With special guest, Carmen Braidwood.
Should Media Contributors Get Paid?
Should experts and regular contributors be paid for appearing in the media? It is a debate that has been around for years, but Amanda Rose’s very public departure from her weekly spot on Seven’s Sunrise has put it firmly back on the agenda.
This week on The Experts Podcast, Nic Hayes sits down with media professional and TV contributor Carmen Braidwood to ask where the line sits between being an expert and becoming paid media talent.
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Amanda took to social media to explain her departure, saying she was asked to become exclusive to Sunrise without being paid. It raises a fair question: if a network wants exclusivity, should it pay for it?
Nic takes a strong position on how Amanda handled it. After three years of building a profile on national television, he believes taking the dispute public was naive and counterproductive.
In Nic’s view, the social media post became more of a publicity stunt than a genuine debate about payment. Amanda may have had a reasonable argument, but publicly attacking the arrangement risked devaluing the profile, goodwill and reputation she had spent three years building. Not to mention future media opportunities.
There is also something to be said for grace. Nic argues Amanda could have simply declined the request, thanked Sunrise for three years of national exposure and moved on.
Carmen brings another perspective. There is a clear distinction between an expert appearing to provide knowledge and build their profile, and a regular contributor relied upon to entertain, offer opinions and become part of the program.
As Carmen puts it:
“When you bring someone onto your show because they’re opinionated, because they have the capacity to take a few swings and maybe put their own personal reputation at stake, that takes some bravery.”
Twenty years ago, regular contributors were more likely to be paid. Today, shrinking budgets and greater competition have changed the economics of media.
But payment isn’t the only measure of value. Media exposure delivers credibility, profile and opportunities worth considerably more than an appearance fee.
When does an expert become talent? Should exclusivity come with payment? And when a media relationship ends, is there something to be said for leaving with a little more grace?
Nic Hayes and Carmen Braidwood tackle it all on The Experts Podcast.
