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T
The Beave
Guest
This is scary a recient study shows that ops make on an average $15.00/hr in major markets... full time.
Some a bit better.. many worse... Atlanta ops make less than ops in Fargo, ND.
That is really scary. BTW - isn't that a big risk letting an intern run the console unsupervised?
Apparently they don't show up in the upper 50% if the la ratings.
Some a bit better.. many worse... Atlanta ops make less than ops in Fargo, ND.
That is really scary. BTW - isn't that a big risk letting an intern run the console unsupervised?
Apparently they don't show up in the upper 50% if the la ratings.
J
JoshuaC
Guest
Granted I got started in this gig in '98, right after dereg. Of course, at the time I liked it because it allowed me the opportunity to do this work without having to go get a license and whatnot (although the college station I worked at, as it was an engineering school, did require all the staff to pass an exam on Radio in order to work there which was a good thing). In hindsight, I may have been better off had I needed to work that little extra. You can really tell the difference between a board-op with some degree of training or education in their craft vs an intern whose previous responsibility was as a go-fer. Fortunately I had a degree in Sound Recording Technology so I had a de facto certification of sorts.
I agree that we need more skilled people at this gig, but so long as so many of these radio stations are managed by bean-counters in Dallas or Atlanta the people who really pull the strings and make the decision about what is and is not worth spending the extra money don't ever experience the intangible benefits of skill. They simply see a balance sheet. The job description says "run a board" and they don't know, nor care, about the artistry of it. They see a simple job that they deem is not worth a higher salary.
Now... the person who said anyone who is looking at being a board-op as career choice is a fool is right. Board-op work should be an entry-level gig - a way to learn what other opportunities exist and what things you didn't know you didn't know.
I think another dangerous behavior with many major market stations is the tendency to use the tag "Producer" for someone who is essentially just a board-op. This weakens other positions and drags everything down.
I think what I am trying to say is I don't think a board-op is really entitled to more than minimum-wage at the get-go, but if people start realizing the value of radio artistry rather than simple mechanics they will hopefully be treated with more respect.
I agree that we need more skilled people at this gig, but so long as so many of these radio stations are managed by bean-counters in Dallas or Atlanta the people who really pull the strings and make the decision about what is and is not worth spending the extra money don't ever experience the intangible benefits of skill. They simply see a balance sheet. The job description says "run a board" and they don't know, nor care, about the artistry of it. They see a simple job that they deem is not worth a higher salary.
Now... the person who said anyone who is looking at being a board-op as career choice is a fool is right. Board-op work should be an entry-level gig - a way to learn what other opportunities exist and what things you didn't know you didn't know.
I think another dangerous behavior with many major market stations is the tendency to use the tag "Producer" for someone who is essentially just a board-op. This weakens other positions and drags everything down.
I think what I am trying to say is I don't think a board-op is really entitled to more than minimum-wage at the get-go, but if people start realizing the value of radio artistry rather than simple mechanics they will hopefully be treated with more respect.
On the other hand being a board-op gets you some hands on experience. I actually did it for nothing many years ago even though I had to get a third class radio telephone on my own dime as well in order to be allowed to do it. If people stick with it they can get into production and/or being a jock but the problem now is that with syndication and voice tracked automation those places to rise into are getting scarce.
In any event so long as there are people willing to do it at low wages there will be managers happily hiring them.
In any event so long as there are people willing to do it at low wages there will be managers happily hiring them.
JoshuaC said:
I challenge anyone to see what our morning drive board-op goes through in an average day. It is frantic pace for 4 hours. He really earns his money.
The station I work at a board-op can get a base salary of 40K a year. They are THE link between presenter and audience. Good board-op's know how their presenters think, and can make the difference between an ordinary show, and an outstanding show.
I started out as a board-op. I used my time in the position to gain and further my skills in other area's, like production. I still do a bit every so often to get some extra cash, and I still love doing it.
B
Bob_Hudson
Guest
Lee Anderson said:
As I said above, pretty much anyone who was a jock in the pre-CD and computer era has done it AND had to do all the talking as well - and some active morning shows still run their own boards. When I did Top 40 radio I realized that the shifts were three or four hours because you were exhuasted at the end. I had been a cook in the military and went straight from that to being a morning DJ and I was more worn out at the end of my first air shift than I ever had been after a long day in a hot kitchen.
B
Big E
Guest
I know pleny of Board Op and to seem degree, you are correct. But automation can only do so much. When computers crash, they cant boot themselves up and go. The smart stations would rather have a "monkey" push buttons and have a warm body in the chair in case some thing happens. I've worked as a Board op for the last 10 years in LA, and make a pretty penny. I paid my dues like everyone in here, but to survive, you have to be a Jack of ALL Trades. In my short stint in LA, ive gone through 6 company changes (station buy out, whatever you want to call it) and the only reason ive survived the mass firings, is that I know how to do many jobs. Pay...now that is a different story altogether. In my experience in LA, CC is the cheapest and will payed the lowest. I had the pleasure of working for Disney and started out at $18 as a part timer! So it will vary from company, and you get what you pay for. JMHO
Why do stations continue to pay such lousy wages to Board-ops?
The easy answer is “because they can”.
The more complicated answer is based on the premise that radio, as much as we love it, is a business and not necessarily an art form.
Stations, as most businesses, will pay the absolutely lowest they can get away with. Remember, board op is considered an entry-level job.
Of the hundreds of people I have worked with, worked for, or worked for me, none ever said they got into radio to make a lot of money. They had a love and desire for the business and found ways to integrate themselves into the industry and make a decent living along the way. You gotta start somewhere, and the bottom is where most all of us began. Unless you dad owned the station, then you got paid nothing.
The easy answer is “because they can”.
The more complicated answer is based on the premise that radio, as much as we love it, is a business and not necessarily an art form.
Stations, as most businesses, will pay the absolutely lowest they can get away with. Remember, board op is considered an entry-level job.
Of the hundreds of people I have worked with, worked for, or worked for me, none ever said they got into radio to make a lot of money. They had a love and desire for the business and found ways to integrate themselves into the industry and make a decent living along the way. You gotta start somewhere, and the bottom is where most all of us began. Unless you dad owned the station, then you got paid nothing.
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