Sports Editor; Flagstaff, Ariz.

I am one of the many alums listed by Cosmo, and I can speak well of both the newspaper and Flagstaff, as well as the managing editor.

You'll have either the NAU football or basketball beat, both of which will give you plenty of opportunity to write in any direction you like. Both are relatively successful programs that could be better than they are. The prep scene is small-town all the way, everything you love and hate about a two-school town (ah, the joys of a prep girls basketball coach turning to you in the stands to rip you for a column in the middle of the third quarter.) The ME loves him some community sports, so expect to write your share of running and mountain biking features.

With the switch in design responsibilities, I would guess this job isn't nearly the bear it used to be, especially when this was a PM paper. Sure, a two-person staff doesn't allow you to, ya know, get sick or take vacation too often, but it's not like you have four pro sports teams to cover.

If you can make the money work, don't hesitate to apply. I'd live in Flagstaff again in a heartbeat, though the lack of regular air service (you can only catch puddle jumpers down to Phoenix) is inconvenient. There are more restaurants I love in Flagstaff than in the metro area I live in now and the four-season climate makes for gorgeous natural scenery. If you didn't know, Flagstaff received more snowfall than Anchorage last year. Crazy.

Speaking to the question of circulation, don't forget that Flag really isn't THAT big of a city, with a population largely boosted by the NAU student population at any given time. If it's 11k, that's a fair step down from the 15-20k range in which we fluctuated while I was there, but given the state of the industry, it could be worse.

And the city editor who is leaving had been at the paper for close to 10 years. The paper is no more or less a revolving door than any other shop its size.

 

Basketball is the open beat, so it stands to reason the new SE will be working with Coach Adras this winter. Not quite like the glory days of Ben Howland, but it could be worse. The Lumberjacks only lost one player and are picked to win the Big Sky by several publications. Don't start dreaming of the NCAA Tournament just yet, though. Those Lumberjacks are heartbreakers. Seems they can't get over the Big Sky title game hump ... lost three straight Big Sky titles games in the middle of this decade. Even if the Jacks bucked the trend, parent company Lee probably wouldn't allow you to travel to the NCAA Tourney anyway. The travel budget is nil. Although, Lee did send an AZDS photographer to Haiti after the quake. They won't give you mileage for a state playoff game in Phoenix, but they'll fly a photographer to Haiti for a story on a couple of local doctors. Go figure.

 

"If you can make the money work" is the key phrase in Flagstaff. "Poverty with a view" pretty much sums it up. The cost of living in this town will kill you on that salary. If nothing else, I'd recommend living with a roommate or go in with some kind of other financial plan hammered out.

 

Lee loves making cuts in all the wrong places, don't they?

 

I was thinking the same thing. I thought about transferring to NAU and really liked Flagstaff.

 

Questions for FlagScribe:

1. When did the Daily Sun start picking up Arizona Republic stuff and running it, and how did that whole agreement come about? Do Lee and Gannett have some sort of swapping agreement?

2. When did the paper stop traveling with NAU football?

Thanks.

 

1. Content sharing between the Republic, Daily Star (Tucson) and the AZDS began about a year ago. Lee and Gannett worked out a deal shortly after the Tucson Citizen went under. The AZDS benefits the most -- only has to contribute NAU football and hoops stories while getting the pick of the litter from the Republic and Daily Star.
2. Travel for NAU football and hoops was nixed when the sports staff was trimmed to two FT positions.

 

Filled ... finally!

 

Who got the job?

 

Bill Harris, was the SE at the Marquette (Mich.) Mining Journal.
Bill was a PTer 10 years ago at the MJ while I was working there.
Congrats Bill.
Here is his first story: http://www.azdailysun.com/sports/basketball/article_083ba2b1-b583-5e99-8790-ed37e99351a5.html