Beyond the Paycheck · 2026-01-28 · 29 min
Beyond the Survey: Cox Media Group’s SVP of Total Rewards on Affordability, Pay Equity, and Vendor-Led HR SummaryHow do you keep pay and benefits fair, affordable, and truly usable when budgets are tight and roles are changing fast?Lee Mataya, Senior Vice President of Total Rewards at Cox Media Group, oversees compensation, benefits, payroll, HR operations, and HR tech for a nationwide TV and radio business - and he’s candid about what works. Lee shares why “data isn’t the answer - context is,” and how CMG blends quantitative inputs with qualitative listening to shape programs employees actually value. He unpacks the limits of salary surveys, the data rigor required for pay equity, and why AI can support analysis but won’t fix messy inputs. Lee also details CMG’s carve-out journey: rebuilding the HR stack on SAP SuccessFactors, outsourcing payroll and benefits, and achieving a 94% satisfaction score with an Ask HR model. He closes with pragmatic tactics to keep benefits affordable - repurposing dollars through attrition, partnering tightly with vendors, and building multi-year talent plans that anticipate change.
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