Detailed background checks are designed to uncover problems before the person is hired and becomes linked with the station's image. The business is so small, that if you develop that kind of reputation, it comes back to haunt you. There is no change in the decline of men getting into the business. Fitzpatrick says there are fewer searches going on for female anchors, in spite of the fact that there are a lot of good female an-chors out there. Some news directors are considering pairing two women, because they can't find the perfect male anchor, says Fitzpatrick.
Good producers are hard to find The producer ranks are sometimes even more difficult to fill.
Only a few years ago, if a news director in Spokane put an ad in Broadcast ing for a producer, there would be applications from producers in Billings, Twin Falls or Yakima. It would have been a good move for them to go to Spokane. What happens now, he says, is if a graduate takes his or her first job in Billings and stays there 18 months to two years, that producer can then go to Seattle or Portland on the next move. He says producers are getting paid more than reporters in some markets, and they are put under contract just like reporters and anchors. Agents and contracts are the rule Just about everybody has an agent.