Web jobs open at TV stations

Broadcasting & Cable has a compelling article about TV stations and station owners re-thinking their Web strategies. The article points to multiple examples of news organizations shifting resources to the Web through new hires and job restructuring.

To find ample resources for the Web, some managers are converting broadcast positions to Web ones. When a sports reporter gave notice at WMTV Madison, Wis., the position was turned into a Web producer. LIN TV, meanwhile, cited a 50% increase in online staff in 2007 as head count stayed flat.

What’s behind the change? “According to Borrell Associates’ 2008 Outlook: Local Online Advertising, $8.5 billion was spent on local online advertising in 2007, and that is projected to jump to $12.6 billion this year…” – so the bottom line? There’s money to be made on the Web and that means there’s an opportunity to add staff.

The article goes on to talk about new types of positions being created (no more “Webmaster”) and the types of people getting those jobs (bloggers welcome). It’s also filled with references to the need for people in TV stations to fundamentally change their way of thinking about the business they’re in and where it’s headed.

Hear, hear.

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