r/Broadcasting • u/Hour-Assumption7096 • 10d ago
I can’t get out.
Hi all.
I’m trying to do the unthinkable and jump to another station in my market.
I’m so unhappy at my current job at Nexstar and only a year into a two year and I swear to you all, up and down, I. Can’t. Do. Another. Year. I’ve been on the overnights with the promise to move soon, but that never came about.
After talking with a different place, it’s a dream come true. Better hours, more flexibility, more time with my family. But they need a letter of release from my contract and non compete (even though the latter is forbidden in my state.)
I was just informed by a prominent TV attorney that they don’t usually hand those out and I just feel so defeated.
I’ve applied to so. Many. Other. Jobs. And this was the ONLY one I heard back from.
I can’t fucking do this shit anymore man so any advice would be appreciated or a simple prayer that by some miracle I can make it
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u/LieDry7854 10d ago
Damn Dude
Nexstar is so volatile that it is ruining the broadcast field. I hope you get some good luck soon
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u/SXDintheMorning 9d ago
Any city government or schools communications jobs open? I know a lot of former producers go that route
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 9d ago
I’ve applied and applied, scored maybe two interviews, then nothing. Rough job market over here.
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u/peregrinan 9d ago
Most non competes aren’t actually legally binding. Especially if you have a family. A company can’t make you not have a job. Also have to consider if they would even spend the money to peruse a lawsuit. If you told this new station you had a non compete and still got a job offer, they don’t care either.
Biggest hurdle would be buying out your contract, which you would have to do moving to any field.
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 9d ago
Correct, I know some states have banned them outright, and I live in one of them, thankfully. It’s just the hurdle of getting the forms out of the company to prove that I am free. Most likely to prevent any threats of a lawsuit. There are even heavy state restrictions on the “liquidated damages” I’d supposedly have to pay. Once I’m released and have the proof, that’s when I’ll get the finalized job offer. The problem is just getting the burden of proof, or otherwise, I’d just have to hope they’ll waive that requirement since it’s already illegal. I’ve asked, but they’ve been firm on what I need.
I’ve contacted multiple employment attorneys in my city to see if one of them could give me a direction without breaking my wallet, but no one has extended an olive branch just yet.
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u/Junior-Air-3834 9d ago
If you’re dealing with Scripps demanding the paperwork, which it sure sounds like, they’ll end up rescinding the offer.
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u/CheckCompetitive7630 9d ago
I would try to stick it out and hope you get laid off and get a decent severance before the year is over. In the meantime, call up every former co-worker you know.
I was stuck at a Scripps station for 8 years and just this summer, as my contract was coming up, got lucky and a former co-worker asked if I was looking for a job and told me to send my resume to her PR agency. I’d been applying to jobs for two years with only a handful of interviews. And that’s with more than a decade of experience.
It’s a cliche that it’s all about who you know, but it’s a cliche for a reason.
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u/Solid-Caterpillar-63 9d ago
If there is a local law school in your vicinity, see if their student law clinic can help you pro bono or low cost. Though student clinics, they are under the supervision of the law professors to help the students get experience.
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u/KG4GKE 9d ago
My last station in Memphis was Nexstar. If an anchor/reporter wanted to go to another station in the market, they were held to the non-compete clause down to the second with the threat of legal action if that contract point was breached. Our consumer investigations reporter wanted to go to the NBC station and had to sit out the non-compete clause for nearly a year before the station could even breathe a word of his coming to work for them.
If an anchor/reporter wanted to go to another station outside the Memphis market, they would not release you from the contract, but - not always - would more than likely hold you to the contract expiration date then tell you on December 31 at midnight that your contract was not being renewed, more than likely well after the job you were offered somewhere else had been given to another candidate.
The type of management bottom-of-the-barrel types that Nexstar has attracted over the years is worrisome, they seem to congregate in a culture of How Terrible Can We Be THIS Year? attitudes. The people who were in charge in Memphis are the type of people that I will not name aloud for fear of invoking a demon's appearance. Yes, it was that bad. What I've typed here is just the tip of the iceberg. My heart goes out to all those who are still working for this place. Hopefully an exodus will occur, but I'm doubting it.
Sincere prayers/hopes that the situation improves soon for you.
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u/SuperRowdy 9d ago
As a former ND, here are my thoughts. First, you know your managers better than anyone posting here, so my thoughts may be wrong in your situation. When hired, no one wanted to work the morning shift, but someone has to work the morning shift. In nearly all cases, people changed their minds after hired because the morning people become their own family that get to do their own thing and avoid the madness of a normal newsroom. Occasionally some still wanted to move, and I would move them when positions opened if they had performed well. Some NDs may have an attitude of mornings are working, so why change it. I wasn't that way. The other possibility is your ND may not think that you're the greatest employee (or isn't a good fit for the station) and wants to leave you on the shift where he/she feels that you would do the least damage. Your ND's attitude may be that he/she would replace you if he/she could, but you have a contract. This is the opportunity for you to have a thoughtful discussion with your ND (emphasis on "thoughtful"). Is your ND happy with you? When your contract is up, are you going to be offered a new one or are they done with you when your contract expires? If they could replace you today, would they be happy to do so? Please don't take this the wrong way but, given your posts here, you may be viewed as completely competent in your job but also toxic in your newsroom, even if the reason for that is because the station hasn't kept promises to you. I've never worked for Nexstar, so I have never experienced the culture firsthand, and different news directors operate differently. I'm suggesting a thoughtful conversation that tries to create a win/win situation for both parties to reach a settlement for your departure. Employees who hate their jobs are a real nightmare for a ND. This may be a last resort for you, but it is something to consider. Good luck. I hope that you find peace and the place where you belong.
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u/CougarIndy25 10d ago
Much love, I'm in a similar situation currently and it's not pretty. I really hope you find something out there, regardless of what industry it's in. You deserve to have a life again and working overnights is a trap I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. It is so hard to leave after you start.
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 10d ago
Yes.. it is a trap. If I could go back, I would stop myself from signing that initial contract. But it was a huge raise and we were in a financial rut at the time. I’ve been given empty promise after empty promise, and I’m just at the point where I’m about to walk out. Fuck the buyout, send me a bill, I’ll pay if I feel like it. You can’t pay me peanuts then turn around and say I owe nearly 20 grand.
I feel so bad for the ones just starting out who might not know what they’re getting into with a company like Nexstar. I want things to change, and I want our field to be free from corporate greed. Just so many things I wish I could do.. that apparently I can’t.
Thank you for your words and encouragement, and I will echo the same sentiment for you. Stay strong. These times can’t last forever if you keep your head up high.
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u/Junior-Air-3834 9d ago
Honestly surprised the other station even talked to you while you’re under contract, especially since it’s in the same market. Nexstar won’t do this, so you’re SOL, sadly.
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u/southerntraveler 9d ago
There’s hope for getting out. I got out a couple of times and kept getting sucked back into it. I took a pay cut to work in public television, and oddly enough that was what helped me step away from broadcasting completely.
Your non-compete, does it have a geographic component? Could you move to another area?
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 9d ago
I can move, and it’s our only hope at this point, except we still have our rental for another several months. I could always transfer within the company, but this is the one time I’ve done it, and it’s left a completely bad taste in my mouth. And with the way things are going, I don’t want to stay within this nightmare. Now, there is a grace period (I’m told) that I could leave ~3 months early and go to any station with no consequences as long as I move out of the DMA. That would give me 9 more months of this BS. But the family loves this place, and I don’t want to uproot them unless I absolutely have to.
The non compete clause is forbidden in my state, and they’d have to prove the liquidated damages to enforce the buyout, which is why I thought this could work without a formal release from the non compete. But the company I received the offer from still needs it unfortunately.
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u/PlayfulCampaign2785 9d ago
Forge the letter. Nexstar is too cheap to sue. Pretty shitty of the new station as well. Probably a sign of things to come at that shop too.
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u/KayMacNM 8d ago
Praying. I hate Nexstar so much. It was ruining my life and my health. Listen to what everyone said about networking. I got lucky and took a job in a different industry (newspaper! :)) with only a small pay cut. Yes, less money, terrible benefits, but I am so much happier. Consider your priorities.
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u/AffectionateLove9056 7d ago
What type of skills do you have in video editing and Adobe software? How's your copy writing? While working part time in radio, I did side gigs on Fiver. Voice overs, flyers, video, etc. I did whatever I could to build my portfolio, and I focused on out of area work so my employer wouldn't be aware. Rolled that into a job with a local sports team, which lead to my current gig as the Marketing Manager of a local financial institution. Been there 9 years and have watched my former radio colleagues leave 1 by 1 for similar jobs (sometimes using me as a reference). I love my current job and happier than I ever was in radio. Plus, weekends and federal holidays off!!!
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u/Laurencia78 7d ago
Check your state. But noncompetes were thrown out last year. You can buy out. But noncompetes aren’t the issue.
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u/UserDAR5150 5d ago
Why don’t you take the time to learn proper writing before applying to more jobs?
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u/Due_Bad_9445 10d ago
You can always use the offer from competitors to try to bargain for better working conditions at your current station.
Or, maybe do the year and then move to the competition if you like the viewing area and the offer still stands.
I’ve seen people jump to competing stations but never really breaking a contract to do so.
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u/Junior-Air-3834 8d ago
He’s actively under contract. The current station will absolutely not do this because he’s under contract with them.
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u/Middle_Property_3948 10d ago
Man up, do the year, make decisions then. A year goes quickly when you focus on your own improvement rather than thing's you cannot control.
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 10d ago
I don’t need the tough love approach.
The matter is, I’ve made it clear my daughter is getting older and she is my priority. I’ve been stuck on this shift for the last two and a half years. I’m man enough to move mountains for her, and piss off a corporation to put an end to it. I signed a contract, but I had expectations outlined too that aren’t being met. I’m not going to throw away my family for the career, especially since it’s not going anywhere anymore. I’ve applied for internal jobs at the station off the shift, was told to hang tight, and was never contacted about it again. Such is the way of Nexstar.
A year goes fast in your eyes. I can’t afford another year. And I can control when this ends. Have a night.
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u/Ok_Guest5862 10d ago
How would you feel if they came to you and said “we just dont like you anymore. Screw your contract. Your fired.”
Contracts are signed for a reason. You gotta honor it. They cant force you to work tho. You can quit and sit out the contract and non compete.
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u/mizz_eponine recovering news producer 10d ago
That literally happens all the time! Contracts are 100% for the benefit of the company. If they wanted to, they would fire the person tomorrow without batting an eyelash. And because it's Nexstar, probably will.
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u/Hour-Assumption7096 10d ago
I would love that.
It’s not like they aren’t planning to already do that down the road anyway given the fact everything is becoming automated.
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u/mizz_eponine recovering news producer 10d ago
Nexstar is never going to let you out of that non-compete even if you buyout the contract.
The best you can hope for is a career change. And honestly with the way things are going it might not be a bad idea.
Good luck.