Cuts, and More Cuts

Many of you may not know this, because it doesn't get the play that a lot of economic news does. The media, broadcast and print, has been going through a cycle of downsizing lately that have some folks in the business wondering when it will all end. Many of those wondering are looking for work at the same time.

Yes, if politicians can convince the rest of America that there's no recession, they'd have a hard time getting those who work in the information business to sign on. Haven't seen your favorite local news anchor or reporter on the air lately? How about your local deejay on the radio? Been missing a reporter or columnist's byline from your paper or magazine? There's a better than 50-50 chance they don't work there anymore.

Sadly, this latest wave of layoffs in media has little to do with competence, or even ratings success. Time was, those were the determining factors in whether a person kept their job. Not any more. As radio and television stations fell into the hands of big operators, their value became inflated. That began a decade ago, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Even successful outlets are getting rid of talent as they struggle to meet shareholder expectations.

Newspapers and magazines are beset by a slightly different set of problems. The Internet has siphoned off many of print media's traditional advertising base. Here in New York, not one but two free, easy to read papers compete with the major dailies, both broadsheet and tabloid.

The giant sucking sound of talent being cut from media staffs will have an impact on the quality of what you read, see, and hear.

In fact, It's already happening.

Note: Yesterdays entry can be found at markrileywithpoliticsplus.blogspot.com