Sports Editor- Kerrville, TX

From jjobs.com
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=315012

Company: Kerrville Daily Times
Position:
Sports Editor
Location:
Kerrville, Texas
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Ad Expires:
April 17, 2014
Job ID: 315012
Website: http://www.dailytimes.com

Description:
The Kerrville Daily Times, approximately 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, seeks a sports editor who loves and can work well independently. Must-have skills include proficiency in InDesign, an understanding of newspaper design and high school sports and a firm grasp of AP style. Right person will take progessive approach to covering sports and offer creative page design. Send three writing clips, three design clips and resume to Managing Editor Carlina Villalpando at news@dailytimes.com.

 

D-III Schreiner University is in town. No football. The town has two high schools, one with a turf stadium.

Oh, yeah ... the home of Johnny Manziel.

 

I was the sports editor here when they cut it from two full-time sports employees (editor and reporter) to just myself. I believe the next hire will be the fourth sports editor they've had since I left the shop in August 2012.

 

So successful applicants must have the ability to love? Better revamp the resume.

 

I'm going to guess that's not in a Poin Files way ...

 

I held this job from Sept. 2012-May 2013 (yup, there was another guy in charge for all of a month between Shhap and I) and I'll vouch for it based on my experience with the paper.

Pros:
-You run the show. I was given total independence to run the department as I saw fit, sink or swim. You're doing all the writing, all the designing (with help on Friday's during football season), and just about all the editing — usually whoever is designing main will give your stuff a quick edit before you send to press.
-Prints in house. That's a huge advantage given some nights will go late due to the nature of doing everything on your own. It gives you the wiggle room you'll sometimes need.
-Plenty to cover. I was a bit surprised by this when I took the job, but I was never at loss for good stories to tell. Johnny Manziel jumping onto the scene with his record-setting performance against Arkansas my first week probably helped (not to mention the Heisman that followed) — and there's no reason not to continue covering that beat leading up the draft and beyond it wherever he ends up — but there are also plenty of other talented athletes and interesting stories in the area.
-Beautiful area. Kerrville is about as beautiful a town as I've ever lived in, and I've lived in a few. It's built on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe river. The town is very small, but there are great parks nearby if you're into the outdoors. The people are incredibly friendly, too. A couple of times, readers even brought fresh-baked cookies to me at the office.

Cons:
-Hours. You'll work lots of them. I probably averaged 45-50 a week. Approval for overtime was never a problem when I was there.
-Pay. The hourly wage is low, but all that overtime tends to help out a lot.
-Small town. If you're the kind who likes to party, you won't like Kerrville. It's mostly a retirement community, so there's not much of a dating scene either. Bottom line, you're here to put in your time, work hard, get noticed, then move on — not to party. The management understands this as well.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this job to anybody who's up for the challenge and confident they can handle running a desk on their own. If you're not sure you have the experience for it, be wary, this position might overwhelm you. If you still want to party like you're in college, you should look elsewhere. But if you want to work hard and find out what you're made of, this job has the potential to be a great springboard.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them.

 

Worked there 18 months. What Kenny said ...