Assistant sports editor, Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record

What's the story with this opening? Did it ever fill that desk opening?

 

If you get this job, you might want to keep your apartment for a month if you moved from another city. This is the paper that laid off someone about a few weeks after they started.

Maybe things have changed there. I don't know.

 

*sigh*

Here we go again. If you want to rehash the layoffs - and I'll go on record once again as saying that was the shittiest day at the N&R in my 12 years here - dig up that thread and post there. If you'd like to ask about the ASE gig, this is the place to do it.

For the record, the job posted (and we move fast - the announcement came out Friday morning) is mine, the one I'm doing right this minute (All-Area fall sports section FTW!) and will continue to do for another week or so after the start of 2008. I'm moving back to News after three years here to be our online news reporter. I get a bunch of new toys, better hours and a chance to do something new and different for a while.

The ASE's gig is a good one. I'll answer whatever you questions you have, either publicly or by PM.

Speaking of the desk job, we've interviewed a couple of folks. I'm guessing we're bringing in a third (or fourth), but I don't know that for sure, nor do I know our deadline for making our choice. The SE and the desk chief have been doing the heavy lifting on this one.

 

John, my apologies to you if I offended. I know that day must have stunk. It sounds like N&R has a more even path ahead of it after what must have been a rough period. I'd have said that about any paper if someone had been hired and then let go in a matter of weeks.

For the record, best of luck to you in your new position and good luck to whoever gets this.

 

Don't worry abut it, steveu. I'm still too thin-skinned about the whole thing.

Anyway, based on my PMs, let me clarify: This is not a desk job - no slotting, no rimming, no 1 a.m. nights. One lucky winner will be managing and editing a crew of very, very good sports writers.

Another big part of this job is the day-to-day chore of getting the section out the door - budgeting, assigning, figuring story play, line editing, etc. The desk does the heavy lifting at night, but I'm exected to set it up so they can succeed.

That make sense?

 

How big is the sports staff?

 

Let's see ...

Two editors (SE and ASE)
Six reporters (two colleges, high schools, GA/golf, columnist and NASCAR, shared with Norfolk and Roanoke)
Full-time EA
Six full-time deskers.

So that's 15, not including our part-time night EAs and a Sports front designer we borrow from News once a week.

Yes, I wish we had more writers, thanks for asking.

 

So what exactly does the SE do if the ASE does all the budgeting, line editing, assigning, etc., and no desk work?

 

DING Ding ding

 

There's just one of those, which the SE does. (I used to do it until I shifted my hours from a day shift to midshift.)

The SE does the heavy lifting - budgeting, dealing with the higher-ups, long-range and planning and personnel, to name a few things. (Deskers and ASEs don't hire themselves, ya know.) He works daily with our two college writers and our columnist (when Ed's doing college stuff) - edits their stuff, etc. The East Carolina football scouting report in today's paper? The boss wrote that.

The SE here puts in some serious hours. He definitely ain't slack.

For the record, the ASE doesn't do all of the assigning and editing. I do a big chunk of it, but hardly all of it.

 

In case anyone was still wondering, this gig was filled from within.