A few of you are weighing in on what is happening at the Scripps stations.

Email:

Scott,

Scripps deserves some credit for its salary push.  I don’t know what most Scripps stations are paying for MMJs, but thanks to California law, we do know the MMJ opening at KERO, the Scripps station in Bakersfield, pays a maximum of $64,000/year.

Compare that to the other stations in town.  Nexstar’s KGET has a MMJ opening that pays $35,984/year.  Sinclair’s KBAK doesn’t have a MMJ opening, but an investigative reporter opening there pays $39,520/year.

That said, what did it take for Scripps to get to this point?  The company is eliminating its local news videographers by next year, from what I’ve heard, and that’s going to be a lot of one-man bands doing multiple jobs at once.  I’d also certainly be sore about losing my job just so the company can pay better salaries in smaller markets.

I also wonder whether Scripps is paying better salaries to other people in its newsrooms?  For example, KERO also has a producer opening that pays $59,000/year.  The company offers an additional $5,000 sign-on bonus to bring it up to the MMJ salary, but even that’s a cop out.  Sign-on bonuses usually come with attached strings and definitely don’t count toward overtime.

Email:

"Time will tell if this “adjustment” is really helping the product, or just shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic."

This right here - and I would say the latter. Scripps is my least favorite ownership group. They may treat their employees slightly better than others but their newscasts are SO BORING. Even in large markets like West Palm Beach it's always just a solo anchor standing in front of a really bland looking set just reading. How often do you see a live reporter in a Scripps-produced newscast? I hardly ever do.

Email:

Scott,

Thanks for all you do.

I think Scripps is making a mistake in getting rid of photographers. TV news without photogs is radio.

A story done by an MMJ is a story that cuts corners. Either the MMJ is shooting video or trying to gather information. You can’t do both simultaneously as a two-person crew can.

If Scripps pays an MMJ $60,000, it is as if they paid the Reporter $30 grand and the Shooter $30 grand. And they only pay benefits to a single person.

This isn’t about journalism, it’s about saving money.

I’m not buying what they are trying to sell.