NDP Election Pledge Promises Pay Increase For Radio Announcers

Someone help me understand those rates. Are you telling me that Jon Mcomb only makes
$38884 per annum. Even if he gets double that amount its less than I would have imagined.

And like everything else the NDP promises, it would come at taxpayer expense.

They forgot that if you are over 45, there is a target on your back..lol.. Why do you think that broadcasters such as Humble Howard, Jim Goddard and even a rocker like myself , all abandoned radio for social media !

couldn’t be any worse than the liberals, promise everything and deliver nothing. (not ndp btw)

I am certainly not privy to what Jon Mcomb’s pay packet is, nor should I, but I do recall when Mr. Good had his time slot how he used to grouse about the “burger flippers” onboard the Ferries earning far more than he did.
So the $38,884.00 per annum may be spot on.

Cheers.

Those (above) figures seem pretty close to the reality, out there, but they also come at a cost in more ways than one ?

The main problem is that, most radio news announcers wages lag far behind the actual cost of living of most British Columbia cities.

For example, in the Okanagan, (Kelowna) the minimum wage required to afford a decent standard of living is said to be $ 18.00 per hour, while in places like Vancouver, (where the average price of a home is close to $ 1,000,000 dollars per year), the minimum wage to stave off poverty is perhaps much higher.

Therefore, $ 15.00 dollars a hour still puts you in the poverty class, but perhaps a better level of poverty ?

Meanwhile, only the poorest or most desperate of fools apply for work in radio . People with real ambition perhaps choose careers such as medicine, nursing, law, or perhaps. prostitution and massage parlour work ?

( I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried the sex trade business ? LOL)

The low wages among radio journalists also has a psychological impact while interviewing VIP people in the field.

If your news interview subject happens to be a local politician, the fire chief, or the president of a large corporation, you, the reporter, are likely making up to 10 times LESS than the person being interviewed.

Therefore, even before the mp3 is rolling, that means that you, the reporter, especially if younger, can feel socially inferior or even inadequate, while the interview subject feels that they should/can own your ass, the interview content or even dictate the news story.

What is the solution ? I admit that I don’t know. Perhaps the solution is to find a well paying job that supplements your radio career, which many people are forced to do.

Unfortunately, that is sometimes not always feasible as most media outlets expect you to be available, 24/7, even if you happen to work “part time” ?

Do not depend on a political party, any variation of a union promise, or a middle manager to move you up the pay scale. Your best options are to improve your education, your skill set, and your communication skills. The business model in broadcasting has changed dramatically. As in most industries, you are either an asset or a liability…most fall into the latter. Companies do not like rogue employees, but those who follow the company line to a ‘T’. As uncomfortable as that may be, companies are not running a daycare and could care less about your ‘opinions’. They are in it to make money and that’s it. If you’re not contributing to the bottom line in some tangible way, then you have one foot out the door. Loyalty to a company does not play a part, despite their best efforts to persuade you that somehow that gives you job security. The loyalty ‘diatribe’ is simply to keep you calm and not disturbing the status quo. Employee loyalty can be defined very simply as: I will EARN today’s paycheque, and if I’m allowed back in tomorrow, I will earn that day’s paycheque. Beyond that, you have no control. You do not own the business and you do not run the business. Those in broadcasting should spend less time complaining about how hard they’re working or how much they should be paid, and spend more time bringing themselves up to speed in how business is run, if for nothing else, to better navigate the mine-field. Employment is day-to-day. Even long-term contracts can be bought out, but for salaried employees, you will only get what the law allows, and it ain’t much. To young broadcasters, I’m sorry that you missed the curve that allowed most of us some control. No longer the case, and never will be. So be smart—only ‘education’ and a bit of luck will move you up. For the most part, broadcasting is a lazy person’s business. Putting ‘time in’ is not hard work…companies have recognized that even if you haven’t. I’ve yet to meet a plumber or carpenter making minimum wage. Why? Because that is hard work and they are paid accordingly. To read wire copy, scan the internet, talk for a couple of minutes or move buttons up and down a board, is no longer going to get you anywhere, even if you think it should. They can get anybody to do that, and they already are.