Sports Editor -- The Sun (Yuma, Ariz.)

A heads up to all the SJers. The sports editor gig at the Yuma Sun will be listed in the next couple days. It'll be listed on the Freedom Communications website along with a posting on JJobs. Yes, this is the third time in two years the gig has come on the market, but the two people who have held the post previously left for other opportunities. It's unknown whether they'll stick with an internal candidate. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a PM.

Here is a link to the OLD job posting...

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record......

It gets pretty hot in Yuma in the summertime.

 

How quickly are they looking to fill the position?

 

No timetable yet. The high schools and college are pretty much shut down for the winter and they have an interim SE. The whole process of selection could take up to a month I'd venture to guess.

 

Left for other opportunities is code for getting out of town as quickly as possible.

 

Another full disclosure item: Freedom is up shit creek. They came out of Chapter 11 in April, and nobody has any idea what it means for the individual entities. Lots of talk of selling off some papers and disbanding others altogether. Lots of uncertainty there, but I guess that's kind of status quo for this biz anyway.

 

In a way, that is an accurate take on Freedom. But Yuma has no print competition at all ... other than the Imperial Valley Press in El Centro (owned by the Schurz chain), there aren't any other English-language dailies between Phoenix and San Diego. So while the ownership might change, odds are that paper isn't going to shut down.

 

I got my start here as did many others. I was there four months, wrote an enterprise story about how former D-I athletes were using Arizona Western to rehabilitate their D-I dreams. That included a former gang member, a kid that paid people to do his homework and a former Texas A&M player who flunked out.

Bob O'Mera, the former AWC coach, ripped me in his office and questioned how I could print such a negative story. The athletic director called myself and former sports editor, Matt Paulson, into his office for a sit down. Paulson had my back, and we basically stood up to these guys because the facts of the story were indisputable.

It was a great lesson straight out of college.

I also happened to be there during 9/11. The day it happened I had to cover a swim meet. They didn't cancel any of the events because most of the people in Yuma are from Yuma, and NYC might as well be the Middle East. There is a disconnect. I covered the meet in a daze, went back to the office, wrote something, went home and stared at Peter Jennings for hours.

This was also the time the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series. My future wife and I would play Rummy and watch the games. These were some really good times, seriously.

The sports staff, which also included Rick Kopatich, and Ross Priest (now at Bakersfield), was a lot of fun to work with. We would play Wiffle Ball in the parking lot on Friday nights after football games.

My friend Brent Schrotenboer, an award-winning journalist at the San Diego Union-Tribune, also made a stop in Yuma.

The truth about Yuma: Yes, it's hot. It will truly test your desire to be a sportswriter.

Good luck.

 

And the other oldie but goodie: You get to cover the Criminals.

 

And here it is, per http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1153773

Salary: $30,000 to $35,000

We are looking for a "do everything" sports editor to oversee a talented staff who understands the importance of sports coverage at college, high school and community levels. The right person will have management experience plus be able to write, do page design, copy edit and be able to organize and plan sports coverage for our 7-day a week morning newspaper with an average 20,000 circulation. We are looking for someone who knows how to get the best out of our sports team and is reader oriented. The person will also be part of an increased focus on new media efforts and be a key member of the newsroom management team.

Our region offers immediate access to off-roading, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting. Housing prices are reasonable. The Yuma Sun is owned by Freedom Communications Inc. We offer an exciting environment in which to continue to grow as a journalist and leader. We are a drug-free workplace and all applicants considered for employment must pass a background check prior to commencing employment. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, vacation and 401k.

If you are up to the challenge, first go to http://media.yumasun.com/applyjob.php and fill out an application, then send us a letter about what makes you the best candidate. Let the letter reflect your writing style. Send it, your resume, three to five clips and no more than five designed pages to Editor Terry Ross at 2055 S. Arizona Ave., Yuma, AZ 85364 or tross@yumasun.com. Yuma Sun is a drug free workplace / Equal Opportunity Employer.

Previous openings...
March 2010: http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/76457/
July 2008: http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/59282/

 

30-35k would be quite liveable in Yuma.

I'll never forget the Yuma thread from a few years ago where a former Yuma staffer said the only Spanish he ever used was "Tienes chichis muy buenas." I searched the archives but couldn't dig it up.

 

My first clip was phoning in a game from Tempe to Yuma.

The Criminals make some epic road trips.