News is: a terrible business to be in, generally

Journalists are becoming a sort of endangered species in the job market. With them, so are radio announcers, or radio personalities. Each area has their stars, sure, and there are still newspapers, sites and radio stations, but the job there are not growing. The world of media, more than ever since TV first appeared, has been changing thanks to the Internet and a growing set of airborne and piped-in media providers.

Job growth is stiff, and since long ago the income has sucked. Like the prevalence of writers and actors in California or New York City, "everyone" wants to be a journalist, in a sense, though I suppose the idealistic view of journalists is suffering these days, but it still skews the job market, in my view. I can personally attest to the slender income many times over, having done a variety of work in the business, as a small publisher, an editor, a design and advertising editor and manager, a small weekly section assistant editor, and more. Granted, there are some who will speak of it otherwise, but the news business is becoming a bit of a terrible place to be hoping for a paycheck. Forbes argued this, as I've quoted below.

The Worst Jobs For The 21st Century - Forbes.com

Another endangered species: journalists. Despite the proliferation of media outlets, newspapers, where the bulk of U.S. reporters work, will cut costs and jobs as the Internet replaces print. While current events will always need to be covered (we hope), the number of reporting positions is expected to grow by just 5% in the coming decade, the Labor Department says. Most jobs will be in small (read: low-paying) markets.

Radio announcers will have a tough time, too. Station consolidation, advances in technology and a barren landscape for new radio stations will contribute to a 5% reduction in employment for announcers by the middle of the next decade. Even satellite radio doesn't seem immune from the changes.

As anyone who works in the news business can attest, sagging ad revenue, rising newsprint costs and Internet competition are quickly changing this industry. Large metropolitan dailies have cut jobs and the size of their papers. Of course there will always be a demand for news, but the government projects news jobs will grow at a meager 5% by 2014. Best places to look for work: small-town and suburban newspapers, TV and radio.

Working conditions: irregular hours, frequent deadline pressure, fierce competition.

Median annual salary: about $32,000 for reporters, $37,000 for broadcast news analysts.

In Pictures: The Worst Jobs For The 21st Century

- jR

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