Rivals.com national college football editor

$45,000 for a national gig like this. Rivals is going to get what they pay for. Good luck, they'll need it.

 

Allow me to echo the sentiments of others in this thread. The people in charge at Rivals.com know how to turn a dollar but are among the worst human beings you'll ever meet. These are folks who have no training or knowledge about journalism and are in management positions in spite of themselves. Give them credit for sniffing out an idea in the 90s and turning it into a big-profit business, but if you have other options and any journalistic integrity left, STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE.

I could write for a day about the bold-face lies I was told, but it's not worth the time. As someone else pointed out, Rivals.com absolutely did, in fact, fire a guy the day he returned from his honeymoon. I know the guy well and know the whole story. He received no warning, no severance pay, no nothing. He had been there for at least a few years. Let that be a lesson about Shannon Terry, Bobby Burton and others in charge at Rivals.com. They make jokes about who they're planning to fire next. If you're a serious and skilled journalist, these people aren't worth your time or talent.

One more thing: For that $48,000, you'll be expected to work very long hours and probably six or seven days a week. Work is life for the people there, and it will be expected of you as well.

 

Sounds like Rivals.com is run by former employees of CNHI!

 

I'VE HEARD the same thing. Actually was going to partner with a colleague about six years ago, but we made some phone calls and, even then, Rivals.com had a very bad reputation.
It just wasn't right. Professionally. Personally. Ethically.

 

The really sad thing about this is Rivals could pay $200,000 for this job and it wouldn't put even the slightest dent into their bottom line. They still choose to offer a salary in the 40s and demand the world from you. That's who they are.

The management there is interested in living in mansions in Brentwood and driving expensive cars. Your job will be to help them achieve that. Make no mistake about it.

I just want to reiterate what I think is the most important point of this thread. Rivals.com is led by people who no journalism training or skill. And yet, take this job and you'll be reporting to them and they will pass themselves off as experts when in reality they don't know anything. Think about that. They are good business people, but that's as far as it goes.

 

A very good point.

 

I have been though worst in the few years that I have spent in this business.
Its the same in any newspaper job really.

But regarding news about the job. The person who is in charge of hiring the new editor is currently out of town for the week. So anyone that has sent in there stuff will not hear from them for another week give or take.

The guys at my current paper don't really have any journalism background either so its not like Rivals.com is the only one.

 

You folks report to editors who know nothing about journalism? I find that a bit hard to believe.

 

Y'all bringing up working overtime and not getting paid sparked my interest. I'm a 22-year-old college grad with 18 months experience working a 4A Texas high school beat, and my paper frowns on overtime. My coworkers sometimes work OT without writing it in, but I tell them if I work it, I'm writing it down. I won't work hours I'm not paid for. Am I being too big for my britches (considering my age), or doing the right thing?

 

This really ain't the right place for this discussion, but yes, you're doing the right thing ... within reason.

If you work, you should get paid for it.

If your employer frowns on OT, then don't work OT. Working OT without getting paid for it is i-l-l-e-g-a-l.

That said, nobody ever works 40 hours in a week. If a game went late and you had to keep working, or schedules dictate that you had to work on a story on your off day, you can't help that. Don't drop everything and walk out just because you've reached 40 hours and they won't pay OT. That's just stupid.

Use your judgment and choose your battles.

 

The basic problem at a company such as Rivals.com is there is no "safety net" for the employee as you would find at most firms. At most places, issues between management and employee are usually resolved through human resources. There would be performance reviews, discussion, opportunity to improve on whatever it is that needs to be improved. Short of insubordination, employees can't just be tossed onto the street with yesterday's garbage. But that's what happens at Rivals.com.

Again, great company from a financial standpoint and business model, but wretched in ways that deal with people and employee security. Enter at your own risk.