Regional Sports Planning Editor, Anderson SC

The Anderson Independent Mail part of the USA TODAY Network, a top global digital media company, which reaches more than 100 million people monthly through a powerful network of mobile & publishing properties, is seeking a Regional Sports Planning Editor, to be based in Anderson, SC.



The sports planning editor will lead print budgeting and page production for sports across the three-newspaper Carolinas region and have a voice in the daily digital sports budget. The sports planning editor will work with the regional sports content coach, producers and the design studio as well as the news directors at the three sites. The planning editor is the No. 2 person on the regional sports staff, and will act on behalf of the Content Coach in his/her absence.

This position also will assist with budgeting and production of Orange and White, a weekly Clemson University sports tabloid based in Anderson, SC.



The sports planning editor will work with the coach and a team of reporters at three sites to plan content and maximize exposure across all platforms. This editor needs to understand digital analytics and develop an understanding of readers’ interests across markets. The position is based in Anderson, and requires that the editor have a regular presence in all three newsrooms.



The sports planning editor will determine what content appeals to each market and help plan distribution accordingly while maximizing synergies across the three regional sites that include Anderson and Greenville in South Carolina and Asheville in North Carolina.



With the coach, the sports planning editor will optimize print and digital content for maximum exposure and engagement across all platforms. This position will work closely with the regional content coach and news directors at the three sites.



The Carolinas region is centered in picturesque Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, and the three papers serve an area that includes more than 1.2 million residents. The area is a recreational paradise, with mountains, bike trails and multiple, vibrant metropolitan settings. This is a great opportunity for a people-oriented manager to participate in building a hard-working and entrepreneurial regional sports staff whose franchise topics are major college football and a dynamic high school sports culture in three different, but geographically related markets.



Here’s what you need:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a newsroom, preferably sports related
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a newsroom management role
• Strong organizational and team building skills

About USA TODAY NETWORK:

The USA TODAY NETWORK is the largest local to national media network in the country. Powered by integrated and award-winning news organizations with deep roots in 107 local communities, plus USA TODAY, the multiplatform news network informs and engages more than 100 million people every month through its diverse portfolio of digital, mobile, and publishing products. To connect with us, visit Gannett



Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are a drug free, EEO employer committed to a diverse workforce. We will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, disability, education, political affiliation or veteran status.

Career Opportunities: Regional Sports Planning Editor, Anderson (100141)

 

I just hate the word coach. On the hand, because it's sports, I suppose it's apropos

 

The more I read, the more I couldn't get that John Fogerty song out of my head. I hate the word coach, too.

 

Must be an American League shop...didn't see in qualifications the coach needing to know about a double switch

 

#themoreyouknow

 

When I worked at a Gannett shop, that job fascinated me because it was kind of the embodiment of their all-in push to have digital lead the way.

The job, as described when it was first presented, was at its root, going through the website/online budget and pulling stuff down to create a print budget. I'm sure there was a slight hand in management, but it was meant to discourage the preciousness about the print product (i.e. we need a filler story so page four is all local). Print got what it got, and it was this person's job to see it to the next step on the assembly line. In spots friends work, I know there was a lot of resistance, creating Frankenstein systems of sorts.

That could be a problem considering this person has to work with three newsrooms, which I assume means three sets of management probably entrenched in ways of doing things at various levels. It's also worth noting the Anderson placement is as corporate newspaper of a move as can be. Anderson is a nice enough mid-sized town (the listed population belies that), and I think it used to be textile mill country, meaning a low-grade aging rust belt feel in some ways. Greenville and Asheville are far cooler places to live, but Gannett will not be paying for you to live in them.

 

This is my old shop (2 owners ago, but still). I think the reason it's based in Anderson is because the vacancy you're filling is in Anderson (for sports editor before the Gannetization happened). Anderson was far from my favorite town I've ever lived in and, in fact, the sports editor lived in Greenville and commuted to Anderson (not sure if they'd let you do this). I have no idea how the current management is - I know it was privately celebrated when the publisher got the axe in the latest round of Gannett cuts, so that might be a positive that she's gone.
It's a good sports staff to work with that has smartly gone from being stretched thin on Clemson/UGA/SC to covering Clemson intensively and now collaborates with Greenville (which also has major Clemson coverage, obviously) as its new corporate sibling, and the photo staff is also solid.
Anderson has all the chains you'll ever need and an OK downtown. I'd concur with the former mill town feel, however.
I would be interested to see how the new hire would divide their time between the three markets as well and interact with staff. Anderson is 40 mins from Greenville and almost 2 hours from Asheville, so that could be a challenge getting to know what is a big overall market.