ASE: Little Rock, Ark.

Thanks, Krup.

 

I've heard a lot of stories about that guy.

 

This could be a bad move for the Democrat.
Suppose they hire a young and coming-up sports editor for a smaller paper. Maybe one of the other papers around Arkansas, like a Springdale.
And this guy promises he can bring a couple of his stud page designers if they give him the job. So the Democrat does and things are going pretty good at first.
The new ASE is all over the job, making the calls, just running the section and the readers are loving it. I mean the new ASE was practically a religious figure, and when he went to the Democrat, the readers followed.
But then disaster strikes. All hell breaks loose on the first night of college football. Game's moved to a late kick for TV and then it runs long and the whole thing explodes in the ASE's face. Deadline gets busted, papers go out late and the publisher decides the new ASE can't cut it, his system just won't work on the metro level and he tells the SE that he needs to start running the show again. Things even out, but down the stretch the Democrat gets trounced in section competitions. The readers are clamoring. If the ASE was allowed to do what he was hired for, the section would be awesome. They just know it.
But the proof is in the pudding and while doing well against the same level, the section needs something more to take the next step up. So the SE starts looking around and calls his buddy to see if he would also work as an ASE for the section. And the ASE from the Springdale paper starts looking around for another gig, but the readers are just aghast, just can't believe that the publisher and the SE would try to take down their beloved. People are threatening to cancel their subscriptions and maybe even protest to the advertisers who support the section.
In the midst of all this, the ASE, the one hired from Springdale, decides its time to go and heads to Joplin. Turns out the Glob needs an ASE who can run the show and the stud page designers? Well one heads to LA because he knows he can succeed at the metro level and the other heads to school and is going to evaluate his choices after a semester.
The moral of this story? Don't hire anyone from Springdale.

 

Wow! From the Democrat to the Globe. Amazing.

 

Like any place, this one has some good and bad. PM me if you want specifics.

 

really stupid question I'm sure, but what's salary on a gig like this?

 

How much contact would the person in this job have with Wally. My impression is Krup does the day-to-day and Wally just writes columns.

 

I've heard bad things about Wally, but I do love the title of his column.

 

any new news on this one?

 

I haven't heard anything, in which I have a friend that has applied for the position. I do know that some inside the ADG has shown interest in the job, though.