Hearst-Argyle Television Reviews

Pros

Our office has great local management and great people in every department. It is a challenging, fast-paced, stimulating environment.

Cons

If you're doing an awesome job, it seems like management would rather keep you in your position than move you up the chain.

Advice to Senior Management

You're doing a great job, but there is definitely a perception that desirable positions are going to outsiders. Advancement from within appears unlikely.

Pros

Great stations and great people.

Cons

Opportunity limitations can vary from station to station.

Pros

Good work environment, decent salaries and benefits, high profile company, opportunities for promotion, people have a winning mentality, convenient location

Cons

Promotion will likely involve being relocated, corporate management can be overbearing, corporate reports, no profit sharing or bonuses for mid- and low-level employees

Advice to Senior Management

Working at Hearst Television, one gets the feeling that top managers are all-knowing while everyone else is there only to keep the wheels turning. Empower employees and offer bonus and profit sharing opportunities to keep everyone focused on the company's goals and success.

Pros

Good place to start and grow with limited experience. Gives good opportunities to kids in or just out of college. Big company that should be around for years to come.

Cons

Industry changing every minute. More competition constantly springing up from other sources (internet, cable, etc) which takes away profits so downsizing is common. Cutting edge technology (digital programming) creates automation in the production field which eliminates workforce.

Advice to Senior Management

Just like anywhere else there are good managers and ones that need improvement. I have worked with both kinds.

Pros

It's not a bad place to start a career. The quality of the company does depend on your unit.

Cons

At my unit they rarely promote from within, so to progress you'll have to go somewhere else to advance your career.

Advice to Senior Management

Please promote from within and make it easier for employees to train and advance. Don't discourage people from progressing. You've got some good people working for you- use them!

Pros

Hearst - Argyle Television has a large network of television stations in many growing markets across the nation. There are opportunities for advancement within each individual station, or other stations within the group.

The company provides a fully staffed Washington bureau, with seasoned reporters and producers. The group is good at sharing content, through the Washington bureau.

Benefits are average, comparable to other station groups, like Belo.

Corporate offers HAT stock at discounted prices to employees, after 1 full year with Hearst - Argyle. This is a good deal, espcially now, with the prices low.

Pay is on the low side of average, but competitive.

Cons

Hearst - Argyle has a very cookie - cutter brand at each station. This seems to limit each individual station to have its own identity. It can also be creatively stifling.

In my experience, Hearst - Argyle operates on a shoe string budget, and lacks basic technology that allows reporters to do their jobs efficiently. Reporters are not provided with station cell phones. Reporters were given laptops, but (according to station management) Hearst's security policy does not allow broadband access. Therefore, the laptops are useless in the field, as reporters cannot access ENPS.

 My station has a live truck that has been out of commission for well over a year, and has not been replaced. It's been referred to as "a giant paper weight." Our ability to go live is severely limited by the inadequate microwave sites.

My station's staff is so small; we routinely put a mediocre product on the air, because each employee has to produce more than any one employee should have to produce. Positions are posted, and never filled. The station could not cut any position with-in the news department, because we're already operating on a skeleton crew.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire more employees.

Pros

They care about their people, and want everyone to be the best they can be in their jobs. Hearst is also a financially sound broadcast business that makes wise decisions within their company.

Cons

Hearst is so large that it took me 7 months to realize how many companies Hearst actually owned. We have resources within our own company that I did not know existed, and beleive we could really utilize these sister companies rather than invest in other competitive companies for outside information and services.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue motivating people to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, promote from within, give your employees the assets they need to succeed, training on competitive media is a must in today's ad world.

Pros

It's a great company for self-starters and people willing to get out and learn on their own. Also has decent benefits comparable to other national companies (like a 401(k) match and discounts on various things). It's fairly easy to get time-off requests approved, especially if you're flexible. Co-workers are usually friendly and easy to work with. It's a large company, but it has a small-business feel to it. Management is trying to increase communication and awareness between departments by doing things like creating a monthly station-wide newsletter. The company also does some community events. Overall, not a bad place to work..

Cons

Not a lot of career advancement opportunities available. Salaries are pretty low compared to other stations in the same market, although it depends on the position. Also depending on your position, it can be hard to get holidays off. Recognition is rare for hard-working employees. There's little encouragement by management to get involved in the local community through community service outside of 2-3 annual company-sponsored events. There is also little interaction between other units (stations), although this can vary depending on the position a person has. Also, there is little cross-over between departments, so it's hard to know what other people are doing at times.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be nice to see more cross-department overlap and more recognition and awareness about what goes on in the station.

Pros

Opportunity to move up within the company. Good reputation in television news. The content isn't sensationalized like other television news programs. There is plenty of training made available and mentoring for those who need it and seek it out. If you stay on top of your game- do a constant good job, stay creative and stay current with the way media is changing-- you'll be fine. The company embraces change and forward thinking. Company is very careful on the candidates they chose to be on-air. This is assuring only those who are qualified and have the potential to excel. Moral is good compared to other companies.

Cons

No on-air wardrobe/hair/makeup allowance. No vision or extended dental. Like many television news stations across the country it can be difficult for those in the "old school" frame of mind to continue on. For example, more viewers are turning to the web for their news content. For those in the company who haven't fully embraced the importance of the web, it can be seen as a negative. I find the company can be slow to eliminate those who aren't fitting the company's vision for a successful news team. Company takes time in hiring, which is a positive, but sometimes hiring seems to be on the back-burner.

Advice to Senior Management

Personally, the management has been good to me. Giving me opportunity to grow and excel.