account executive

office coordinator

digital strategist

sales manager

senior accountant

Salem Media Group

I worked at Salem Web Network 5 years. Unfortunately, I probably stayed about 3 years too long. Salem is great for somethings – primarily the people and the culture that they once had. They tend to hire people right out of college or very young in their careers (except at the management level). Salem gets young, smart, talented individuals, and pays them far below industry average. Many leave after a year or two to move on to something that pays better. Their motto seems to be, “Pay ‘em low and let ‘em go.” 

What kept me there for so long was being told time and time again, “You get more content on the site than anyone on the team. You’re next in line to be promoted.” Unfortunately, I believed in that carrot dangling in front of me and kept at it – always giving 100%. I asked many times, “What can I do to improve and stay on a track to be promoted.” Each time the response from management was, “Nothing. Do everything you are doing now and it will come.” After years of waiting, when a senior position finally did open up, it was not advertised, and another person filled it from another team.

At one point I was offered a new job at Salem but it was to the benefit of the organization, not to me. They needed someone to do exactly what I did on another site. It was made very clear to me that it was not a promotion and pay would be the same. Always interested in learning new skills, I asked, “What will I learn in this position?” I was told I would learn nothing. I pressed, “Could I learn more about SEO? Can I be a part of marketing efforts for the site?” I was told no. Those things would be handled without me. I turned that job down. It was simply offered because as the most senior member of the team, I would require no training to do the job. I was the path of least resistance. 

Upper management constantly told us, “More content, more content, more content.” Of course, we were not paid any more for the additional content we were supposed to produce. It was just assumed we could do more with fewer resources. This became especially true when the company went through layoffs in April 2018. My team was cut from 9 to 7 people. The team absorbed those jobs while still being told to do more, more, more. Any outlets for creativity went out the door altogether. They chose quantity over quality which made my confidence in the organization fade completely. 

Another major concern are major pay discrepancies same roles in the organization. In my team, I was on the low-to-middle end, but a co-worker with the same position made $6,000 more annually. At one point on the team, there was a $14,000 discrepancy between the highest and lowest paid on the team – all at the same level in the same role. We all had the same education level and experience. But that discrepancy reflected how cheaply Salem was able to get the individual at hire. 

I left feeling undervalued and frustrated that when I did respectfully voice my opinion (after being begged by management to share my thoughts), I was called into a meeting where I was chastised by the Vice President. He said that I should not expect to be paid what my skills are worth in the Christian media space. 

Finally, I think the best representation of the little value Salem places on employees is this: The security code on the building hasn’t been changed since it was installed 6 years ago, despite people being fired and a mass layoff of 10 people. In November 2018, someone came into the building during the day and stole a co-worker’s wallet. The code still wasn’t changed. I inquired about this with HR in my departure meeting because it is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. It is unclear who in management was supposed to have the master key to be able to reprogram the code, but it was misplaced. That is disgraceful. They were supposedly in the process of having someone in to do this but were getting the runaround from the company. Here’s the deal. This is security issue in today’s day and age. I don’t care if you have to replace the whole door. You get someone in immediately to fix that in order to keep your employees safe. The fact that it STILL hasn’t been changed shows how little Salem actually cares about their people. 

TL;DR: If you’re straight out of college and need experience, take the job. But don’t make my mistake and overstay. Get your experience and get out.

They were flexible with my personal life from day one. They were supportive at first, but when the new CEO and COO, and new Digital team managers came on board, everything gradually changed. Rather than being primarily a Christian-run organization it was revealed to be an increasingly 'corporate' run organization with a very strict weekly numbers orientation. Although I was over quota and worked hard every day, this wasn't hardly noticed, compared to the 'more revenue' they continuously expected, which I get 'to a degree'. Many staff (production, office & sales staff left while I was there). I watched a once positive culture deteriorate during my almost 2 year tenure. I would advise they work on bringing more positive face-to-face feedback to all their employees. If there are issues, please address them privately rather than detail as an example in front of a large (ie. 25-75) group (to shame them); very negative. The digital team's area of responsibility was unclear as well, and always seemed to blame sales reps if anything was awry, saying we were responsible, even after asking for clarification on responsibilities. They often blamed other team members and threw them under the bus for their mistakes, not being responsible for their part. Wish this didn't have to be so negative. There were a few employees there who were a joy to work with. 

Having been with the company for many years, you're not likely to find a better overall place to work.  The managers, at every level, over a long period of observation, genuinely care about their employees' success.  It is FAR more likely that a manager at any level is going to be more concerned with the employee(s)' well-being than it is that the employee is concerned about the manager's temperament (or whatever).  

Nothing is perfect of course but those in a position of authority care about their subordinates and tend to go out of their way to accommodate any special circumstances someone may be encountering.

I've heard it said by a former employee (in retrospect of his time working here) that being in this environment was "positive", as in you feel like the work you are doing is having a positive impact on people, and also the people you are working around tend to also be positive, and I agree with that assessment.  Another of the managers in the cluster once noted to me upon their arrival that "everyone here seems to root for everyone else's success".  That was a bullseye, and remains that way to this day.

I've never been in a company that is so disorganized, has no idea what they're doing and has a more pessimistic culture than Salem. I am in my late 20s and everyone else that worked there was at least 50+, no joke! It was hard to fit in, everyone thought and conducted business as you would expect someone in that age group to do.

From the beginning, when their initial offer to me was lower than I wanted, they acted insulted when I tried to negotiate salary (that should have been my first clue!). Their benefits are EXPENSIVE and they have ridiculous rules and stipulations you have to meet to keep the prices the same for your benefits. I was required to purchase (with my own money) a fitbit so I could report to them how many steps per day I take (this is a desk job, no walking or physical activity required) and if I didn't get enough steps every day, my benefits would go up. That felt so intrusive and I've never been asked to do that at any other job I've had (though it may be common and I don't realize it).

I didn't know one person there that was happy with their salary, enjoyed coming to work, or wasn't in some way looking for a way to get out. Do yourself a favor and stay away!

A typical day is a grim glimpse into the inner workings of a company that is collapsing in an industry that used to be very profitable 30 years ago. Management is out-of-touch with the rapid changes happening in media and among consumers; especially in the area of Artificial Intelligence, which is headed toward the media industry like a hurricane. Salem doesn't seem to care about falling behind or the incompetence of upper management. The workplace culture is unfortunately very toxic- a lot of backbiting and finger-pointing due to poor station operations. The system is broken, but instead of trying to fix it, folks just look for co-workers to blame when things go wrong.

Being a promotions assistant can be very challenging at times. You can have a packed schedule one week, and have nothing to do the next. The hours are chaotic. Sometimes you wake up as early as 6AM and other times you are working until 11:00 PM at night. You have to drive vehicles, lift heavy loads, interact with people, and know how to post to social media. There are no set lunch breaks/breaks in general. BUT you do meet some incredible fans of the stations you are working for. Seeing their reaction when they win tickets or have a life changing moment because of the station is rewarding! It's also a great entry level job for breaking into the radio space. You get to learn more about radio and how that industry works. My only wish was that the compensation was better for the amount of work/skill this job requires. 

For the sales division, there is a toxic one dimensional management style resulting in a very high turnover which can not be denied.  In a period of 24 months, 8 sales people left in a team that is normally at 4 and that turnover is nothing new. The other factor that affects turnover is income.  While you may get a small book of business to provide some additional commission because of a very low base salary, your accounts will turnover almost as fast as you close new ones. A typical week will include a majority of time on the phone next to salespeople who are doing the same thing, bring your contacts because that will be your "data base" and you will be competing for the same businesses the other sales people and the management will be calling on as well.

Salem Media makes many claims about being a wonderful place to work. For a time there seemed to be a team environment, but I soon learned that the company is not really all that friendly to the little guy. There is a culture of distrust and unless you are on the preferred IT team, it is difficult to get things done. Salem Ownership and Management's political and social endeavors are considered to be priority. If you can stomach them, then it is a little easier to get along. I had no problems, but some of my former co-workers felt very offended. They also felt there was no where to express their feelings and concerns.  When a situation that seemed unfair arose and one person contacted corporate to question it, they was informed there was no obligation to retain them in their position. That is indicative of the culture.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best thing about this job is that it’s potentially a steppingstone into a career in media. It’s not a bad place to work, but it’s a bad place to build a long term career.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management can make or break you. The pay is also very low. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There is some definite favoritism there. The head of HR is also running a lot of other things, so it feels like a conflict of interest. She was very nosey.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Most days will be pretty laid back. It can get a little boring at times. It really depends on what you’re doing there. A lot of the ops were good people. The issue is that the ops manager was not really willing to fight for his team, so they got blamed for a lot.

When COVID hit, we were sent home almost immediately.  Management was great. Super supportive.  Making sure we are safe. 

Being able to continue to work from home has been awesome.  We come in the office occasionally, or if needed for our job, but being trusted enough to allow me to work from home is great... and it saves on everything, from time, to gas, to even eating lunch out.  I love working from home and am so thankful the company is continuing that.

This has been a challenging time, but it feels like everyone is really pulling together in the same direction. Even when we are apart, there is still such a feeling of togetherness.  My manager checks in on me regularly. My coworkers continue to connect with me.  There is a true sense of family... and even better, I love what I do!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Account executive 6 salaries reported	$87,500 per year
Office coordinator 1 salary reported	$18.50 per hour
Digital strategist 1 salary reported	$1,125 per week
Sales manager 4 salaries reported	$100,625 per year
Senior accountant 3 salaries reported	$70,000 per year

Working at Salem Media Group: Company Overview and Reviews

Salem Media Group

Salem Media Group Ratings

Popular jobs at Salem Media Group

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected