Disney

Worked in the news gathering part, and it was exciting. Had a whole types of personalities to deal with. As with all companies, there are the hard workers and slackers. The benefits were good.

The equipment was always improving. Depending on who your supervisors were, it could make the job easier.

When working in news, your lifestyle is governed by news, as news does not take a holiday. It is not a normal 9 to 5 job, as news is always happening. You go to the news site; it does not come to you. If you like excitement, this is the job for you.

I did not get X-mas, New Year, and most of the holidays, as news dictates your work schedule. Management that had not done the work we do could not figure out how important the workers are and felt anyone could push a button and should be paid less. These types were chomping at the bit to get automation in so they could get a big bonus for getting rid of the skilled workers. If you were in the union, you were the enemy, creating a hostile work environment. They were trying to get rid of the regular full-time workers, replacing them with part-time employees, therefore saving a lot of money, as the temporary workers do not get benefits and health coverage. If you are figuring a career in T.V. as an engineer, I would recommend another type of job, as T.V. work in that area has died.

Get managers who support the employees, and not treat them like lackeys. Disney really wanted to make the place a no-union workplace, and they spent a lot of money to kill our union. Our station (S.F.) had 161 engineers in 1984, but you would be lucky to find 20 there today. Times have changed because of automation is understandable. The 3 big networks (ABC, CBS, & NBC) have lost a lot of viewership, because there are more media to watch besides TV.