New Media: How to Do More With Less

by Lindsey Wray
Badly-run news organizations will fail.

So says Merrill Brown, founder and principal of MMB Media LLC.

And, he says, stopping this demise is up to journalists. Journalists can help save media outlets by keeping an eye out for ways of using new technology to help their organizations navigate through the bumpy road they’re facing, he says. Brown is an Internet pioneer. He has served as senior vice president and editor-in-chief of MSNBC.com and was previously a media and communications consultant whose work included strategic development work at Time Inc., NBC and other media ventures. Brown now consults with clients on management and strategy, corporate, editorial and program development, business analysis and marketing services.

“It’s a scary transition,” but there’s a great deal of opportunity, says Janice Castro, senior director of graduate education and teaching excellence at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. “The only thing you have to be willing to do is learn on the fly.”

Negotiating Salaries and Contracts

by Lindsey Wray
Show me the money! This exclamation may have worked in the movie Jerry Maguire, but Hollywood tactics are not likely to have the effect you’re hoping for when negotiating a salary for a new job or making your case for a salary increase in your current job.

Still, financial compensation is essential to consider when evaluating a new position. “Often the key to a job for a lot of people is salary,” said Marci Burdick, senior vice president of broadcasting for Schurz Communications. “It’s just a reality of life, and it’s certainly an important driver, though not the only one.”