The breaking News thread...

[Hoboh]

The lack of information about the takeover bids is ridiculous. The Bolton News should be all over this, constantly giving updates, yet we get nothing. We didn't even know shout the billionaire bid until he himself came out with it but prior to that, we didn't hear a thing. The journalism has been terrible, we don't get to hear anything. We just wait endlessly for tiny bits of vague, useless information that'll be contradicted in the next update. I don't dislike Iles but he should be doing far better considering how important this is to the club.

The only person who can progress a sale is Eddie Davies, a man who spends most of his time in the Carribbean and can only spend a certain amount of time in the UK due to tax reasons.

A man who has given about 2 interviews in his 15 odd years as owner.

Not really sure the local paper have the resource to do anymore to cover this story than they are doing.

If anyone believes me even senior figures at the club don't know what is going on with Eddie and why he is stalling on making any decision. If they don't have the details I'm not sure why the local reporter should considering he probably gets paid far less than most on here.

I doubt that!

[BWFC_Insane]

The lack of information about the takeover bids is ridiculous. The Bolton News should be all over this, constantly giving updates, yet we get nothing. We didn't even know shout the billionaire bid until he himself came out with it but prior to that, we didn't hear a thing. The journalism has been terrible, we don't get to hear anything. We just wait endlessly for tiny bits of vague, useless information that'll be contradicted in the next update. I don't dislike Iles but he should be doing far better considering how important this is to the club.

The only person who can progress a sale is Eddie Davies, a man who spends most of his time in the Carribbean and can only spend a certain amount of time in the UK due to tax reasons.

A man who has given about 2 interviews in his 15 odd years as owner.

Not really sure the local paper have the resource to do anymore to cover this story than they are doing.

If anyone believes me even senior figures at the club don't know what is going on with Eddie and why he is stalling on making any decision. If they don't have the details I'm not sure why the local reporter should considering he probably gets paid far less than most on here.

I doubt that!

Why, how much do you think he earns?

Average is a little under £25K for such a journalist. I can't see the Bolton News being able to pay above that average, probably under if anything.

[thebish]

I thought it had been nice to talk about the football and winning a couple of games again...

but - what do I know - why not piss and moan that the local newspaper hasn't fed any ludicrous club conspiracy theories for a while....

maybe all the parties concerned have decided to shut the feck up gobbing off to reporters - and get on with the business of putting their bids together properly?

[Worthy4England]

I spotted Dean Holdsworth coming out of a tanning salon in Upper Dicker the other day....Just don't think anyone cares anymore...

[Hoboh]

I spotted Dean Holdsworth coming out of a tanning salon in Upper Dicker the other day....Just don't think anyone cares anymore...

Cheaper than Barbados I suppose

[thebish]

If one believes Nixon...?
Words fail me. What has he reported at any stage of this disaster that can be called news? Nothing.

To be fair out of all the news sources he's been the most accurate so far, saying that all parties are miles away from making a deal with ED. I'd probably give a little more credence to what he says than Iles currently.

The lack of information about the takeover bids is ridiculous. The Bolton News should be all over this, constantly giving updates, yet we get nothing. We didn't even know shout the billionaire bid until he himself came out with it but prior to that, we didn't hear a thing. The journalism has been terrible, we don't get to hear anything. We just wait endlessly for tiny bits of vague, useless information that'll be contradicted in the next update. I don't dislike Iles but he should be doing far better considering how important this is to the club.

As I've said before, it's all probably under NDA. There's likely nothing to report until someone comes out and gives details, like that Billionaire guy.

indeed....

when there's summat to be said that's worth hearing - it'll be said...

[Hoboh]

The lack of information about the takeover bids is ridiculous. The Bolton News should be all over this, constantly giving updates, yet we get nothing. We didn't even know shout the billionaire bid until he himself came out with it but prior to that, we didn't hear a thing. The journalism has been terrible, we don't get to hear anything. We just wait endlessly for tiny bits of vague, useless information that'll be contradicted in the next update. I don't dislike Iles but he should be doing far better considering how important this is to the club.

The only person who can progress a sale is Eddie Davies, a man who spends most of his time in the Carribbean and can only spend a certain amount of time in the UK due to tax reasons.

A man who has given about 2 interviews in his 15 odd years as owner.

Not really sure the local paper have the resource to do anymore to cover this story than they are doing.

If anyone believes me even senior figures at the club don't know what is going on with Eddie and why he is stalling on making any decision. If they don't have the details I'm not sure why the local reporter should considering he probably gets paid far less than most on here.

I doubt that!

Why, how much do you think he earns?

Average is a little under £25K for such a journalist. I can't see the Bolton News being able to pay above that average, probably under if anything.

So what's the starting point for being a member of this forum then?
£30k?
do we have grades?
VIP membership £50k plus?
How do you work out those with a low income, low/non tax payers with no debt, own everything, have a 'few bob' stashed? After all he probably 'earns' a lot more than such a person?

[BWFC_Insane]

Why, how much do you think he earns?

Average is a little under £25K for such a journalist. I can't see the Bolton News being able to pay above that average, probably under if anything.

So what's the starting point for being a member of this forum then?
£30k?
do we have grades?
VIP membership £50k plus?
How do you work out those with a low income, low/non tax payers with no debt, own everything, have a 'few bob' stashed? After all he probably 'earns' a lot more than such a person?

As ever I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. He works for a local paper, so pay won't be massive, but at the same time he's the chief football writer so I'd imagine he's on a sort of middle management salary. I'd be surprised if he's not on £30-40k ish. Not that any of this matters really.

He's not a sports editor. He's a chief football writer but then they probably have two football writers.

I doubt he's on more than 25k. People get paid less than you imagine for local journalism. Much less.

Point is the paper is a local rag trying to stay in business. It cannot spend all its limited time and budget chasing Eddie Davies round the globe.

[thebish]

So what's the starting point for being a member of this forum then?
£30k?

that's me out then!! I always knew I was mixing with the wealthy beyond my station!!

[Jugs]

For what it's worth, The Bolton News doesn't appear to have a massive budget. Weekly columnist Angela Kelly doesn't get a penny for what she does - she just does it for self-promotion. I did an article for them last year and didn't get paid (or even credited, the stingy bastards).

[thebish]

we could always ask Nixon - he'll know!

[BWFC_Insane]

He's not a sports editor. He's a chief football writer but then they probably have two football writers.

I doubt he's on more than 25k. People get paid less than you imagine for local journalism. Much less.

Point is the paper is a local rag trying to stay in business. It cannot spend all its limited time and budget chasing Eddie Davies round the globe.

I can't really say with any informed knowledge but I'd be surprised if it's that low. Hell, most graduate jobs (even in Journalism) go for around that salary. A cursory google indicates that most "starting" journalism roles are around the £20-25k mark, so not vastly dissimilar to other graduate/starting roles. Admittedly it's a local paper, so as you say less revenue and therefore salary, but I can't see a chief football writer only being on £25k. Hell even government departments pay marketers and comms grads, some with journalism backgrounds, more than that and we're being kicked senseless in finances...

Starting salary is around 12K for local journalism. Average for experienced journalists is around £24K. That is from data produced last year by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

There isn't very much money in it. At all.

[Jugs]

I think Insane is pretty much right. It's a LOT of work but for proportionally meagre returns. The Bolton News have a job vacancy on the go at the moment for a sports writer to cover local sports 7 days a week and it doesn't pay much - but there's a heck of a lot of work involved. I certainly wouldn't advise any budding writer to get into local sports journalism.

[Jugs]

National journalism is a lot harder to get into, though. I read a stat recently that well over 50% of national journalists (maybe even more) went to one of the big universities - cambridge, oxford. It's a closed door for a lot of writers.

[Dr Hotdog]

I think Insane is pretty much right. It's a LOT of work but for proportionally meagre returns. The Bolton News have a job vacancy on the go at the moment for a sports writer to cover local sports 7 days a week and it doesn't pay much - but there's a heck of a lot of work involved. I certainly wouldn't advise any budding writer to get into local sports journalism.

All depends on the individual, Jugs my dear. Imagine if no-one wanted to do it. This thread and its ilk wouldn't be half as interesting. Or would they?

[Peter Thompson]

So no breaking news then....

[BWFC_Insane]

National journalism is a lot harder to get into, though. I read a stat recently that well over 50% of national journalists (maybe even more) went to one of the big universities - cambridge, oxford. It's a closed door for a lot of writers.

I was also looking at non "typical" jobs with transferable skills - proofreading, external comms, marketing - that sort of thing. In fact someone I used to work with did English with Journalism at a "middling" university, didn't get an amazing grade, but managed to land herself a decently paying entry role at an international research organisation in external comms.

Anyway point I'm making is that if salaries are that low for local journalism, unless someone is absolutely set on writing for a paper how come no budding journalists are looking at other similar jobs?

Because comms and marketing may well pay more but they're not the same as being a journalist. Some people may just want to write for a print media publication. And there are limited ways of doing that.

I'm sure lots of journalists drift away from the traditional profession over time. But there will be LOADS who want to be sports writers and the only way they can start often is local papers.

[Jugs]

I think Insane is pretty much right. It's a LOT of work but for proportionally meagre returns. The Bolton News have a job vacancy on the go at the moment for a sports writer to cover local sports 7 days a week and it doesn't pay much - but there's a heck of a lot of work involved. I certainly wouldn't advise any budding writer to get into local sports journalism.

All depends on the individual, Jugs my dear. Imagine if no-one wanted to do it. This thread and its ilk wouldn't be half as interesting. Or would they?

I'm not sure I follow your drift

Anyway, many of us would probably love to be like Hunter S Thompson and live the good life covering the Super Bowl and the Rumble in the Jungle for Rolling Stone magazine. Unfortunately, others have to follow the Trotters up and down the country

[thebish]

i think bwfc_insane is suggesting that Iles isn't paid much - so can't be blamed for not busting a gut to hire state of the art journo bugging devices and keep a 24hr tail on ED so he can then tell us what's going on...

the unremarkable truth is - there's probably nowt new to say - and (my guess) - Holdsworth and co. have stopped pissing and moaning in his ear - realising that it wasn't really helping...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He's not a sports editor. He's a chief football writer but then they probably have two football writers.

I doubt he's on more than 25k. People get paid less than you imagine for local journalism. Much less.

I can't really say with any informed knowledge but I'd be surprised if it's that low. Hell, most graduate jobs (even in Journalism) go for around that salary. A cursory google indicates that most "starting" journalism roles are around the £20-25k mark, so not vastly dissimilar to other graduate/starting roles. Admittedly it's a local paper, so as you say less revenue and therefore salary, but I can't see a chief football writer only being on £25k. Hell even government departments pay marketers and comms grads, some with journalism backgrounds, more than that and we're being kicked senseless in finances...

With respect, TAB, no it doesn't. This is the first Google result for "local journalist wage":



I can confirm that it isn't that high – from my own past experience and from hiring now. Even dahn-here-in-the-smoke there aren't many who are on more than £25k.

And I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of shit that he works a damn sight more than 40 hours a week.

Anyway, what Bish just posted sounds right to me. Iles occasionally tweets for those asking: there is no news. The club have clammed up as Eddie takes his time, and the bidders have probably given up trying to spin it.