1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Sports Editor: Atlanta, Ga.

Discussion in 'Journalism Jobs' started by BYUSportsGuy, Jul 6, 2009.

  1. BYUSportsGuy

    BYUSportsGuy Member

    Company: Neighbor Newspapers
    Position:
    SPORTS EDITOR
    Location:
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Job Status: Full-time
    Salary: Negotiable
    Ad Expires:
    August 10, 2009
    Job ID: 329302
    Website: http://neighbornewspapers.com

    Description:
    SPORTS EDITOR: Suburban Atlanta newspapers seek sports editor to supervise coverage and production of sports section in its south metro Atlanta weekly. Prior experience as sports editor preferred. Individual must be highly-motivated and hard-working. Email resume to mmaguire@neighbornewspapers.com or fax 770-428-5375. NO PHONE CALLS.
     
  2. foghat60

    foghat60 New Member

    The economy being the way it is might make this a little more tolerable than usual, but I doubt it. This is an all preps job. Lots of good teams to cover, though.
     
  3. bumpy mcgee

    bumpy mcgee Well-Known Member

    Atlanta...jump on it
     
  4. Shifty Squid

    Shifty Squid Member

    It's a Neighbor paper, and it's Brumby, so all the usual cautions apply. A quick rundown ...

    - This isn't actually Atlanta but, depending on which weekly you were stuck with, you might be able to live in Atlanta. Although the salary will hurt your chances of that.
    - The Neighbor jobs suck, but they might be better than one at the Marietta "flagship" at this point. Less meddling into your affairs.
    - Bad pay. No raises, even in the best of times. Won't help you get anywhere or learn anything, other than how to be your own editor.

    Any more detailed questions, feel free to PM me.
     
  5. Barsuk

    Barsuk Active Member

    Oh, brother. Here we go again.
     
  6. eagle9857

    eagle9857 New Member

    So, I figured I would post a message on here being that I used to work in the Neighbor papers as a sports editor. I apologize in advance because this is long, but I need to finally get this out. It's a weekly and the pay sucks. The managing editor is a control freak and he works out of his cushy office in Marietta. I worked there for three months and it was the longest year of my life. All people want to do is get out of there, but with the economy they don't. There's a set pattern you are to follow and you can't steer away from that. One time I took a photo for a story I had because we didn't have a photographer that day, and I ended up getting yelled at because I took the photo, which was only a signing photo, which wasn't that hard and turned out good.

    They're excited when you talk about bringing in fresh ideas, but after a few weeks, they just want you to line up in the masses and do exactly what they said. Very little creativity is allowed here. They'll promise you a chance to move to the sports department of the Marietta Daily after a year or two, but there are guys who are still there after 3-4 years still waiting on that opportunity. Others have left when they realized that opportunity wouldn't happen. Also, you only get a photographer two days out of the week, so you have to plan all of your photos for those two days and try to juggle the photographer with what the news side wants to use him or her for.

    This one time I was sent an email on Thursday afternoon to put together Athletes of the Week for the next week's paper. Being that we only had the photographer Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I took this to mean for the following week's paper, just like the news editor believed and the advertising person. So, I get a call from the managing editor (who is the same one you apply for this job to) asking me why I didn't have Athlete of the Week in and I told them because from what I read in the email it meant for the next week, and he informed me I was wrong. He told me he wanted to meet me in his office the next day. Well, by that time I had already decided I was leaving the company as I had just accepted another writing job within the same county, just for a daily newspaper.

    So, I typed up my two-weeks notice and went to the meeting the next morning. In that meeting, the managing editor and the area editor (4 neighbor papers) sat in the office and stared me down and pretty much went on a rampage of belittling me and telling me I'm worthless. They said they had told me time and time again to not deviate from what I was told to do and that I was lucky I still had a job. Then they said if I had anything else before I signed the paperwork, which I did. I told them that I was putting in my two-weeks notice as I had already accepted a job somewhere else, which basically made their jaws drop to the floor. It basically came out of left field what I had done. But, what takes the cake is the next morning, the area editor called and asked me what it would take for me to stay with the Neighbor. He asked if it was money, which I said, no. He said that they couldn't afford to lose me because I was one of their best (now if that isn't smoke, then I don't know what is). I told them, I wasn't going to reconsider because they just don't know how to treat people and left it at that.

    Since I left there, I've been so happy in the job I was hired into and got a promotion last summer. Again, I'm sorry this was long, but if you have any other questions, feel free to email me at csteph27@gmail.com. I'll be happy to answer any other questions. But, bottom line is, DON'T TAKE THIS JOB! You will absolutely hate it with every fiber of your being.
     
  7. FreddiePatek

    FreddiePatek Active Member

    Don't mince words! Tell us how you really feel! :)
     
  8. clutchcargo

    clutchcargo Active Member

    Interesting story, and you did live the American Dream----being able to respond to bosses chewing you out by presenting them with your notice and with next job in hand. That is totally awesome.
     
  9. Ax-Journalist

    Ax-Journalist New Member

    I knew this job posting had the suspicious stench of Marietta wafting from it
     
  10. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    I believe every word of that except the part of people being there 3-4 years waiting for a promotion. That's off the charts high for the turnover rate in that newsroom.
     
  11. Shifty Squid

    Shifty Squid Member

    From my experience, it actually sounds right, n_w. Although it's at least as common for people to stay 3-4 years and not have any interest in the promotion because working at the MDJ is such a gut-wrenching experience. I know a couple of people who were hired at the MDJ when I was there had been in the Neighbors for multiple years.

    Keep in mind, they're not typically hiring the best and brightest for these Neighbor jobs, unless they sort of luck into it. So they're often bringing in fresh college grads who will work for nothing, and these kids often don't know enough to realize that they both shouldn't wait 3-4 years for a promotion and shouldn't want the promotion to begin with.
     
  12. bigbadeagle

    bigbadeagle Member

    Having survived the hell that is the MDJ (and there was no sweeter feeling than being in the weekly football meeting knowing that once it was over, I was going to hand over my resignation to the ME and the president ... damn, that still feels good), I can attest to the overall shittiness of the Neighbor jobs.
    Happiness is the MDJ and the Brumby cabal in the rear view mirror.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page