sports writer

account executive

reporter

weekend supervisor

data engineer

Advance Local

I worked with the Talent Development Team and we were lucky to have a great director. 
A typical day at work involved conducting new hire and tenured employee training in a hybrid environment. I also conducted coaching and certification sessions and met with managers about their team members' learning progress. 
I learned how to handle live instructor-led training situations in the classroom and virtually, and the best ways to work with stakeholders for the best outcomes. I also learned how to create e-learning and training videos. 
Workplace culture was friendly and respectful, but sometimes reps found themselves in stressful situations if they worked for a poor manager. Part of what I did was to facilitate better communication and encourage / provide leadership development for the managers. 
The hardest part of the job was the lack of real authority in our individual markets - we functioned more like consultants, partnering with managers to provide the most effective learning for the roles we worked with. If a director or VP wanted to go in a different direction and did not heed our advice, we had to work with that and hope they would come around. As a result, learning experiences were still effective, but less so than they would have been if we'd all been aligned. 
Overall, despite the pressure local journalism is facing in this economy, it is still a great company to work for, especially as a learning leader with responsibility for a local market. 

I've personally been SUPER lucky with four incredible managers during my time here, and great upper leadership in my departments. Management in other departments/teams is hit or miss from my observation. The company culture as a whole is incredible - super supportive, very inclusive, great DEI policies and intiatives. Job stability with flexible hours and remote/hybrid options. Sometimes the work load is a lot, and work/life balance is very encouraged, but not always feasible with deadlines. My biggest complaint is the pay is mediocre. They perform market research to pay fairly and attract new talent - but I feel like longterm employees are not given fair/equitable raises. Health insurance is very expensive here, but we also have a lot of other cool perks like mental health benefits, adoption leave, gender affirming care coverage, etc. Overall I absolutely love it here, I've been here for 9 years and am very hesitant to leave because the culture is wonderful - but the pay is just so-so. 

The company is in a dying industry (print media). All of the challenges and turmoil that go along with working in a dying industry are present at Advance Local. There are good people there but, sadly, there is no upward mobility. Job security is non-existent, there are multiple layoffs every year. Talent is lacking, and those that do have talent are extremely hesitant to share their knowledge/experience with others out of fear that they will be replaced. Morale is far lower than any job I’ve ever had. It’s sad to see a former titan of industry slowly die off. Do not work here unless you are prepared for this kind of environment, and please understand there is no upward mobility.

Please look elsewhere unless you are at the end of your career or you desperately need a job.

Strong belief in delivering quality local news to the communities served, and most people hard working towards delivering on it. Flexible scheduling, remote work, decent benefits. Pay is average, you won't make a fortune, but if you're on a good team, the culture and flexibility make up for it. Lots of long-timers. Downside is news media is in a rough place in general, and Advance is not immune. There is a lot of risk avoidance and legacy thinking that is hard to move. Biggest risk of working here are periodic sudden layoffs without warning. Still a good place to work if you are doing something you enjoy and believe in. But worth keeping your resume updated and an eye on what else is out there, just in case.

It was a very Productive and good company to work for. The work was challenging and rewarding on a daily basis, we had good team work within our department and throughout the other company departments. Management was accessible to employees needs, pertaining to work issues as well as personal issues.  The work environment was pleasant and enjoyable, due to the culture of co-workers whether assignments were tedious or the workload was plentiful, as a team we completed assignments timely and professionally. Excellent company benefits package provided for employees and vacation time. There were departmental lunches provided by the company outside of the office at restaurants, due to department goals achieved, Christmas bonuses and parties at the end of the year.

The work itself is interesting, engaging and challenging but the culture is broken. It is clique-y and fear-driven from the top down. Hard work and commitment are expected but not rewarded. Job security is only attainable by sucking up to upper management. Changes are implemented with little explanation as to the reasons or the implications to staff. If you ask questions about these changes, you will be labeled as difficult. For a company espousing transparency, management is extremely opaque and manipulative with its employees. Don't take my word for it. Google some of the high-profile layoffs and union-busting efforts at Advance properties over the years. 

Very little room for advancement. Most people have been there for 20 or 30 years and are still in low level positions, which is a bit distressing. Unfortunately, the leadership that has been there the longest is the least knowledgeable in the business. They are more interested in job preservation, than actually contributing to the company in a way that is inspiring to new hires. This could be a great place to work, but unfortunately, it is not.

Joining the company means you get to expose yourself to the world of digital and print advertising media. You get to learn a lot but if you are thinking of getting any promotion anytime soon, don't count on it. Just be satisfied with the average annual increment. One tactic that worked for some folks who got promotions has been to threaten to quit and this is when your manager will do his/her best to give you a good counteroffer. 

Unlike other local news markets across the country, Advance Local has been fairing fairly well in terms of subscriptions and circulations. If you’re a recent graduate and looking to get your feet wet in digital/ print news, I’d recommend looking into positions and internships at any Advance Local outlet. The pay is average and management is great. The newroom does lack diversity and is skewed a bit older (as are most newsrooms), but the team — at least mine is — very willing to train people entering news for the first time. 

I had the unique and fantastic opportunity to work as Video-Editing-Contractor for Advance Local for 2 years. I worked for a mobile application and the team and work was very energetic and fun. I had a great experience and learned a lot in my time there. I still keep in contact with members of my former video-editing team because they area very talented and skilled individuals and we got along greatly.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sports writer 187 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Account executive 147 salaries reported	$69,605 per year
Reporter 53 salaries reported	$82,774 per year
Weekend supervisor 80 salaries reported	$75,000 per year
Data engineer 56 salaries reported	$124,286 per year

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