Like the TV tonight column on the Guardian?
I’m not talking big movie reviews or features on new shows. Just the coverage of new episodes.
Surely watching TV then writing 100 words on each show is the dream job?
But do they get paid much?
I guess you have to grind it out for years doing other stuff at the paper before you get a job like this?
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Probably a huge range from minimum wage through to maybe 100k/year…
Obviously a bit of a tangent, but Kermode does film reviews for The Guardian? but also does “other stuff” youtube etc. so diverse income streams… I’d imagine he does quite well for himself. I believe Jonathan Ross started out doing media/reviews.
I’d imagine it’s a part of someone’s job rather than being their whole job. Y’know they’ll be the tech reviewer, write the odd sporting piece and do the TV column.
Speaking as someone who works as a journalist – slightly more than fuck all. Journalists are not very well paid unless you have a name and reputation that’s a draw in itself.
You also have to remember they’re not just watching stuff they like. They’re watching an awful lot of shite and have to pay attention to the whole thing. It can be very tedious work
And shrinking a valid critique into a small space, even 100 words, is awkward and annoying.
I worked around this industry. Mainly two ways.
**Salaried:** Some TV reviewers may be on-salary, so thus, a flat amount each month, with the expectation that they’ll deliver.
**Per-piece:** This may be anything from say £1 (or less) per word, or for a whole article.
And no, it’s not a dream job. TV is boring when you watch loads of it, and when you have to do something for a living, it’s just a job.
Pay can be varied, but generally unless you’re a big smoke, or worked in the fat years, you won’t get rich from it.
Furthermore, you have to a) know your stuff and b) be able to articulate intelligent thoughts.
For example, before I knew how to cook, I only understood restaurants as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I couldn’t really tell you anything more than ‘the food tastes good’.
However, now I can cook myself, I have a rough understanding of how the food I’m being served is cooked. This means I can tell what ingredients and techniques the food is made with. That means I’m able to describe to you why and how the food is tasty. But as a casual restaurant goer? No chance.
You can submit stuff to the guardian, they have their prices listed on the website. I think it’s around £500 per article accepted, if I remember correctly.