What will you do if one day, you walk back into the newsroom from a story and see everyone gone?
Not, gone as in “poof”, but gone as in, they’ve been summoned to Studio B or whatever you call it, for a station meeting with the general manager and/or owner.
You are then told to not worry about that 5pm lead story or 6pm “B-lede” because the news will not be airing that night. The station is dark, out of business, gone for good.
What will you do?Besides grab all of the file tapes you can get your hands on to build a resume tape. What will you do after that?
Will you look for another job in television news? Would you be willing to move to another market? Will you get out of television and if so, what? Public relations has long been a fall-back for many reporters and producers but now? Are there many public relations offices even hiring?
I’ve posed this question to quite a few folks and gotten all kinds of different answers. The younger reporters/photographers and producers all say they would find a similar job in another market and pick up and move. The older reporters, producers and photographers haven’t been as eager to change their address for another job in tv. Who says that next job in tv will be any different, say 5 years from now?
I’ve heard “I’ll work at a little hardware store” to “teach school” to “start my own video business” to “I have no idea”.
Of course, your home may determine what you do or where you go. Children who are happy with their school has some leverage. So does a spouse who has a job.
I think we’d all like some ideas. So I’m inviting you to share your thoughts. Has it even crossed your mind? What is your first thought of “what will I do?”. And then tell us if you have children or any other factor that will play a large role in your decision. No names, no markets unless you want to say where you are.
It may get all of us thinking more clearly about the future.
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