SECTOR 4 4.3 Salary levels and general working conditions, including safety, for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. Entry-level salaries differ from one media house to another, and are also commensurate to the qualifications and work experience of the journalist/media practitioner. In print media, salaries might range from M2,200 (US$ 180.4) (entry level, probation period) to around M10,700 (US$ 8877.4) (senior journalist). Depending on the media house, senior journalists might receive a housing allowance in addition to their salary, as well as electronic gadgets such as cellphones and notebooks to facilitate their work. Public Eye, for example, also provides its senior journalists with M400 (US$ 32.8) airtime each month. For comparative purposes, rent for a basic two-roomed space costs approximately M500 (US$ 41) to M1,500 (US$ 123), depending on location; while a bachelor’s flat sets one back about M1800. Salaries at private radio stations also vary but are, in general, “shameful”. Media practitioners are, for the most part, treated as volunteers who only receive a commission when they source advertising. “They have no contracts, no job security and no safety measures.” Some earn as little as M800 (US$ 65.6) per month, with no other benefits. Station managers in private radio station earn around M 6,000 (US$ 492) to 7,000 (US$ 574). At the state broadcaster (television and radio), media practitioners are treated as civil servants. Entry level journalists/practitioners (note that entry level employees should have a first degree) earn around M8,000 (US$ 656), and this salary increases every year by a specified notch, or based on promotion. Performance appraisals are also conducted, but these are not effective and do not affect salary increases. Staff in management positions at the state broadcaster earn around M25,000 (US$ 2050) to M26,000 (US$ 2132). Directors also receive a government vehicle, cellphone, and a government house with all utilities covered, and with a negligible rent cost of around M200. Working hours for media practitioners are long, and journalists – particularly at the weekly paper – have to deal with an intense workload. At private stations, hours vary depending on the arrangement with the stations ‘volunteers’. At state institutions, employees work in shifts (e.g. 8am to 4:30pm), making working hours more manageable. However, this depends on the level of responsibility given to the staff member. In TV, for example, sometimes one person is assigned work that, in a normal situation, would be accorded to a number of people. “There aren’t the structures that are in place in a normal newsroom setting.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Lesotho 2015 55