Sports Editor, Lenoir, NC

From JJobs.com:

Company: News-Topic
Position: Sports Editor
Location: Lenoir, North Carolina
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Ad Expires: May 1, 2007
Job ID: 756271
Website: http://www.newstopic.net


Description:
The News-Topic, a successful daily in the Western North Carolina foothills, seeks an experienced journalist to lead the sports department. The editor's responsibilities will include: supervising one sports writer, as well as stringers and correspondents; covering three local high schools, one prep school, one junior college as well as some JV and middle school sports; maintaining statistics; designing, copy editing, writing stories and making editorial decisions for the sports section; managing special sports sections; consulting with the editor on new ideas, management issues and long-term planning for the newspaper; and continuing a long tradition of excellence. The position is salaried and requires four to six nights per week, some weekends and holidays, and potentially long hours. Minimum requirements include: Two years sports or management experience; applicant must have a journalism degree or equivalent education and experience; working knowledge of QuarkXpress, Photoshop and pagination required; and the ability to manage, cover a variety of sports and produce an eye-catching, error-free, well-written sports section. Send resume and sample clips to: Edward Terry, News-Topic, P.O. Box 1110, Lenoir, NC 28645, or e-mail eterry@newstopic.net.The News-Topic is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or disability.

 

Potentially long hours? You think? Any listing that mentions JV and middle-school sports always is exciting.

 

Think I'd rather take my chances in Fargo.

 

I have family not far from Lenoir. It's not a bad area, but then I'm familiar with it (not Lenoir so much as Morganton and Hickory, both about 20-30 minutes away). Couldn't tell who owns them, though; family outfit?

 

Paxton. Thank goodness it has nothing to do with the Durham Herald-Sun bloodletting.

IIRC, Kyle Phipps was there as the No. 2 guy when I was sent to cover an American Legion state baseball tournament many years ago. I don't know him, but had heard pretty good things about him.

Lenoir certainly isn't urban sprawl, but I enjoyed my short stay there some years back. Back then, it was a two-man desk. I don't know if that has changed.

 

The managing editor, Nathan Key, was at one time the sports editor. Kyle Phipps jumped up to No. 1 when Key moved over. I have no clue where he is going. The No. 2 in the department is fairly new, replacing Brad Norman (who jumped to Statesville after a few months in Lenoir).

Not a bad shop and Key is good people. Always been curious about the decision to not cover Appalachian State, since Lenoir is about 30 minutes down the mountain.

 

Two years management experience? really?

 

That was my first thought as well. If they were to grant me an interview, I'd ask them about it and see if they'd give me the breathing room to make at least the occasional jaunt into Watauga County.

 

hey guys, first post here, though i've been a loomer for about six months. anyways, I am the No. 2 that the above poster mentioned. I graduated emory university with my journalism degree last year and this is my first job out of college. so far, so good. kyle just had his second kid and took a p.r. job in hickory to spend more time with his family. since he has been gone (about 3 weeks), i have been running the sports section alone, though i look forward to working with whoever comes in. i can tell you this: everyone around the office is great, edward and nathan especially. despite the fact that i am a young kid straight out of college, they have treated me with respect and let me implement my ideas for the section. so far, i have been getting great feedback from readers saying the the section is improving and they like the things we have been doing. i don't want to get too in depth since my bosses don't know i'm posting here but i will say that i had my doubts about moving out to the middle of north carolina (i'm from tampa and grew up in new york) and it hasn't been nearly as bad as i feared.

Adam Zuerndorfer
Sports Writer
News-Topic

 

Seems like they want that Sports Editor to be spread way thin, doing too many things way across the board.

Is that what it's like at the small papers?

And how do you do all that?