News/sports reporter in Williston, N.D.

Pay is pretty low for that area. You'll have a tough time finding an apartment since the area is swamped with oil workers. There are a lot of people living in hotels, campers and out of their cars. Anyone who accepts this job shouldn't do it less than $25,000. There is a news job open as well.

From JournalismJobs.com

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1206421

Company: Wick Communications
Position: General news/sports reporter sought for ND
newspaper
Location: Williston, North Dakota
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: $20,000 to $25,000

Description:
The Williston Herald, a small six-day-a-week newspaper in northwestern North Dakota, has a general news/sports reporter vacancy. Recent journalism graduates with credible college experience are strongly encouraged to apply, as are individuals who truly have a passion for sports and general news reporting from a community journalism perspective. Proven photography and video shooting/production experience is a definite plus, as is layout and design. Send your five best writing and photography samples to Jacob Brooks, managing editor, at jbrooks@willistonherald.com or mail your materials to Williston Daily Herald, P.O. Box 1447, Williston, N.D., 58802-1447. For more information, call Jacob Brooks, (701) 572-2165.

 

I completely agree with Stitch. Go for as much $$$ as you can get if you actually want this job and don't accept anything less. This paper DOES have potential and could desperately use a reporter with a good mind, a sharp eye and a boatload of ideas. For someone willing to go somewhere unsavory for a year in order to get his or her feet wet and build up some solid clips, you could definitely do worse.

 

I can of course help people with info on this job.

 

And, still, you can not drive to Fargo in 15 minutes.

Nowhere near Tahoe, either.

 

Pros to this job:

The paper is on excellent financial footing, and I believe everyone there receives yearly raises and will continue to do so for the immediate future. Furloughs and layoffs are a million miles from their mind.

Sports has more or less total creative freedom. The publisher and editor are very content to let them do their jobs as they see fit.

You will be living in one of the most interesting areas of the country. Oil boom going like crazy. Massive labor and housing shortage. People living in tents in the park because there is nowhere to put them. Local restaurants offering $12/hour and signing bonuses to try to attract workers, but many of them close early some nights because they just don't have anyone to work. At least two current employees working fast-food jobs on the side because the money is so good.

You'll be covering the tiny towns all over the northwest part of the state, with very little competition (the Minot paper dabbles but doesn't get to the smallest ones that often). The people there appreciate the coverage.

Pretty much everyone working there in editorial is friendly and has little ego to contend with, with one notable exception.

The paper will pay moving expenses.

Cons:

No Saturday paper, and the Sunday paper is the most advertising-heavy, so all of Friday and Saturday's sports actions is crammed into a very small news hole.

How much of this job is sports and how much of it is news is very subject to change, based on the constantly changing personnel. If the sports editor leaves tomorrow, you might be doing sports full-time for the next six months. If a news reporter leaves, you might not see a sports story for the same length of time. This may or may not bother you.

You will be eight or nine hours from the nearest major city, you can maybe make Fargo in five.


The paper will help you find a place to live, but it might take a couple of months after you're hired. It won't be cheap, and you can't really live on the salary by yourself. It's better for someone who has a spouse or partner that wants to work too, and they'll be able to find whatever work they want.

 

Back of the job is mine!


no really

 

Getting the job is the easy part. Finding a place to live is much harder. Hopefully you got more than $25K.

 

They have an apartment set up that according to RickStain is a very good deal. Pay is right at $25k.

 

I thought they lost that deal. Things must have changed.

 

At one point, the bookkeeper wasn't going to be able to keep that apartment, but apparently that changed. Several newspaper employees live there.

Don't spread around that you got $25k. I don't think anyone else in editorial makes that much.

 

Williston! Williston! Willistooooon!!!

And cover the crap out of the Keybirds in the summer.