits are what your company should provide to keep you healthy.

But it goes far beyond health insurance.

I have $350,000+ in my 401(k) and a modest $750/month coming to me in a pension in a few years as part of my Tribune Company benefits.

Knock on wood.

 

[Trey Beamon]

$20K at small daily starting in 2004, $17K as SE at weekly in 2005 and $25K as sports reporter in 2007.

At the last job, I got a $4.5K raise and was moved to salary after being named SE, so in nine years I never reached $30K. As others said, thank God that I'm done doing this full-time.

 

[Rhody31]

Christ, Rhody. That is gross. Good luck in your search.

Yeah. That's why it was a huge help being married to a pharmacist.
With OT and mileage, I cleared 30K for the year, but last fall we were told no OT and after I was let go, my former co-worker was working with no OT. The only benefit was I could finagle my schedule so my wife and I didn't have to pay for day care, so it was an imaginary bump in pay.
Currently my unemployment check is about 100 bucks less than my weekly paycheck, which is cool because I work 45 fewer hours, drive less miles and get to raise my daughter, see my wife and do things whenever I want.
Talking about getting back to work with my wife, if I'm taking a 9-5 I'm gonna have to make at least 50K in a non-journo job to offset the daycare costs and doing something I don't love. If one of the state's other papers had an opening and would work around my schedule, I'd take 12.50 an hour again without blinking.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

The paper I left stopped contributing to our 401K in 2008 when they also cut our pay. The 401K was grossly mismanaged in as much they gave us little to no guidance/support, and the fees were pretty high. I went with an outside guy and a Roth years ago. When I left, I moved the paper's 401K stuff to an IRA with my guy, and it took off. I later found out the paper's 401K manager was a family member of the owners so the job he did helping people wasn't scrutinized with the employees' best interest in mind.

 

[YankeeFan]

Yeah. That's why it was a huge help being married to a pharmacist.

Oh. See, I figured you were going to say that she can provide you with both sex and drugs. :)