Living Off The Public Troth

[The Voice of Reason]

I've been a fan of public radio for a great many years, yet I cringe when I see just how much money some people in management at local affiliates make.
What is even more repugnant is for them to have the audacity to get on the air and cry the poverty-blues about not making their budgets and cutting programs if they don’t reach their fund-raising goals.
Here is some advice for these individuals. Instead of living off the public troth with your six-figure salaries, expensive cars, paid medical insurance and other perks, why not do some in-house trimming of your own salaries?
If these people want to make big money then go work for a commercial broadcasting operation.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

I've been a fan of public radio for a great many years, yet I cringe when I see just how much money some people in management at local affiliates make.
What is even more repugnant is for them to have the audacity to get on the air and cry the poverty-blues about not making their budgets and cutting programs if they don’t reach their fund-raising goals.
Here is some advice for these individuals. Instead of living off the public troth with your six-figure salaries, expensive cars, paid medical insurance and other perks, why not do some in-house trimming of your own salaries?
If these people want to make big money then go work for a commercial broadcasting operation.

What you describe is true, but its not limited to just public broadcasting. There are a number of not-for-profit agencies that pay executives a great deal of money.

As for your suggestion that these executives take pay cuts in order to balance their budgets, don't hold your breath. Instead they will eliminate someone else lower on the food chain, or hold more fundraisers.

Regarding fundraisers, when they are on TV I just turn on the mute button. I stream NPR from their site during radio beg-a-thons.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I've been a fan of public radio for a great many years, yet I cringe when I see just how much money some people in management at local affiliates make.
What is even more repugnant is for them to have the audacity to get on the air and cry the poverty-blues about not making their budgets and cutting programs if they don’t reach their fund-raising goals.
Here is some advice for these individuals. Instead of living off the public troth with your six-figure salaries, expensive cars, paid medical insurance and other perks, why not do some in-house trimming of your own salaries?
If these people want to make big money then go work for a commercial broadcasting operation.

What you describe is true, but its not limited to just public broadcasting. There are a number of not-for-profit agencies that pay executives a great deal of money.

As for your suggestion that these executives take pay cuts in order to balance their budgets, don't hold your breath. Instead they will eliminate someone else lower on the food chain, or hold more fundraisers.

Regarding fundraisers, when they are on TV I just turn on the mute button. I stream NPR from their site during radio beg-a-thons.

What you say, unfortunately, is so very true; and sad. While most not-for-profit employees are not paid what they are worth, those at the very top make sure they are over-compensated. And for that I blame the Boards of Directors of these organizations for allowing this to happen.

 

[jp1520]

Well...there isn't a public radio station manager in Illinois outside, perhaps Chicago, who is making six figures.
I manage two stations...and I'm PD of one of them, too...and I fill in on-air regularly. And I'm tens of
thousands away from six figures...and one of my stations is tied for third in the market and the other fifth.
I drive a six year old Jeep Cherokee (plain, not Grand) with a broken windshield. I do have medical benefits,
but that's because I work at a major university. When I get on the air and ask for money...it's to pay for
the programs contributors want to hear. That's it. If you don't like fundraising...if you don't like the whole
public radio arrangement...well, you're not part of our core audience and you're not who we're talking to.
So, go ahead...tune it out. There are plenty of others out there who "get it" - and, by the way...if I eliminated
my entire salary, it wouldn't pay half of the NPR bill alone. So...check your facts, and get back to me when
you can have an informed discussion.

 

[MaskMan]

Wow! I've got to chime in on this one! I worked in public radio a little over a year ago, in Underwriting, and I can tell you that I'm not sure our entire staff added up to a 6 figure income. Well, that's probably a little exaggerated, but really, I think you're way out of line on that one! And, we're in a top-50 market. Granted, we had good equipment, etc., but we definitely counted the paper clips. Now, some of our employees were married to folks with really good incomes, as public radio employees do tend to be highly educated folks, but where I worked, people brought their lunches to work and were always scrimping to make ends meet. Although we were owned by a major university, we still had to pay half our insurance premiums, which were considerable. I think you've got your facts wrong BIG TIME!

 

[robbbc]

I wonder how much of this comes from people mistaking a statewide NPR/PBS or "superstation" NPR (eg. WGBH Boston) with locally run NPR/PBS. I bet the overpaid PDs can be found disproportionately at these mega-stations. IMHO give your money to the little independent NPR's, PBS's and other non-coms in your area and let the big boys live off underwriting.

 

[fred flintstone]

Re: Living Off The Public Troth (sic)

One would think the kind of person who listens to public radio would own a dictionary.
I think you mean living off the public trough ("a long, narrow, open receptacle, usually boxlike in shape, used chiefly to hold water or food for animals"). "Troth" is an archaic word still used in traditional wedding ceremonies ("faithfulness, fidelity, or loyalty; one's word or promise, esp. in engaging oneself to marry").

The term "public radio" applies to those non-commercial stations which receive CPB funding. Not all non-commercial stations are bona fide public radio stations. When people come on here to complain about the extravagances of public radio stations, someone is sure to reply and mention the shoe-string operation with which they are involved. From their descriptions, often these are more accurately "community stations," run by volunteers. Maybe some small market public radio stations are not rolling in money but even in medium markets, local NPR/APM/PRI stations generally have fancy buildings, state of the art equipment and highly-paid suits. A glance at the public radio job postings indicates public radio salaries (staff salaries, as opposed to executive salaries) are significantly higher than comparable positions in commercial radio. In fact, public radio is still employing people in markets where major commercial broadcasters are cutting staff and running automated and voice-tracked.

That said, the fact is a relatively small portion of public radio stations' operating revenue comes from the public trough, or from listener contributions, for that matter. Public radio stations benefit more from not paying taxes to the government than they do in getting money from the government. But the biggest source of public radio revenue is corporate (enhanced) underwriting - in other words, spots. Public radio has "development" (sales) departments that go out and hustle for money right along with commercial broadcasters, and they do quite well.

Another factor in public radio extravagance is their non-profit status. Non-profits are notorious for their profligate ways, including outrageous compensation, sweetheart contracts, fancy buildings and facilities. Non-profits are not accountable to shareholders or to the SEC. If money is left over, they give it to themselves. The United Way. The Red Cross. And your local NPR member station.

 

[redneckriviera]

jp1520 says "Well...there isn't a public radio station manager in Illinois outside, perhaps Chicago, who is making six figures. I manage two stations...and I'm PD of one of them, too...and I fill in on-air regularly. And I'm tens of thousands away from six figures...and one of my stations is tied for third in the market and the other fifth. I drive a six year old Jeep Cherokee (plain, not Grand) with a broken windshield. I do have medical benefits, but that's because I work at a major university. When I get on the air and ask for money...it's to pay for the programs contributors want to hear. That's it. If you don't like fundraising...if you don't like the whole
public radio arrangement...well, you're not part of our core audience and you're not who we're talking to.
So, go ahead...tune it out. There are plenty of others out there who "get it" - and, by the way...if I eliminated
my entire salary, it wouldn't pay half of the NPR bill alone. So...check your facts, and get back to me when
you can have an informed discussion."

WILL? WSIU? WNIU/WNIJ? Well, Southern & Northern aren't quite in the same league (albeit "major" universities) as U of I--though NIU has the largest market, by far... you know, if people count. East-central Illinois and southern Illinois have more cows than people. But, hey, has it occurred to you that you may just be a lousy negotiator? Individual negotiating skills do play a role in determining one's compensation, regardless of who one works for.

But, in fairness, most of the megabucks in public broadcasting are not being made or paid by university licensees or governmental licensees, but rather by community licensees--that is, stations owned & operated by independent non-profit entities existing solely for the purpose of public broadcasting. Many such licensees in major & large markets have found themselves rolling in dough. Think, uh, WGBH. Or WQED. WTTW. Even stations in smaller/middle markets like Harrisburg's WITF. Those with even a little entrepreneurial initiative have been amazed to find just how enormous their membership can become in a market of, say, 5 million people. Or 10 million. (Basic math: 50,000 members X $50 each = Wow! Now, keep counting upward). Then they found out that ad agencies will buy their underwriting avails for damn near as much as they pay for spots on top-ranked commercial stations. Wow, again! Add a regional magazine filled with paid advertising... regional or national program sales... video/dvd program sales... production facility rental... production services... videoconferencing services... uplink rental... maybe a statewide news network for commercial or non-comm affiliates (perhaps under a wholly-owned subsidiary)... and pretty soon you're talking real money. Big money.

And when you've got that kind of ching flowing through the door, and you've bought the very best of everything that money can buy, what is one to do with it? Pay high salaries? Sure. But not until you've paid the folks at the top VERY high salaries. Human nature.

Do those stations need taxpayer funding? No, they don't.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

Consider This.

Considering the demise of local news on most commercial stations, public radio and in some cases local public TV are the only places viewers can go for in-depth reporting.

Granted the salaries paid to employees perhaps could be better. We all like to make more money. But I truly feel that most people who work in public broadcasting do so for the love of the business.

As for some executives in public broadcasting making large salaries along with perks, I agree this issue is a double-edge sword. On one hand there is nothing wrong with hiring someone with proven experience to run an operation. Yet on the other hand it’s tough to appear before the public, with hat-in-hand, lamenting on the lack of dollars in the budget to keep quality programming on the air when there are people pulling down some big salaries.

Of course there are numerous examples of public broadcasting operations that run on a shoe-string budget. Yet I can also cite examples of where CEO’s make huge salaries. There are a lot of variables to consider.

 

[redneckriviera]

Public honesty would be a big step forward for public broadcasting. Those entities that have all their entrepreneurial engines blazing and no longer need taxpayer funding should decline to accept it, and let CPB funnel the money to those shoestring operations in rural communities that really need it.

As it is, the richest public operations in America have the gall to get on-air several times yearly and lie--either by omission or commission--insinuating that member donations are critical to their existence, when spending decisions determine as much of their operating margin as does income--or the source of such income.

Sorry to pick on jp1520 above, but university licensees--particularly those linked with private universities (Bradley?)--are often the worst offenders. College presidents are especially adept at accepting NBA salaries while crying poor. It is widely understood nowadays that the real task is spending money faster than it comes in--no matter how much comes in--to avoid IRS scrutiny.

Thus, artful lying has become the norm.

 

[NewsNow]

I worked for two of the 9 community college professionally staffed CPB qualified public stations in the country (and may soon be at a third), and we were in a medium market with a full professional staff. Our salary range ran from $23k a year for a rookie reporter with a four year degree and an NPR internship, to $55k a year for a GM. The GM was expected by the college to raise the entire budget - no $$ from the school. In fact, we had to pay utilities and rent.

Since our GMs were so good at raising a million dollars on that salary (development folks in other types of non-profs are supposed to be paid %10 of what they raise), the college naturally poached them for their foundation if they could.

But because these people were hired and evaluated as a radio manager, not a money maker, they get lowered salaries. Likewise, our rookie reporter finished second only to our more experienced reporter when it came awards time, competing against big time heritage news/talk stations with reporters who made more than any of us.

Most public radio personnel make less that they should, given their education and talent. The local goofbags in the morning slot on the CHR station made what our GM made, when they could stay out of jail (payola).

 

[jp1520]

Wow...some discussion - I've been too busy to check in a while. I'm station manager of
WILL AM-FM at the University of Illinois...and program director of the AM station - that's
right, two jobs. And while there may be some big salaries someplace in the system...I'll
tell you for a fact it's not the norm. As for fancy buildings...well, we have one - thanks
to a DONATION. Our operating budget is a fraction of what a station our size would go
through in the commercial world. Heck...as much as I believe in educating people...the
argument sometimes is lost on some. Suffice to say...we operate in different worlds with
differents ways of doing things...and millions of people appreciate the way we do it, so
it's valid. The people have spoken.

J

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Most public stations employ highly educated people making far less money than their counterparts in commercial radio. Yet there are a few public stations where a few executives make huge (six-figure) salaries plus benefits, while others are lucky to make close to $30,000 a year. That is just unfair. If the general public were aware of this I am certain that donations would dry up.

 

[fred flintstone]

jp: WILL AM and FM are not simulcast (mostly). That makes you GM of two stations plus PD of one. Three jobs.

jr, you say your operating budget is a fraction of that for a comparable station. There are no comparable stations in your market or downstate. Most medium market stations have minimal air-staff and rely mostly on automation and satellites. What do you consider "comparable?" WGN and WBBM? Not many like them around anywhere.

VoR: Everybody thinks they deserve more money. In general, radio salaries suck. But if you check you will find public radio pays better on average than does commercial radio for comparable positions. Benefits tend to be better, too. I agree, however, exec salaries are way out of line (compared to commercial radio managers), but this is pretty typical for non-profit organizations (and universities). Non-profits are not accountable to stock holders or the SEC. If they have money left over, they can pretty much do what they want. Buildings. Facilities. Salaries. Bonuses. Perks. Buy other businesses. Public radio is actually pretty tame and responsible compared to outfits like the United Way.

And no, donations don't dry up. There have been investigative reports of waste and fraud in non-profits before. People don't want to believe. Advertiser-supported media still gives the free time and very, very friendly news coverage (called public service).

 

[redneckriviera]

jp1520 says "Wow...some discussion - I've been too busy to check in a while. I'm station manager of
WILL AM-FM at the University of Illinois...and program director of the AM station - that's
right, two jobs. And while there may be some big salaries someplace in the system...I'll
tell you for a fact it's not the norm. As for fancy buildings...well, we have one - thanks
to a DONATION. Our operating budget is a fraction of what a station our size would go
through in the commercial world. Heck...as much as I believe in educating people...the
argument sometimes is lost on some. Suffice to say...we operate in different worlds with
differents ways of doing things...and millions of people appreciate the way we do it, so
it's valid. The people have spoken."

Several things. First, let me admit to being an Illini grad & a WILL alum. Also an alum of WDWS/WHMS, WLRW & WCIA-TV. So I'm unfairly familiar with your circumstance.

You're in market #220. General managers or market managers in markets that size in commercial radio generally earn anywhere from the high fives ($60K-$70K yearly) to the low sixes ($100K-$110K), depending on all sorts of variables--but mostly related to billing & cashflow level & growth. Someone managing one or two properties usually won't earn as much as someone responsible for 6 or 8 properties. So if you're in the high fives (you earlier mentioned being "tens of thousands" below 6-figures) you're being paid competitively.

But, unless I'm reading this wrong, you're not a GM--you're a "station manager," right? So you've got someone above you who is ultimately responsible for the FM, the AM & the TV, right? In the commercial world, your position might be called an Operations Manager. Commercial General Managers have the gun at their head. At WILL, the guy above you is taking the real heat, if & when there is any. In commercial radio, Ops Managers make $35,000 in markets the size of Chambana. So if you're in the high fives, you're smokin'.

I'm guessing that C-U is about a $15 million radio market. WILL-AM/FM should be able to generate somewhere around $2 million a year in "corporate support" from the marketplace. Hell, the Daily Illini was doing $2.5 million in ad revenue the last time I looked.

If you are actually functioning as the GM--and not just a glorified OM--that $2 million in underwriting is where your raise is hiding. Negotiate a percentage of the take BEFORE it happens, then make it happen. What's 1 percent of $2 million? (Twenty grand).

In the past, as I recall, WILL was gun-shy about being too aggressive in the underwriting marketplace. You know, the normal stuff about not wanting to taint the precious programming with even a hint of crass commercialism. Are they beyond that, now?

 

[fred flintstone]

They were public when public wasn't cool

A word of acknowledgment here for the public radio stations of the Big 10 (and a few other land-grant universities between the mountains): They laid the foundations for what we now know as public radio (going back to 1920 - before KDKA). If they had not provided the model for public broadcasting in the US, it might not exist (or would at least be very different). They don't receive the kind of national recognition newer stations in places like Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington enjoy due to their national shows. These Big 10 public radio stations do produce some national programming but most of their fine product remains of, by and for the areas they and their institutions serve. Not by coincidence, the schools which own and operate these public radio stations also are home to some of the top communication, broadcasting and journalism programs in the US. It should also be noted the the financial bloat often criticized here and elsewhere often occurs in foundation-operated stations in major markets as opposed to these ground-breaking land-grant stations.

 

[redneckriviera]

Fred says "A word of acknowledgment here for the public radio stations of the Big 10"

I'll second that emotion, Fred. And, frankly, the WILL stations continue to be a great model for public radio. The AM--with 5kw @ 580 kHz--is a news/talk monster. Very well produced & presented. As jp1520 mentions, it tends to take the #3 spot in the unpublished version of the Champaign-Urbana Arbitrons. And its 100-kw Classical FM sibling also ranks in the local Top 5, much to the dismay of their commercial rivals.

And, yeah, they do have fabulous facilities, courtesy of a mega-million dollar contribution. But that's not that unusual for university licensees. U of I's development machine has yielded flashy new buildings throughout the huge campus. Beyond all that, though, the university ultimately supports the public broadcasting endeavor, for reasons ranging from altruistic to pragmatic. That's something missing from the world of community licensees, supported only by their own efforts. It's a great advantage--and it seems to translate into a better brand of public broadcasting. So, thanks, Illinois... Wisconsin... Purdue... Iowa... OSU... MSU... Minnesota...

 

[jp1520]

Thanks for the nice comments. Regarding a couple of posts ago...yes, we do have a GM over AM, FM, TV and the Internet and Radio Reading Service, etc. Then managers over the stations themselves. I manager the AM and FM (one job) and program the AM (one job). No, station manager isn't a glorified OM position. The radio
buck actually does stop with me. We have an OM (shared with TV) - as are many other positions at our
place. We probably could sell a couple million in corporate underwriting...but we don't have the avails...and
won't make them - because if we did that...our listeners would be rather upset. A big reason they like us is
that we don't run a lot of commercials. I've also worked in commercial radio (about 15 years on each side of
the fence)and I don't mind commercials or commercial radio at all. I respect both sides. And I will give you the benefits part...they're great...if you work at a university licensee. But that also limits one's negotiating power.

More later...

J

 

[fred flintstone]

Radio Reader

My God! Is Dick Estell still working? He has been doing that show forever. He should be getting royalties on talking books. Is he working out of CU now? Last I heard he was still doing the show from WKAR in East Lansing where he used to be station manager.

 

[redneckriviera]

jp1520 says "We probably could sell a couple million in corporate underwriting...but we don't have the avails...and won't make them - because if we did that...our listeners would be rather upset. A big reason they like us is that we don't run a lot of commercials."

C'mon, man. Four underwriting credits an hour, Mon-Sun 6AM to 9PM @ $50 each nets $1,095,000 a year... times 2 stations... and you've got a cool $2,190,000. Fifty bucks a shot will fly in C-U for "quality" radio--even if you weren't in the Top 5.

Even 20+ years ago, when I first served as a "Director of Underwriting," four credits an hour wasn't causing listeners (or viewers) to abandon public broadcasting. Although I understand that NPR, PBS, CPB and many in the higher echelons of pubcasting fight the notion, there are reams of studies showing that the listener/viewer tunes in for the CONTENT, not the "non-commercialism," and does not tune out because of underwriting... or promos--which they generally perceive to be "commercials." They tune in for the content... they stay for the content... and leave only when the content doesn't meet their expectations.