Here’s the report on today’s salaries:
On average, the E&P report said, cub reporters at daily newspapers make less than $30,000 their first year, according to the most comprehensive industry report on salaries and compensation.
The 2006 Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey found that the average entry-level salary last year for the 521 dailies participating in the study is up 17.3% from 2001, but is still a humble $29,048, or 558.62 a week.
They'd be better off moving to the classified department, where the average salary for an inside sales rep last year was $36,077.
Newsroom raises are slowing down, the report suggests. While the base pay of beginning reporters increased by double digits since 2001, the raise between 2004 and 2005 was just 2.1%, well under the inflation rate of 3.4% last year.
So, how does this comare with the BJ in 1974?
Would you believe top minimum pay of $290.50 a week for reporters at the Beacon Journal after five years of service, and $157 for library clerks and secretaires and $108 for copy runners after three years of service? Beginning reporters received $164, second year $181, third year $198 and fourth year $236.
This is not much compared to $1,046 today, but it seemed like fairly good pay at the time. The salaries were listed in a contract signed January 8, 1974, effective November 1, 1973.
Who approved these miserly wages? Check out the actual signatures of Harry Liggett, Guild president; James R. Ricci, Guild vice president; William A. Ott, BJ general manager and Richard A. Williams, personnel manager. Robert W. Page, now a minister, was also a member of the negotiating committee, but was smart enough to keep his signature off the document. Ricci is proably making a little more now at the LA Times and even Liggett’s Social Security check is a wee bit bigger.
Harry would never tell it, but there was the time that Harry, displeased with the company's stance during negotiations, slammed the door as he left. Management folks called Miami to tell them this guy was serious. As the legend goes, the company agreed to all or most of Harry's demands on the specific issue.
ReplyDeleteIf it's myth, Harry, don't let me know. I prefer to think that there was a Guild president who could make management quiver a little. Today, of course, management would open the door and help the Harrys out and not care whether they came back. They would just go buy themselves another can of "journalists."