4. Time based for billing per hour
Based on annual wage statistics of the media industry
Targets staff’s wages after calculating
freelancer’s real expenses
Differentiating rates between media companies
The Freelance Calculator
6. ✓Media convergence and ownership concentration
✓5-6 multi/national companies control most publications
✓3 multinational companies control magazines almost 100%
✓2 broadcasting companies dominate TV and (partly) radio
✓Ca. 150 daily newspapers to 5 million people
✓Only one web news site makes money (VG Nett)
The media industry in Norway
7. ✓Ca. 9500 members (2009)
✓46% located in Oslo, 8-9% freelance
✓43% of members are female
✓The only journalist union, ≈ 100% coverage in trad. media
✓Central and local collective agreements
✓Freelancers are a special section of the union
✓Few collective agreements for freelancers
The Norwegian
Journalist Union
8. Until 2002:
✓Independent non-employed workers
✓Ban on organizing as businesses
✓Recommended rates from the Union
✓Little or no content exchange – independent publications
✓Predominantly single media publishers
From 2002:
✓Freelance journalists professionalize as
one person businesses
✓Multi media publishers & ownership concentration
Freelancer’s position
9. ✓Fixed rates by words, lines or pages (or pictures)
✓Some use of hourly rates for hired freelancers working
practically as temporary staff
✓Most freelancers work for broadcast, trade press and
periodicals, refuse working for newspapers
✓Freelancer’s operating costs often neglected in fees
Freelancer’s rates
10. The challenge:
✓Lack of professionalism as businesses
✓Avoiding price fixing
✓Relevance of rates (to market diversity)
The mission:
✓Link freelance rates to staff wages
✓Get paid by the hour, not by the word
✓There is no connection between journalistic quality
and number of words
Reviewing freelancers
income situation in 2008
11. Utilizing union strengths
✓The Union’s detailed wage statistics
✓The entire union behind goal of equal earning
Playing the game
✓Developing the freelancers as professional businesses
Adapting to the market
✓Getting acceptance for equal wages and operating cost
✓Balancing work value with market value
Developing the Calculator