When I tell people that I used to a TV sportscaster, some of them are dumbfounded that I’d ever leave such a job. TV sports is fun! You get paid to watch sports and tell people the scores! You get to show highlights and crack jokes!
That’s all pretty true.
But today, I was reminded of one of the reasons that I did get out of TV sports in 1997.
While going through some old files and paperwork (still unpacking stuff at the new house), I came upon this:
That’s a bit hard to read, but it’s my last paystub from the TV sports job. And, as you can see from the red arrow, I was making a whopping $9.25 per hour.
Can you imagine??
Granted, this is a pretty small town as far as TV goes, but still … I was the Sports Director, the primary sports employee who anchored the 6 pm and 11 pm weeknight sportscasts for a CBS affiliated station.
There were several other reasons why I got out of TV, but salary was certainly a big one. We were four months away from having our first child and there was just no way I could support a family on that paycheck.
Heck, I don’t know how anyone can support him/herself now on that salary. The drive-thru guy at McDonald’s must be making more than that….
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