Charlotte AP job

Excellent point and one that more people on this board need to realize.

 

How much does a job like this typically pay?

 

podunk press, that's the best post I've ever read on this board. I totally agree with you.

 

I got discovered by my city's downtown metro daily by working at a weekly, and I can tell you something... I never would have gotten my foot in the daily door had it not been for that weekly experience.

So I'll never thumb my nose at weeklies, and I'll be welcoming of those weekly writers that need questions answered. I was there once.

 

Excellent point and one that more people on this board need to realize.
And won't.

 

Did anyone on this thread apply the "miserable no-talent hack" label?

No one is begrudging you your contentment working at a community newspaper. Good for you.

The problem is the people who, after spending five or 10 years in Podunk, moan and complain every time an advertisement for a major beat has the audacity to include experience among the requirements.

Sorry to offend the disgruntled masses of Podunk Nation. But nine times out of 10, "paying your dues" by covering Little League and snapping photos for a decade isn't going to separate you from the competition for a major beat.

 

I think what the Podunk guys are asking is this: How do you get the experience when all the jobs that provide the experience require the experience?

 

There's always an element of luck. A lot of people are where they are not only because they are qualified, but they were in the right place at the right time.

 

I know someone who got one of those AP jobs from a small-town newspaper. His publisher let him apply for a press pass and he covered NBA games on his own time, driving 90 miles each way. He saw how the AP and large papers did their thing, improved his writing and got his name out there. When one of the AP people transferred to another bureau, he was a shoo-in for the job because he already proved he could cut it.

Not saying that's the way for everyone to go. It just worked for this guy. But it proves that it can be done.

 

One guy I worked with a smallish paper (around 40,000 circulation) a few years back had been at that paper for 30 years and lived in that area his entire life. He did some pro and college stuff occasionally, but was perfectly content covering preps. He was (and still is, presumably) an icon in that community and somebody who is synonymous with the paper he works for.

Covering a major beat (high-level Division I college football or basketball or major pro) isn't for everyone. But just because you don't have such a plum gig doesn't necessarily mean you've wasted your career.

 

Did you work in York, Pa.? Dick VanOlinda is the MAN. I love that guy. So much knowledge, such a gentleman. Helped me out countless times. A terrific person.

 

You mean he didn't sit on his ass and complain and wonder why he wasn't getting any jobs?

Initiative. What a concept!