Getting Paid For Scanner Use???

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Bentley

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wyldman said:
I just got some of my pictures published in the local paper.They now want me to freelance for them.So I get to run to the scene and get paid for what I love doing. :D

Cool! Whats the deal with freelancing? I'm guessing you get paid per picture/story?
 

wyldman

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I have always chased larger fire and big emergency events.I just happened to be at a large barn fire burning out of control,and another photographer asked who I shoot for.When I told him I do it for fun,he suggested sending in the pics to the local paper.They pay per picture published.If it's a big event,and you have an exclusive shot,then you can sell it to all the papers for some good $$$.

Not exactly sure how this freelancing thing will work out,but if I get paid a few extra bucks for having fun,then great.It will help buy some better camera equipment,and more scanners too. :D
 

SCPD

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wyldman said:
I have always chased larger fire and big emergency events.I just happened to be at a large barn fire burning out of control,and another photographer asked who I shoot for.When I told him I do it for fun,he suggested sending in the pics to the local paper.They pay per picture published.If it's a big event,and you have an exclusive shot,then you can sell it to all the papers for some good $$$.

Not exactly sure how this freelancing thing will work out,but if I get paid a few extra bucks for having fun,then great.It will help buy some better camera equipment,and more scanners too. :D


I freelanced for many years while working another "real" full time job. Made a couple of good connections early on, got my media ID and worked away at it hearing a lot of no thank yous along the way.

The money did keep me in scanners/cameras and fuel but never made that much really. Until one day I was at a standoff and the local radio station manager was there having a fit because he couldn't contact any of his reporters. So he got me to do a couple of live reports and liked what I did--hired me on the spot and I ended up working for him for several years at a few different stations, a couple of newspapers and some independent productions. I gotta say, it really is sweet getting paid to do what you love to do. :)

Glad to hear you're off to a good start. Enjoy and keep an eye out for the unusual.
 

jellotor

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Just remember the key to freelancing...keep your costs in line with your revenue. You have to look after everything...gas, vehicle and equipment maintenance, benefits, etc etc etc.

It can be a bit of a ***** when you burn $30 to $40 in gas trying to get somewhere, snag some video or stills and bust ass back to someone's shop or a feed point and the client offers you $75...

Or, as one news director once said to me, we want you to keep freelancing with us but we can't afford to pay you. Right...if I wanted to volunteer, I'd call the cable company.
 

VernM

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As a 50-plus year veteran of journalism in all its forms, I offer the one key piece of advice:

The operative part of the word Freelance is not "free." See that it pays. Strive to get assigments. Produce good stuff on deadline without excuses for anything. Make friends in key places for tips and markets (don't forget insurance companies, ad agencies and corporations). "Exclusive rights" also demand more money. The object is to find how many places you can sell and resell what you get. Do that and you can make a pretty good living at doing what you like to do. I did.
 
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jellotor

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VernM, I agree with all of what you said. There really is nothing like freelance; the ability to set your own hours and, when times are good and work is plentiful, pick and choose amongst available jobs and find something that really gets your creative juices flowing. Add to that the synchronicity of working with a good client and the satisfaction of a fair wage for a job well done and the feeling of being your own boss...it's great.

But at the same time I don't think it's a line of work for just anyone. I don't have the experience of VernM but you have to be a self-starter, motivated and certainly a self-promoter; it isn't a line of work necessarily for wallflowers. And, most certainly, you'll have to have a good bull**** detector and the ability to roll with it and not to take any rejections or failed leads personally.

It's the last one I sometimes have a problem with...and it has a lot to do with shrinking news budgets and increasing audience and company expectations. Station managers are expected to run a tight operation these days and sometimes that leads a manager to temporarily suspend their common sense and ask me to work without pay that's in line with the job...and that's hard to take.
 

firescannerbob

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MGW_999 said:
FYI...........Section 705 (47 USCA 605) states that it is unlawful to disclose the content of radio transmissions overheard unless they are amateur radio traffic, broadcasts to the public or distress calls. It is unlawful under this section to use traffic monitored for personal gain. This might include a tow truck operator going to accident calls heard over a scanner if a response has not been requested, or a taxicab driver jumping calls dispatched to other companies.


Blah, blah, blah...a law that is never enforced.
 

Chrome69

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I should have went to the fire here in the Mavis and Derry rd area.. Very nasty house fire 2alarm blaze and touched off fires on both houses on each side... Me and Nova1010 were listening to it last night on my live feed.... Oh well live and learn...
 

SCPD

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flyingwolf said:
Even though it is "rarely" enforced it is still a law, and consciously breaking it is illegal and can have multiple dire consequences.

Well there goes the entire news industry then.
 

joetnymedic

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I still "freelance" a little bit, "freelance", "Stringer" and whatever else they call it. Went to school for broadcasting and guess what, wound up working paid (not that bad of pay either) for one of the stations I tipped, shot for. Hated being stuck inside and no real shooting positions open so I wound up quitting. This was after having to quit EMS from getting sick. First thing everyone told me when I was back out there was they'd take my stuff. Which is cool. Only once or twice did I do the exclusive thing-didn't find it paid all that well, fact is I could sell to btwn 3 and 5 peopleand sometimes take home $350.00 for on job. I do it now, but not as much although my kids shoot too now and I hooked them up with people I shot/shoot for so they do OK. My 17 year old did pretty darn good this summer if I do say so. from shooting, he wound up meeting people at the local volly FD and is now a jr member till next year when he turns 18 then he becomes a full member. and since they've seen some of his stuff, the dept asks him for stuff all of the time. I have advised him just do it tasteful and don't let one interfere with the other. When I worked EMS, I didn't tip, or take shots for anyone other than my "morbid" (per the wife) scrapbook and my job and volly corps not once did anything go to the media by rights it shouldn't have and didn't belong.

Joe
 

wyldman

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Chrome69 said:
I should have went to the fire here in the Mavis and Derry rd area.. Very nasty house fire 2alarm blaze and touched off fires on both houses on each side... Me and Nova1010 were listening to it last night on my live feed.... Oh well live and learn...

I was there Monday morning,and back again Monday evening.They didn't get it completely out,and it started back up again.OFM was there all day,and will be back.Looks like a faulty transformer for the outdoor lights on the deck is what started the blaze.It was fully engulfed in less than 3 mins.
 
N

N_Jay

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firescannerbob said:
Blah, blah, blah...a law that is never enforced.

Character is doing what is right when no one is looking.

If you want to recommend to others that act without character, then you should probably say so and not make excuses.
 
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N_Jay

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wheelchair said:
Well there goes the entire news industry then.


No, because the news industry does (should) not be disclosing what is heard on the radio.
They do (should) be developing other sources for what they publish.
 

scannerboy02

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I have been a "stringer" in market 19 for the past 12 years. Up until 7 years ago it was my primary source of income. I was hired by the #1 station in town to work on the assignment desk when I graduated high school witch is really good for market 19. Since then I have moved to several other stations in the area with better pay each time. My current station is always looking for "good" video to buy. We currently have 2 full time stringers in are area and both of them sell to us usually 2-3 times a week.
 
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