This is how the media gets hold of a wreck story and why I cant be bothered with them now unless I get paid. It begins with your local journalist for your local village rag asking if you have any interesting finds or projects on the go. You innocently reply and give him a story he likes. He innocently publishes it in his local village rag. From there, if the story is of interest, the bigger news outlets pick up the news and use it too -Quite often without asking your consent. Sometimes you will then get a call from a local TV news out let- who dont only want to report on what has been written, they need film footage of you and maybe of your wreck too. So they ask if they can come and do some filming. In your naivety you agree and over they come with cameramen and sound and lighting men, an interviewer, and sometimes the producer if the location is lovely like Scilly is. You take time off work to help them because they dont like to work weekends if at all possible, and you take them around on your boat to the wreck site and talk to them about your project and they get it all, including your wreck research, all free of charge.
One day it dawned on me just how stupid I was being with these people. There I was doing all the work and getting nothing for it. You do your research; you find the wreck; you take a few days of work to take them out to it and talk about it- and they get what they want and go. They all get very well paid for "their" services- while you have only lost money. I thought about this for a while and realised that I couldn't charge for using my boat because it wasn't run under a commercial license- and I couldn't charge for giving them underwater footage of the wreck for similar reasons -and they knew all this and so take advantage of it -and these things are usually very expensive indeed in the commercial world. Well, the next time I got the call I was ready. I agreed to them coming over and decided to hit them when they had arrived here and so committed to the job. The little team arrived to make their program. I requested a meeting before filming went ahead. They agreed and I met them at their hotel.
Picture the scene- there they were sat in the sun around a big table in the gardens of a posh hotel they were also staying in. On the table was an expensive lunch of lobster and steak and bottles of wine and jugs of fruity pimms- all very jovial and very expensive. "Sit down Todd, and have a glass of Pimms" they said. I did so and accepted the drink. Pleasantries passed between us, then the producer asked what it was I wanted to talk about. "Payment" said I, abruptly- then supped at my Pimms awaiting the inevitable reply. The table went suddenly quiet and the producer cracked off a lobster claw to put on his plate and spoke-"Errm I'm sorry Todd but we don't have a budget to pay you" he said firmly. This response I had anticipated and had my answer all ready to respond. "Then why should I help you?" I asked before adding-. "I am having to take time off work for this and my time is money too. I am the only one around this table no getting paid." To this he stopped eating his posh expensive lunch and looked at me in the eye and said-. "The simple fact is, as I have stated, we have to work to a budget and we simply don't have a budget to pay you. The public don't get paid for their stories. I'm sorry but that's the way it is." I was hoping for a better response but in my heart I knew this was coming and thus prepared for it. "Then I'm not interested in helping you" I replied, and stood up to leave. We both knew I had them by the balls. The TV company would be very upset having sent their team out to Scilly to suddenly come back without the footage they needed. The guy had no choice but to stop me from walking away and ask me what I wanted and how I could be paid legally- being as I couldn't charge for the things they wanted unless I could produce the relevant paperwork. "I will bill you for my time lost at work and it will come under the heading of 'services supplied as a shipwreck historian'" He knew there was no way out of this one and had to accept my demands or go back empty handed. We then agreed my fee which was no more than covering my time lost by hourly rate- and any expenses incurred. That all sorted we all got what we wanted and they went home happy.
Now, whenever I get the call, I tell them I charge for my time so they can budget for it. As a result, they dont often bother to come over-and that suits me fine too. Now don't get me wrong, I am happy to supply my local rag with content on what I get up to with my projects- he is just keeping locals and Scilly lovers supplied with local news. This is all good stuff. But the big boys must pay- as they are just making big bucks off my back and taking the proverbial.........
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