Sports Editor, Lincoln, Ill.

Company: The Courier
Position: Sports Editor
Location: Lincoln, Illinois
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Not Specified
Ad Expires: August 15, 2012
Job ID: 1379133
Website: http://www.lincolncourier.com

Description:

The Courier, a central Illinois daily newspaper with a circulation of 4,800, is seeking a sports editor to cover all prep and college teams in Logan County.

We are seeking an individual with an outstanding work ethic, positive attitude and a passion for covering the local sports that the community cares about.

Duties will include developing in-depth feature stories on local athletes, and covering events as necessary. The sports editor also must produce daily content budgets and work closely with an off-site central design desk.

The successful candidate should have previous news or sports writing experience and the ability to effectively shoot photos at events. Strong organizational skills and the ability to work under tight deadlines is a must. Experience in video editing software is a plus.

The Courier, a branch publication of the State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill., is a tight-knit group of dedicated community journalists. We’re looking for someone who can fit in immediately and hit the ground running.

This is an excellent opportunity for a reporter wanting to make the leap into a management position, or a current editor looking for something new.

If interested, send a resume, cover letter and work samples to Managing Editor Dan Tackett at dan.tackett@lincolncourier.com. No phone calls, please.

 

I happen to have some insight into this job.

When they say tight deadlines, they mean everything has to be ready by 8:45 p.m. Don't expect to get ANY local sports into the paper the next day.

The editor of 45 years volunteered to retire in August because, if he didn't, GateHouse was going to eliminate another position. This will leave the entire newsroom with THREE people.

Also, you won't have to worry about page design because, in August, GateHouse is outsourcing that to a newspaper three hours away. So, that means don't expect to have an accurate sports section with copy editors and page designers who have never heard of your town, your newspaper or any of the coaches and athletes that you will be covering.

Best of all, you will be a one-man sports department who will have five high schools and two colleges to cover. There are no sports correspondents and there are no photo stringers. If you don't handle everything yourself, then it just won't get done.

To do a good job here, expect to work 80 hours a week, minimum.

 

Three years ago, I would have been all over this because of family in the area. And I would have been burnt out and quit by now, but still

 

I think you can do the best job you can in 40 hours. If something doesn't get covered, that's on Gatehouse. You don't have to be a martyr and there is nothing wrong with your work ethic if you insist on a 40-hour work week.

 

I'd rather hang myself with my own dick than work for GateHouse again.

 

Notice they say it's an opportunity to move into management. They expect those 80 hours without paying a lick of overtime. Illegal of course, but not worth the trouble of fighting for such a tiny shop (and paycheck).

 

Sounds like management = managing yourself. But isn't that the way it is at most small shops nowadays?

 

Dear God. I can't even imagine trying to pull something like this off. No local sports news in the next day's paper? That's madness. No offense, J, but the person who takes this job has to be legally out of their mind.

 

Under Copley, this was a nice little newspaper with a large (for its size) staff of dedicated journalism pros.

GateHouse is the devil.

Wait ... apologize to Satan for the insult.

 

Dealing with a short rope...

 

I like the town... halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, nice access to Bloomington and Springfield... but yes, the GateHouse horror stories can turn you off.

 

Here is an interesting fact...

In the time that GateHouse has owned The Courier, the circulation has gone from 6,500 to 3,500. That 4,800 figure is a flat out lie.