It's no secret: the job market in television news is about as tight as it's ever been, especially for on-air positions. If you're looking for a job as a reporter, you've probably sent out dozens of tapes and you may not have heard back from a single station. What are those news directors thinking?

Peggy Phillip, news director at WMAR-TV in Baltimore, MD, shared some of her thinking on a personal blog when she was at a station in Memphis. Frankly, she was frustrated after reviewing dozens and dozens of tapes for one reporter opening. With her permission, we're posting her "pointers from the real world" for applicants looking to move to a bigger market. For more advice, check these suggestions, and these tips from other news managers.

Cover letters: Note to cover-letter-senders. Write this down. Have somebody look over your letter before you send it so you don't make hideous mistakes like using "of" instead of "have." As in..."I was happy to of seen the posting for a postion at your station." Spellcheck won't catch that but a friend might. Also, don't start your letter with "I'm the next (fill in the blank) at (fill in the blank). That used to be cute but now it's just over used. Tired. If you really want to get my attention in a cover letter, and that's VERY HARD TO DO, show me that you know who I am. Tell me something about yourself that you know will mean something to me. You have to do some research to find out what that is...Be curious, not pushy and you can get the info you need.

Experience: If the posting says two years experience required and you HAVE NONE, go ahead and send me a tape. I look at every one (eventually) but first I read the cover letter and resume and if you don't have ANY experience, that does affect my attitude about you. If you have between one and two years, definitely send a tape. I'll look closer at it than those who don't have any time other than internships in a newsroom. If you have more than ten years under your belt, I'll look at your tape FIRST and wonder how I got so lucky and why you want to come to Memphis. And...If you have more than ten years experience in two-year increments in triple digit markets....maybe you're in the wrong business.

Phone calls: Call me once if you want, I answer my own phone and maybe you'll get lucky. Be ready for me to be busy because many meetings including the afternoon editorial rundowns always take place in my office (don't call at 2pm central). If you catch me, I'll talk to you. I'll tell you about the hours and what I'm looking for as far as live shot experience, etc. Most of the time, I counsel the recently-graduated to look at the smaller markets around Memphis--Tupelo, Greenville and Columbus, MS; Jackson, TN and Jonesboro, AR. If you don't catch me, leave a message. I check voice mail regularly and if I have something to say, I'll call you back. Most of the time I won't, because I don't have anything to say. You can call more than once but know that there's a thin line between tenacity and stalking. Be careful not to push, especially if you don't have the goods.

Resume tape: Unless you're independently wealthy and want to supply stations like mine with VHS stock, find a place that sells 15-minute tapes. Sure, I love to get those two-hour tapes in their relatively virgin form (with record button intact) but honestly, unless I'm going to hire you, I erase them and give them to my co-workers so they can record the Sopranos (for personal use, of course). This particular piece of advice is killing me. I haven't purchased VHS tape in years.

A short slate is all that's needed at the head of the tape and no music or effects are necessary. I want to see you, not your name spelled letter-by-letter.

Make sure the very first glimpse of your work is the absolute best you have. Ask the opinions of people you respect -- don't guess! I've seen lots of tapes where the first standup is poorly shot or lit. Yuck. Look your best, sound your best.

Research: And finally, do some research before you apply for a job. Go to the station's website, look at the kinds of stories they do. Look for trends. For instance, if you love doing feature stories and put that at the top of your cover letter....frankly I'm not going to be as interested in you because that's not our deal at WMC. Do an Internet search (Google, what else?) on the station and see where it shows up other than its own website. Was it recently bought or sold? In the midst of controversy? Selling its news? Main anchor arrested for DUI? Brand new news director or been there for years? You want to know everything!