WUSA switching to VJs, slashing salaries

21 December 2008 | 15:03 - By Stefano Boscutti

Gannett's WUSA-TV in Washington D.C. is replacing its crews with one-man-bands, or videojournalists, who will shoot, edit, write and report.  And that's not all: VJs will be paid 30 to 50 percent less than traditional reporters.

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"We believe strongly that this will raise both the quality and quantity of the product we're putting out on TV and on the internet," said Allan Horlick, the president and GM.  WUSA is the first network-affiliated major market station to make the switch.  Naturally it will be watched very closely by an industry under unprecedented financial pressure.  Meanwhile, as the Washington Post story points out, the VJ experiment at KRON and WKRN weren't exactly glowing success stories.  Stay tuned.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/11/AR2008121103976.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147470/posts

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About this Blog

New New Media looks at how our mediascape is exploding to bits. How the latest technology and the internet are changing the way we live, work and play. How the latest media is shaping us all.

Stefano Boscutti is an executive creative director and strategist. He's like a better looking version of Todd Sampson. He also has an abiding faith that stories and wordplay (and not powerpoint presentations) will change the world.

 
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