Sports Editor for the Cedar Park Citizen

Saw this posted on monster. Anyone know the details? Look at the experience needed, LOL:

Description:
The sports editor oversees coverage of all aspects of the newspaper’s sports section, from both weekly print products to daily maintenance of web site and social media platforms. Responsibilities include reporting, photography, editing submissions from community members, and design and layout of all sports pages.


Required Experience:
Requires previous sports reporting experience or a strong internship. Must possess intimate knowledge of Associated Press style and InDesign and Photoshop, as well as a keen eye for page design and the ability to work well under deadline. Prefer a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or related field.
Schedule: M-F; some evenings and weekends required.


http://www.statesman.com/services/job-opportunities-at-the-statesman-co-447674.html

 

Replacing someone named Habeab Kurdi, who wrote this ridiculous "farewell"

http://cedarparkcitizen.com/2011/12/21/thank-you-cedar-park-vista-ridge-sports-editor-says-farewell/

 

Yes, because that was the world's worst farewell column and all ...

 

No, but a bit long winded.

 

He has to know AP style AND how to design pages? And you have to have done this before somewhere? And it'd be nice if you had a degree from a college? LOL doesn't even BEGIN to describe it!

Seriously, what on earth were you expecting?

 

Not trying to belittle his station, but he thinks covering four high schools is a challenge?

 

I was referring to the first line obviously:

Requires previous sports reporting experience or a strong internship.

 

The line about a M-F schedule, with some evenings and weekends required is code for "We expect you to be in the office from 8-5."

 

Most jobs are going to want that. You'll have a hard time finding even the dinkiest of papers that don't require or at least really prefer you have some sort of previous sports writing experience. And it's not even full-time reporting experience; whatever you did in college or as a freelancer would count. Again, what exactly should they want?

 

I just chuckled at the "or a strong internship" part of it, that was my horribly failed attempt at humor. The rest of it I get.

 

This is pretty much a one person sports department for two weekly suburban mastheads, publishing under the Austin American Statesman (Cox) community group. Both publications launched about 4 years ago.

Total, they are about 25K free circulation. This is a highly competitive media market, with this group competing within the multiple properties. An upside is that the paper is pretty loose, so lots of room for sports compared to a typical 16 page weekly... usually 4 pages with about 70% newshole available. They often run photos that take up 1/4 page on multiple pages just to fill the space.

Lots of stringers for photos, but I hear the budget has been shrinking and the local offices may close and the staff work from home most of the time with periodic visits to downtown Statesman HQ (20-30 mins in light traffic).

The market is middle-income with some high-tech companies and light industry based in the suburbs. Fairly affluent school district compared to most in the area... the prep athletes are usually recruited to Rice, Air Force, Tulane, etc. type schools. Decent sports programs, but only one of the high schools has been around more than 15 years - the other three are pretty new. One just finished it's second year of varsity football. They compete in-district with a true powerhouse (not one of the local/covered schools) program that just capped a fifth straight state football championship and wins titles in just about every sport.

I'm local to the area, work at a neighboring pub and am familiar with the market, so feel free to PM me if this isn't enough info.

 

I did some freelancing for Habeab Kurdi. He's good people.

Cedar Park and Leander are competitive in just about everything while Vista Ridge and Rouse are on the up and up. Leander ISD folks on the whole are good to deal with.