Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier

Most places pay interview expenses, least most places I've interviewed with (and it's not like I'm interviewing with the New York Times).

 

Doc, you sure on the moving expenses? Most MG community properties don't pay them for non-MG employees, and Bristol falls under that umbrella. They pay for expenses if you're moving within the company.

 

Not sure if that policy is a new one, but they paid interview and moving expenses about a year ago when my friend worked there.

 

Perhaps isn't not an MG-wide policy, and specific to certain papers. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

What kind of experience are they looking for? Can we guess how many will apply for this opening?

 

Steve Trosky would be a great guy to talk to or e-mail because he worked at lynchburg, which i believe is a MG paper

 

I worked here with absolutely no NASCAR experience and was covering the Bristol night race in two months. That was under a previous staffing arrangement so I am not sure how things would shake down now. NASCAR is not a hard sport to learn and Bristol has Allen Gregory who has been following the sport for decades and one of the nicest guys you'll meet in the business. He'll tell you everything you need to know from a technical racing perspective if you ask him.

As far as experience goes, apply. No matter how much experience you have, apply. When I was helping with the hiring process here, I was amazed at the lack of responses we got to job openings both from a quality and a quantity perspective. The pay isn't great but it is entirely possible to live on dirt in that region - especially if you live on the Tennessee side where there is no state income tax and shop on the Virginia side where the sales tax doesn't suck as badly as it does in Tennessee. (Of course, Virginia still steals your money for its income tax because the office is in Virginia but if you track your work hours spent in Tennessee, you can get a percentage back from Virginia - for example if you are covering the race or a high school game in Tennessee, you can itemize that time on your return and get a chunk of money back from Virginia. Depending on your beat, you can get a lot of money back)

If you've got any other questions, just ask. I haven't worked their in two years but I either worked with or helped hire everyone who is there right now. (And yes, I know this probably outs me if you try hard enough but I don't really care. I am out of the business now except for a little bit of stringing)

 

How about this, McNuggets. I've been rejected before for not having any enterprise reporting/clips, but have game story and feature pieces. Is this enough? I'm a preps enthusiast, and have traveled this summer watching AAU basketball tournaments for just gas money. Preps is where my heart is at, but is that enough?

 

Does anyone know where they are in the hiring process right now?

 

The ad was just posted Monday. Sam is a fast-moving guy from what I hear, but give him some time.

Damn, that sounded kinda bootsian.

 

I think all of us would rather hear you say it than him.

 

The BHC is a good place to learn and get better if that's what you're looking for, or to plant some roots. It's a nice area and if you work hard you'll never be bored. I know they have recently been in the process of hiring a designer, so this position will be great for anyone who enjoys doing both writing and design, you should get plenty of opportunities to do both.

MG does pay to bring people in during the interview process, but usually only if they are likely to hire that candidate. They also do help with moving expenses.

Experience-wise, Sam will probably consider anyone that has a strong resume, good clips, is willing to work hard and wants to learn. I've worked with Sam and the rest of the sports staff, they are good people.

I'll say it again, the BHC is a great place to learn and there is a lot to cover.