This Needs to Change
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Yesterday, FTVLive posted this story to our FTVLive Patrons and a number of people emailed us and said this is a story that needs to be seen by everyone.
So, we decided to post that Patron Only story here for all. Let’s hope it helps make a difference.
The US women's soccer team won the World Cup and at the same time started the conversation about egual pay with the men’s US team.
Some argued that the women’s team did not generate the same amount of income as the men and therefore that is why they are not paid as much as the men.
But what is the reason that many women in TV news are not paid as well as the guys?
For the past month, FTVLive has been looking into the gender pay gap in TV. We talked to General Managers, News Directors, News Managers, Agents, and people in the newsroom. We agreed to let everyone speak anonymously and none would be identified.
This was the only way to get the real information and see just how much of a problem that this is?
We basically kept our focus on the top 60 markets and what we learned was disturbing.
We found that in the case of most stations, women were paid less than men, despite the fact that they were doing the same job.
In one market, the female Anchor had bigger market experience than her male counterpart, yet she was making almost $30,000 less than the male Anchor.
One station lost their male News Director to a bigger market and the station hired a female ND and paid her $25,000 less.
This was despite the fact that she had more experience than the guy she was replacing. The female ND found this out when she was looking over the news budget from the year before.
A station in a top 20 market has two Executive Producers that are on the same level. The female EP has been at the station 16 months longer than the male EP, yet she is paid $12,300 less.
Of the stations we looked at, we only found 3 where the female Anchor was making more than the male Anchor and in both cases the female had been at the station for years longer than the male.
One News Director tells FTVLive that he pays his female Anchor less, because that was the deal she agreed to. “I had more money in the budget, but she took my first offer,” the ND said. “She could have made what my male Anchor was making but she accepted less, is that my fault or hers?” he asked.
It is not just talent. One News Director admits to FTVLive that he has a female Photographer on staff and she is the lowest paid of the Shooter’s at the station.
One station in a 40 something market has 6 Producers, 3 male, 3 female. 2 of the 3 females are paid the lowest and one one of the guys is paid less than the other female.
Look at most TV stations and you will find a white guy in the GM’s office and more often than not, a white guy in the News Director’s office.
Stations need diversity in management. They need to promote women into these roles and they certainly need to bring in more minorities.
You can argue that in soccer that the men generate more money, so they make more.
While I’m not sure I buy that, the same thing can’t be said in TV news. It is time that stations start paying women the same as the guys. I heard a lot of excuses as to why, but the gender pay gap in TV news is real.
Stations need to fix this and it is time to start promoting women and minorities into the corner offices of TV stations across the country.
