Journalist guide to survival: Making market moves
By Vicki Bradley
Your contract is up, and you think you are ready to take that jump to your next market. Regardless if you are there in your thinking now or five years from now, here are some things you may want to consider.
START WITH YOUR WHY: If you have read anything I previously wrote, you’ve heard this before. I will always come back to: what is your why?
In this case, I am referring to: why do you feel you’re ready to move on?
Ask yourself, what do you hope to gain by making a move? What could you potentially lose?
The gains part is probably a bit easier. It likely ranges from more money, more station resources, to just being closer to family. What you will lose may take some time to think through. Let me make a recommendation as you come up with your list, go old school with it! Take out a piece of paper and write PROS on one side and CONS on the other and see what you come up with. You may not be able to think it through in one sitting, but at least having it written out in front of you gives you something to look at and think on as you go through this process.
ARE YOU PREPARED: It is great that you feel ready, but determining if you are ready to take on the new challenges that could come with a larger market should be something you take into consideration. You may be thinking how do I even know if I’m prepared for a larger market move? My first recommendation is to find yourself a mentor who has larger market experience or to find a station that you admire in a larger market and look at the type of work they do and how they cover stories.
You should also consistently ask for feedback on your work and not just at your station. Be receptive to that feedback and apply it to the work that you are doing in your current market. I was recently told by a former employee who jumped to a big market that the work they did in our market more than prepared them for their current station. I also know how much work they put into themselves to be a true contender for that market.
BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED: No, this isn’t a Vicki original, but I have always loved this saying. I came to my current market for a lower-level manager job and ended up running the entire station. All because I chose to grow where I was, despite opportunities to go somewhere else.
Do not let a date on a contract force you to feel like you have to move on if you feel there is more growth that can happen at your current station. Advice I give younger journalists: if your contract is up and you’re not sure what to do next and you enjoy the station you’re at, talk to your news manager. See what options there are for an extension or a contract renewal for a shorter time period. It really is okay to just sit still as you look at whether or not a move is really what you need to do.
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS: Do not get caught up in what everyone else wants you to do. As a person who has led small newsrooms for years, I hear the chatter. It’s the end of someone’s contract and everyone wants to know, well, what are you going to do? In that very moment, you may feel forced to answer a question you’re not prepared to, but think you have to - you don’t.
Sure, there is going to be some curiosity about your next move, but don’t move prematurely because you feel like it’s what everyone expects.
DON'T GO CHASING MARKET SIZES: While it is exciting to go to the larger market, chasing markets may not give you what you are looking for. I have heard and seen too many examples of a person making a market jump they were not ready for. In some cases, they got to a different market and couldn’t handle the work and made the decision to leave a contract. In some other cases, that decision was made for them.
As someone who works with a lot of younger journalists, it is tough to hear or see them struggle, especially when you know that may not have been the best move for them. At the same time, I have seen people bet on themselves, go to a market where they may not have been fully ready and put in the work to get to where they needed to be. While I love a good success story, I know that is not going to be everyone’s story.
As you consider the above, I want to be clear that this is not about keeping you somewhere you’ve outgrown. But as a person who came to my current station for a year and am now approaching eight years - it’s a conversation I’ve had with myself and many people on my team over the years.
Only you can determine when the time is right. These are just some things to consider if you’re unsure of your next move.
Whatever you decide, I leave you with this advice… well, encouragement, that I used to get from a general manager of mine in a previous life…Go Be Brilliant!