Veteran TV News Anchors Feeling Pinch of Media Cutbacks, Says Erik Sorenson '77

July 27, 2009

July 27, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — "There has been a huge adjustment for salaries" of local television news anchors, according to Erik Sorenson, CEO of the jobs Web site Vault.com and former president of MSNBC. Sorenson, a member of DePauw University's Class of 1977, tells Daily Finance, "Salaries are going to continue to come down ... I don't think [layoffs] are getting better."

The piece by Jonathan Berr notes, "Across the country, many longtime anchors are being squeezed out. Last year, Denver anchor Ernie Bjorkman left after 26 years behind the desk. He reportedly became a veterinary technician, taking about a $100,000 pay cut. Meanwhile, Phoenix's Kent Dana is out after more than 30 years and Tampa Bay anchor Bill Ratliff resigned in April rather than take a cut in pay and hours ... Longtime anchors have been squeezed out in Boston, Chicago and New York, giving way to cheaper, younger talent ... According to the Radio Television News Directors Association, about 1,200 people in TV news lost their jobs last year."

Read the complete story by clicking here.

Learn more about Erik Sorenson in this previous article.

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