Last week, FTVLive told you how there has been a very large brain drain in local TV news as more people leave the business.

Many that have dreamed of working in TV news have decided to leave the business, due to the low pay and odd hours.

The COVID pandemic has many people looking at their current situation and looking to make a hard reset and try something else.

As contracts come up, many TV groups are offering up a one or one and a half percent raise, or no raise at all for the next deal. Employees feel that they have been working throughout the pandemic, being asked to do more and then not seeing any reward when their contract comes up.

So, they are leaving.

One longtime News Director tells FTVLive that he can see the impact of the shallow talent pool when his station posts job openings. “I have an MMJ opening and only 3, yes 3 people applied,” the ND tells FTVLive. “I have a main anchor opening and few candidates,” he added.

Three people applying for a MMJ is crazy. Back when I was a News Director if I posted a Reporter job, I would get well over 100 resumes sent to me. In fact, I could count on two or three resumes coming in unsolicited every day when I didn’t have a job posted.

Now, it’s a different story. “It’s horrible right now. News Directors are fighting over the same shallow pool of candidates,” the mid-market News Director tells FTVLive. “I Don’t know if it’s Covid or the pay but the future is bleak if we can’t find qualified candidates to do the job,” he added.

If stations can’t find qualified candidates to do the job, the on-air product suffers and the viewers tune out.

TV stations and groups need to start paying better. For years the talent pool was so deep that they could afford to lowball job candidates, but those days are gone.

It is time to bring the pay scale in line with where it should be and the stockholders will just have to understand it’s about saving Journalism and putting on a watchable product.