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Newspaper jobs in North Carolina

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by wsreader, Jan 25, 2009.

  1. txsportsscribe

    txsportsscribe Active Member

    not necessarily
     
  2. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Not if it's a Heartland job. You'll get treated better at Best Buy. Might get paid better, too, and you can string for a real paper on your free time.
     
  3. jrydun

    jrydun New Member

    That bad? I'll keep that in mind; but right now as I'm just trying to break into the field; I don't think I would turn down the experience.
     
  4. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    I don't have personal experience with Heartland, but I've worked for bad newspapers, and it can be soul-sucking. If long-timers here are warning you away, it's with good reason.

    And it's one thing to work for shitty bosses. It's another to get work for shitty bosses and get paid like shit. He's not kidding when he says you'll do better at Best Buy (or rolling burritos, or working at Starbucks). And at places like Best Buy and Starbucks, the benefits are likely to be better. And you can most likely pick up a schedule there that does allow you to do stringing work. (And depending on where you're stringing, you might get paid more per story than you would working full-time.)

    (And, shit, the new CEO of Best Buy started out as a clerk, which would seem to indicate opportunities for advancement. OK, that's the only nice thing I can say about Best Buy this year.)

    I understand the desire to work for a newspaper, because it does get into you. But if you hang around here long enough, you'll start to get the idea that none of us thinks newspapers are around for the long term. And much like smoking, if you don't start, it'll be easier to quit. I know that seems harsh, but it's the way it is.
     
  5. NoOneLikesUs

    NoOneLikesUs Active Member

    Solid advice.
     
  6. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    You may wish to have a backup plan.

    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/62949/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65812/
    http://graphicdesignr.net/papercuts/ and also http://graphicdesignr.net/papercuts/?page_id=1088
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65850/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/66123/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65776/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63079/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/66057/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65884/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65974/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65795/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65885/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65588/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65855/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65906/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/60388/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65834/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65763/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63494/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/65496/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/64866/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/64786/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/64576/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/64161/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63959/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63234/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63588/
    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/63754/
     
  7. jrydun

    jrydun New Member

    Where would be the market for getting into journalism online? Everything I see seems to be either a blog or a joke.
     
  8. jrydun

    jrydun New Member

    2muchcoffee, wow. That's absolutely insane. As long as a certain beat writer for the Atlanta Falcons maintains employment, I gotta believe there is hope. Apparently newspapers are on the out though.
     
  9. FuturaBold

    FuturaBold Member

    As someone on the "inside" of a Heartland Pub shop, I'll say it's probably no worse than any of the other chains that get bashed on these boards regularly. That being said, it's a far, far, far, far cry from the journalism I was taught by first bosses nearly 20 years ago (a family owned weekly that helped me to really fall in love with newspapers and feel like they held a noble place in our culture)...

    There haven't been the massive layoffs (yet) that have hit all over the industry. But Heartland still cuts to the bone by creatively eliminating/combining positions, not rehiring when folks quit and just basically by burying more and more work on the folks who are left behind (with no OT allowed of course).

    For example: publisher of a paper gets reassigned to be "regional publisher" (over several papers). Probably doesn't get much of a raise. Ad director or editor gets "promoted" to a new general manager position to fill his/her spot, while also retaining their former responsibilities as ad director or editor. Again, they probably don't get much of a raise and *presto* the company has just creatively eliminated a nice big salary from their books.

    Next: Circulation director quits. Those duties get shifted onto the new GM as well. Then, the graphics departments at each location get reassigned to a main regional "hub" with a few folks along the way losing their jobs. Many of the day-to-day graphics duties then get thrown onto the news department, which is already down a reporter or two because they can't get anyone to fill their openings at these "growing" locations at $7 and $8/hour. And of course, the news staff now has to do video and more Web duties in addition to trying to actually report and write stories.

    Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat. Slowly and painfully papers that once had 20-30 employees get drained down to 10-12 (and those folks end up missing a lot of work because they are exhausted, sick, burned out, stressed out, etc.).

    It's pretty sad and pathetic, but I don't think it's just Heartland or even just the newspaper industry. It's the American way right now in a lot of places. Cheap, cheap, cheap. Product doesn't matter, just bottom line, etc.

    FYI, one editor's position that I know of at a Heartland non-daily (not a GM post but editor) gets paid in the low 30K range. Not great but hey it's better than 24k! ::)

    My advice to all the young'uns out there -- find an industry that is WINNING and go in that direction. Then do newspapers/writing/sports stuff on the side as a hobby.
     
  10. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    And when you find that industry, please come back here and tell us, because we're all looking. We promise to call whoever finds it "sir" and fetch coffee in the morning and beers at night.
     
  11. jrydun

    jrydun New Member

    If news is going digital; I'm assuming there are many qualified individuals on this site, why doesn't someone create a site? Is it the capital that would be lacking, or the drive?
     
  12. KYSportsWriter

    KYSportsWriter Well-Known Member

    jrydun: Why do you use so many semicolons? Just wondering.

    And FWIW, I'd take to heart what everyone here has said before I thought about getting in this industry.
     
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