Naperville, Ill., February 16, 2009 - Interested in learning how the economy has impacted industry pay practices? If so, your company should participate in the Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association’s (CTHRA) Annual Compensation Survey. CTHRA’s Compensation Survey establishes industry benchmarks, provides historical analysis, and identifies trends which employers can leverage to assess and adjust their compensation practices.

Companies that have not participated in the past will be among good company: all of the top cable programmers and the majority of the top 25 largest multiple system operators (MSOs) participate in CTHRA’s Compensation Survey. Last year’s surveys, one version for operators and one for broadcasters and programmers, encompassed data for 143,000 incumbents.

“Seeing how your company compares to other industry employers can help better rationalize pay practices. Employers can learn about pay in specific regions of the country, or specific industry segments, and identify if they overpaying or underpaying a job. In many instances, the survey pays for itself if a company learns it is overpaying a single employee,” shared Hali Croner, president and CEO of The Croner Company, a leading management consulting firm specializing in compensation plan design, compensation surveys and organizational design. The Croner Company has conducted CTHRA’s Annual Compensation Survey since 2002.

Expanded Scope
As in year’s past, CTHRA’s 2009 survey will benchmark standard questions about pay, merit budgets, short-term and long-term incentive plans. In addition, this year’s survey will delve into new areas identified by last year’s survey participants. For the cable operator version of the survey, 25 jobs have been added, as well as survey questions about selected benefits, cell phone policies and severance programs.  For the programmer version of the survey, more than 30 jobs have been added, along with sections on severance practices, shift differentials and flexible work arrangements. 

Due to the uncertainty of the U.S. economy, CTHRA is also introducing "flash" merit surveys which will be conducted throughout the year to help participating programmers and operators keep their fingers on the pulse of most current merit budgets.

Participation Enrollment
To participate in CTHRA’s 2009 Compensation Survey, employers should contact Marie Hoffman at The Croner Company by calling 415.485.5543 or sending an e-mail to marie@croner.biz. Survey participant packets will be distributed to participating companies in late February.

Media Contact: Melissa A. Hicks, Mosaic Marketing, 484.888.6766

About CTHRA
The Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association (CTHRA) is the premier human capital resource for the industry and a growing nonprofit organization with 1,600 members spanning 100 companies. CTHRA provides industry-specific benchmarks, information and resources, as well as networking and educational opportunities. Its groundbreaking initiatives include employee benefits, compensation and human capital metrics surveys and its annual symposium. For more information, visit www.cthra.com.