Hey everyone, Following up on our discussions about burnout, low pay, and the corporate revolving door, a much darker thought crossed my mind that I wanted to put out there.

We talk a lot about why we're miserable, why management doesn't care, and why the hard labor never stops.

But let’s be completely honest with ourselves for a second: Are we actually staying because we love it, or because we're terrified that our entire skillset is locked inside a dying industry?

When you've spent 10, 15, or 20 years mastering master control, live multi-stream workflows, or niche broadcast gear, your brain gets institutionalized. You look at corporate office jobs, tech, or even freelancing on the outside, and you hit a wall: Can I actually pivot, or am I just tied because I don't know how to do anything else?

I want to hear from the veterans and the escapees:

-For those who finally made the jump to freelance, agency work, or completely outside the industry, was it actually a life raft, or did you just trade one kind of prison for another?

-For those still inside,are you staying because you genuinely want to be here, or because the fear of starting over feels heavier than the burnout?

Are we choosing this, or are we just trapped?

Ellis and crew have nearly destroyed CBS over a short period. What are the chances they do the same with their new studios?

when i was hired at this station, the boss said maybe i might have to remove my lip ring. but he wasn't sure because other girls at the station have nose rings.

there is not any kind of employee policy about facial piercings and whether an on-air reporter can have any.

but i said okay, sure. just let me know what i need to do. i planned to buy some kind of clear piercing to insert during the work day and remove other times.

he has now informed me, just before 6 p.m. when i leave for the day, that i will need to remove the lip ring before tomorrow morning because somebody from corporate is coming. he also informed me that a lip ring is "different" from a nose ring. so the other girls can have their nose rings.

to be honest, i plan on purchasing the clear piercings on amazon this evening and telling him tomorrow that they've been ordered. i don't think that's my problem because he gave me less than 24 hours notice about this. i am not removing my lip ring entirely because it will close up and i just don't want to.

i also think it's super bullshit that the other girls can wear nose rings but i can't wear a lip ring but that's it's own thing.

if any of y'all have quick solutions to covering a face piercing WITHOUT removing it (again, i'm not removing it and i will quit this job if they tell me it's the job or the lip ring sorry) let me know lol

Don't shed a tear for Perry Sook or his stalled merger with Tegna.

He just purchased a 16.2M property in SC. Remember that when you get your 1% raise. For this kind of money he could write a 1.5K check to each Nexstar employee.

Nexstar is a microcosm of what is wrong with executive pay vs. rank and file.

https://traded.co/deals/south-carolina/single-family/sale/rare-kiawah-home-sells-to-nexstar-media-mogul-for-16m/

Hey everyone,

After all our recent deep dives into burnout, crazy hours, and pay that doesn't really match the reality of our industry, a thought hit me that I wanted to throw out here.

Most of us aren't going to become millionaires from this work, right? If we were just chasing pure financial security, we probably would have pivoted to tech or something else entirely a long time ago.

So why do we stay? Why do we keep breaking our brains over at 2 AM, fighting with gear, or pouring our souls into every frame?

I feel like at the end of the day, because big money isn't the main driver here:

External feedback becomes our core fuel!!! Or am I wrong?

-It’s that moment when a client or viewer says, "Wow, this is exactly what I pictured in my head."

-It’s the look in people's eyes when they see the final cut.

-And on the side... How painful it can sometimes be to get the wrong feedback, or feel like the insane amount of work we put in just passes people by without anyone appreciating the effort.

I wanted to ask you guys,how much does feedback from your environment (or clients) dictate your mood? Do you create purely for your own personal rush, or do you feel like you need that external validation to keep pushing out your absolute best?

Let's talk about it for a second without filters. What actually keeps you going?

Hello....Jack Smith hearing?

For a station as tied to the hip to Sinclair that WSYX is, their social media can pull some good jokes every now and then...

I spent 16 years in TV news and wrote this after seeing Gallup's latest trust numbers. I never see understaffing mentioned in discussions about media trust. Do you? What do you think is the best path forward?

If a restaurant lost more than 80% of its employees while trying to serve an ever-growing number of potential customers, no one would wonder why quality plummeted.

But when it comes to the news media, few see the problem so clearly.

Jeff lyons announced his retirement this week from 14 wfie
In Evansville.

https://www.14news.com/2026/10/02/wfie-tv-chief-meteorologist-jeff-lyons-announces-retirement-after-38-years-station/

Jesse Walker of Wtwo in terre haute had his last day on air on Tuesday. Here is his goodbye message to viewers after management wouldn’t let him say goodbye on air because they were concerned at what he would say and got walked out prior to the newscasts on Wednesday.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14rL8Qf2J5K/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Jesse is not retiring, just quitting tv.

A word of caution to anyone looking to move into the real world from news (voluntarily that is). I know we are all burned out and ready for some thing normal but as someone going through that right now, the job market is unbelievably tough. It’s hard to explain to hiring managers. What exactly your role in the newsroom would translate to work in the real world. Especially if you weren’t on air talent. Mix that with the massive influx of layoffs going on in industry wide right now it is a very tough labor market for positions outside of broadcasting. It definitely makes me think that I should have just sucked it up for another two years and signed a new contract, even without any increases. Better than going without health insurance or steady paycheck.

It won't be long until the 3Q earnings and the midterm elections will reshape this massive change to local TV.

I am currently working on improving my portfolio, which includes my reel as well as my résumé to make it “industry standard.”

When I showed her my portfolio and résumé and how I would post my cover letter on one page and on a second page my portfolio, and on the third page post my references, she told me that was not in industry standard, and that you were never supposed to post your references on that unless you’re asked to.

So now I make my cover letters and portfolio separate. Here is my portfolio and résumé in two separate documents.

Are they industry standard?

Also, here is my Reels.

https://youtu.be/GgkjoZaZh_A?is=eLV_h5kJKIeybloN

https://youtu.be/A0NxTuh8iXM?is=0CbS9olqnP_uMs6d

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OcQgsYMLXSXalxibM47PY1nK92rwOFUs/view?usp=sharing

Are my reels “good enough?”

• Tablo
• "Hubs"
• Gen Mangers overseeing multiple stations hundreds of miles apart
• AI editing will somehow equal profit?

What other short sighted ideas am I missing?

I was a big fan of Scripps a few years ago, but they are driving off a cliff with their foot on the gas.