[BC] Negativity

[Dana Puopolo]

C'mon Willie!

You're much more then an engineer. You also are the morning man, mid day guy,
janitor, etc. etc.

You are very fortunate that you have an owner that's there and 'gets it'. 
These types are becoming rarer all the time.

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a computer type if he should consider radio as
a career. I asked hiom how much per hour he was making as a computer tech: "50
dollars per hour". Then I asked him hiow much he was making working for a
radio station part time.
"Fifteen dollars and hour, and they expect me to do computer stuff that I'm
getting 50 an hour for elsewhere".

I told him he had answered his own question. 

With very few exceptions, radio engineering salaries have NOT kept up with
other engineering disciplines, even though the responsibilities that a
broadscast engineer has has more then doubled. If you want to work more hours
for less real money then you were making 20 years ago, then have at it. 

I'm not being negative here, just realistic. If you want to shoot the
messinger (and some of you obviously do, based upon the nasty emails I've
received lately), I guess that's your business too. BUT it doesn't change the
facts I and others have presented here. Personally, I feel sad that plumbers
and garbage collectors make more on average then we do. They don't have to
keep up with technology on their own time. They're not on 24 hour call. Their
benefits are generally better, too.

A friend of mine works in the movie industry as an assiatant editor (nOT the
chied editor). She made over $250,000 last year. Did ANY of you do that well? 
She isn't on call, works in better conditions then all of us, and  doesn't
even have the training or level of experience that most of us have.  

The average sales manager in a top 50 market makes well over $100,000. How
many of you do that well? The average Program Director in a top 50 market
makes well over $120,000.  The average top 50 market CE makes about HALF that
much-and they think they're being generous paying that much to us.

My brother trains auto mechanics (at the high school level). I asked him how
much they would make after 5 years with ASE certfication (they get it by the
time they graduate). He told me that they should expect $65K on average! Many
of you don't make that much after 10 plus years on the job. Yet these kids-5
years out of high school will get paid more then you. How does THAT make you
feel?

The only way that things will get better for ALL of us is if we want it to get
better!  Writing "feel good" posts here won't do it. Sending me nasty emails
won't do it either. Organization and hard work needs to be done to make this
happen. Or are you satisfied that that 2001 HS graduate is making more $$ then
you?

-D



------ Original Message ------
Received: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:50:21 AM EDT
From: WFIFeng at aol.com
To: broadcast at radiolists.net
Subject: Re: [BC] Negativity


In a message dated 04/24/2007 11:40:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
kwinrich at gmail.com writes:

> Isn't it great to have a hobby you can get paid for?

Oh, yes! In more ways than I can describe! :)

Willie...














 . 
**************************************
 See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
_______________________________________________

The BROADCAST [BC] list is sponsored by SystemsStore On-Line Sales
Cable-Connectors-Blocks-Racks-Wire Management-Test Gear-Tools and More! 
www.SystemsStore.com       Tel: 407-656-3719    Sales at SystemsStore.com