Friday, July 13, 2007

Large Market Small Market

Television stations are in towns across the country and each station is given a number based on how many homes have televisions. A market 1 would be any New York station, 2 is Los Angeles, 26 Charlotte, 29 Raleigh Durham, 100 Charleston, SC, and so it goes into the 200’s. So large market and small market are little more clear. But what does it all mean?

It affects things like advertising, broadcasting rules and such. For an employee it can mean a lot of different things. Some people like to climb the ladder at get as close to 1 as possible while others like a good job somewhere in the middle. I guess it is like most other jobs in that respect.

The challenge is all the competition in this business. This is not a job you just fill out the application on-line and hope somebody calls you one day. Being a good journalist is asking a question when nobody else does, making the phone call no one else thought of. It is a job of challenges and creative thinking so proving your self up front is required. Moving from a small market to a large market takes work and patients. Competition is most fierce at the top and bottom of the list. College graduates abound and so do those trying to break into news. Those that get in are usually trying to move up and the closer to the top the better you have to be…at least in theory.

Getting in the business early and working with as many people as possible will help when you are ready to go from a small to large market. Staying in touch with people along the way will also help. I can’t tell you how many times a new employee comes in and we have worked with somebody you know or worked with along the way. No matter what size market the business itself is its own little world.

Erin Worrell