Sports Editor position, Kinston (N.C.) Free Press

I haven't posted the job yet on journalismjobs or the statewide site yet, but I will soon; the sports editor position at The Free Press of Kinston, N.C., is open. We are a 12,500-circulation daily (14,000 on Sunday) with a thriving Web and blog presence.

I am the outgoing SE and have been here for almost six years. I have crossed over to the dark side (the newsroom editor) and the new SE will report to me.

It's a pretty good job and it's even going to get better in the next month, as there will be no more desk work associated with the position (Freedom ENC is consolidating the three desks in Jacksonville). We cover nine high schools (six public, three private), the Kinston Indians (High-A farm team of the Cleveland Indians), a nationally-ranked community college (Lenoir C.C.) and sporadically cover East Carolina University.

Feel free to contact me at bhanks@freedomenc.com or PM me for more details.

 

Hey, will you still be doing your blog, or will the new SE have to take over those duties?

 

I'm still doing my blog, but I'm attempting to turn it into a news/sports hybrid. I'd like the new guy to come in and blog. The market is certainly there for it.

 

Bryan, does the consolidation of the desks mean one section that will be representative of Lenoir, Craven and Onslow counties?

If so, good. It should put more boots on ground ... if the local markets don't get too upset about their potentially reduced play within the section having to share with more schools.

Back on topic ... given how small a town Kinston is, the coverage and community backing of the K-Tribe has been impressive through the years. The beach is 60-90 minutes away - depending on whether one wishes to travel east on US 70 to Carteret County or down the backroads to Emerald Isle. Raleigh is about 90 miles westbound on US 70.

 

SM51: No, each entity (Kinston, NB and Jax) will each have a separate front designed with that entity in mind. However, agate pages and national/regional sports pages will be the same.

David Hall has done a freaking fantastic job with the Kinston Indians here over the past four years and that's the reason that coverage in TFP has been so good. He's a baseball fanatic and it shows in his work.

 

On a map, anyways, Kinston looks somewhat in the middle of nowhere. I mean no insult, but do folks who move there tend to feel isolated?

 

BGW -- I wouldn't say Kinston is in the middle of nowhere, but it is a bit isolated. I'm sure some negativity will crop up here, but I've lived here for six years and I love it.

As someone said up above, the beach is 60 to 90 minutes away, depending on which beach you visit. Raleigh is 80 minutes away, while Greenville and New Bern are each about 30 minutes away.

But Kinston has something to offer that no other city in our area has: a minor league baseball team. The Indians play at a great park and it's a fun place to hang out, sip on a brewski and watch the future Sabathia's and Sizemore's.

 

Just an update on the position: I received a heck of a lot of resumes and today is the deadline for them. Thanks to everyone who sent me their information from here (around 15 or so!) and I'll be getting back in touch with all of you next week.

By the way -- got more response from here than I did from our statewide (NCPA) Web site...

 

Thanks for the update, Bryan.

 

Kinston: Best beds in the Carolina League, according to visiting players who stay at the team hotels.

 

Any movement on this?

 

Carter, you're hired.