Job Opportunity Dilemma: Love Location or Love Cash. WWYD?

When Lean Dean bought our paper in 2005, we became one of about five he owned in the region, with the hub paper being in a bigger town an hour away. After about a year, it was obvious that this paper was calling the shots for the region and I made the comment that, "X-paper will probably just absorb us and we'll become a glorified bureau." I was tersely told that would NOT happen and that they have a commitment to the region.

Then the advertising department got outsourced to X-paper.

Theeeeeeeen the printing press, which was just installed four years earlier, was shut down and printing of the paper was now down at X-Paper.

Theeeeeeeeeen they sold the building and moved into a storefront.

Sounds like a glorified bureau to me.

I say all this to say that if your gut says they won't be open, you're probably onto something.

 

I lived in “boring” towns before for the first three decades of my career. Never had an issue — mostly because I was too busy working and raising the kids. On top of this, the people at this opportunity have treated me incredibly well the entire process.

 

If they took you off the air and cut your pay, staying where you are in that newsroom is not an option. That's a Dead Man Walking situation.

You either take the opportunity or find another gig in the city you love. Staying in your current job is not a reasonable choice.

 

As long as we're not talking about Albuquerque or its environs, it's a no brainer. Take a gig where you are wanted. Besides, you'll be surprised how interesting you can make a boring town be.

 

Albuquerque is more deadly than boring but point taken. And Santa Fe is just an hour away.

 

Thank you, fellow TV lifer. Appreciate it more than you know.

 

Take the no-brainer. It’s literally a no-brainer.

 

To piggyback on Matt earlier, I'm reminded of when Jim Valvano was considering leaving N.C. State for UCLA. He had a saying: "Don't mess with happiness." His wife, Pam, said, "This is messing."
You have the chance to do Valvano in reverse, I guess ... if that makes any sense.
In addition, sounds like the station (and its audience) might appreciate and respect your journalism.
All the best, man.

 

Sounds like a done deal. I'll offer a good luck... or break a leg if that applies to TV.

 

First, I don't know if I'm among the "respected" or not - - also don't know about the work/life balance in the new place. But I do know when I was living in the Bay Area - a fantastic place by most measures - I was too busy working and with life to really take advantage of all that it offered (traffic and living expenses also impacted things). Moved to Oregon and there might be less "going on" - but when something interesting does come around, you make time for it. The mountains and coast are always open as well.
We had an anchor out this way who was in the Portland market for decades, but he was offered a gig in Chicago and took it among his reasons was he knew he was at an age where getting a new contract from anywhere (even his Portland gig) wasn't a sure thing. So he took it. Since then, the station has seen about 100 years of experience walk out the door in sudden retirements, people leaving for PR gigs etc.