Sports editor -- (Flagstaff) Arizona Daily Sun

Description

The Arizona Daily Sun has an immediate opening for a Sports Editor. This is a very demanding position working in a college city of 65,000 with three high schools. The editor position is the only full time position in the Sports Department. A half-time reporter and several correspondents report to the editor. The successful applicant will be a versatile and productive reporter with the ability to cover a wide range of prep and college sports with depth and flair. Experience in running a string of correspondent is a plus. Use of social media in reporting and engaging readers is a must.


The position is salaried and requires reliable transportation and a flexible schedule, including work on weekends, evenings and holidays. Please upload clips, resume, references, and a cover letter with your application. Qualified candidates apply online at www.azdailysun.com/workhere/.


Qualifications


A higher education degree in a relevant field is required
Must have two years of sports beat writing and the
Demonstrated ability to manage staff
Must have reliable transportation and proof of motor vehicle insurance
A drug and background test are required

Benefits:



Excellent health care benefits
401k with matching
Paid time off

Who We Are



The Arizona Daily Sun is a division of Lee Enterprises, a leading provider of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets, with 46 daily newspapers and a joint interest in four others, rapidly growing digital products and nearly 300 specialty publications in 23 states. Learn more about us on our website www.azdailysun.com . We are an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace. All applicants considered for employment must pass a post-offer drug screen and background check prior to commencing employment.

 

This seems like an awfully big market for just one full-time sports person. But I guess these are the times we live in. Shitimes.

 

Seriously, how much coverage "depth" can any reporter provide, as a one-man shop in a city as big as Flagstaff?

 

Isn't this a 1 1/2-man shop with stringers?

 

When I worked there from 1990 to 1993, we had three full-timers in sports. It was a great place to start a career. Obviously a different gig now.

 

The ad makes it sound like it's mostly a writing position. No mention of layout or photography. That would make it slightly (but only slightly) easier to handle. In a situation like this, I would think the SE would need to be in the office most nights compiling everything sent in by the stringers.

 

It's the state of Lee. Need more be said? But I would think having a mid-major FCS school in town would rate a full-timer on that beat.

Supposedly, Lee is moving toward design centers. Of course, every time I ask how it works, no one has answers.

 

I worked there from 1997-2005, right as Lee was coming into the picture. We used to cover a lot of ground with a three-man staff. Once I left, they went to a universal desk, and then they started whittling away at the full-time staff to where it is now.

As Carty pointed out, it's a much different gig than it used to be. We used to travel regularly with NAU football and basketball, and as far as I can tell, that no longer happens. There used to be opportunities to cover the Phoenix pro sports teams -- albeit on your own dime -- but those are gone now. This is now an aggressively hyper-local section, main focus on high schools and the local running scene and home NAU events. Flagstaff is a great city, but it's isolated and expensive. I can't imagine the salary for the sports editor has increased much in the years since I left, though I could be wrong on that. For a city of 65,000, the circ of the paper is not very big. It was around 12,000 when I left. I doubt it's grown much.

 

As recently as three years ago, they had three full-timers. Our paper (also Lee Enterprises) used to trade out stories with them on Big Sky Conference stuff. (Flagstaff is home to Northern Arizona University.)

Yeah, covering a Big Sky school --- even if you don't travel with them --- and the high schools is a lot for one person to handle.

 

I know the SE that is leaving this gig...and it looked liked he worked his ass off while he was there. So, I would say it will be a very demanding job.

 

I started in a market one-third the size with three times the manpower, and that was less than a decade ago. Sadly, we also had higher circulation. 12,000 is a pretty sorry number. Had no idea that was the case. But having been a sports editor in the past and now covering a serious FCS program in the present... yeah, that's a hell of a lot to put both on one plate.