Sports journalist, The (Greenwood, S.C.) Index-Journal

This will hit a couple job boards in the next day or two, but as always, I offer it first to the SportsJournalists.com faithful.

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The Index-Journal, a 15,000-circulation daily in Greenwood, S.C., is looking for a talented, energetic sports journalist to join its team.
We're looking for somebody who understands local sports matter and can convey that through stories and photos in our sports section. Our publication covers 10 high schools, two Division II colleges and various other sporting events in our four-county coverage area. The journalist hired will also have to shoot photos and occasionally design pages. Essentially we're looking for a multi-faceted journalist, one who can write, report, shoot photos, copy edit and design pages.
This is the ideal job for somebody fresh out of college or a talented journalist looking to make the move up from a weekly, but a proven veteran looking to relocate to a charming Southern town is also welcome to apply.
If interested, send a résumé, clips (writing and page design, preferred) and references (via regular mail or e-mail) to:
Scott J. Bryan
Sports Editor
P.O. Box 1018
Greenwood, SC 29648
sbryan@indexjournal.com.
No phone calls, please.
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Things to note (a few of these are included from the last time we posted an open sports writing job nearly 2 1/2 years ago)

1.) The person who previously held this job -- and will continue to hold it for the next two weeks -- is leaving to work as a grad assistant in a sports information department near his hometown. He'll also be working on his master's degree.
2.) Location: Greenwood is about an hour from Greenville, a little over an hour from Augusta and about an hour and a half from Columbia.
3.) The town: It's a reasonably-sized Southern town. We've got restaurants, a movie theater, a bowling alley, golf courses and more than enough bars and churches.
4.) The staff: The sports editor serves as the primary copy editor/designer and also does all the planning, as you would expect. Under the SE are two full-time sports writers, who both primarily write. We do have a full-time photographer, so there isn't as much photo responsibility as there was when I first got here, although the hire will have some photo journalism responsibilities. The new hire would likely be asked to pick up a desk shift once a week.
5.) The schedule: Afternoons, nights and weekends, of course.
6.) The paper: We've made significant strides since I became the sports editor 2 1/2 years ago. Before I got here, The Index-Journal won a South Carolina Press Association award once every few years. Last year, the sports department claimed four of The Index-Journal's six honors, and we hope that count grows. We redesigned the paper about 10 months ago and the Web site about two years ago.
7.) Pay: The good news is we'll pay you; the bad news is it won't be a ton. But Greenwood is a very affordable (read: cheap) place to live. We're not going to offer you $18K, but if you're expecting $30K at a 15,000-circulation daily in a town with a low cost of living, you're fooling yourself.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me, post it here or send me an e-mail at sbryan@indexjournal.com. Please, please, please, no phone calls.

Thanks.

Scott J. Bryan
Sports Editor
The (Greenwood, S.C.) Index-Journal

 

Greenwood isn't the most metropolitan place by any means, but Scott's a good guy to work for. He's fair and that's more than you get at some places these days.

 

That's a really good, candid job posting.

 

Why can't all job postings be like this?

 

The check is in the mail, Moddy. I'm not sure what happened to the one I sent 2 1/2 years ago.

 

Don't know much about the area or paper, but Scott is very talented and a great guy to work with. Sounds like a good gig.

 

The youngsters and up-and-comers should jump on this one. Scott is good people.

 

I will say this about Greenwood...there are much worse places to live if you are just of college. They have a lot of bars, a funky little downtown and a college campus with a lot of coeds. Their main high school is normally a state football power. So, if you are just out of college, give this place a shot.

Also, for whatever reason, this places produces a lot of NFL talent..Jake Scott, Robert Brooks, Gaines Adams and Jon Gilliam just off the top of my head.

 

K..say I have no page design experience...no photography experience...but one helluva sports writers portfolio....do I give this a shot?

 

If the Moddy Seal is out there, folks, don't waste your time.

 

I'll add my voice to the chorus singing Scott's praises. He's a good guy and runs a good section. If you're looking for a place to get your start or a small, but solid and stable paper to settle down at for a few years, you could do a hell of a lot worse.

Quick jaunt to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is a major plus if you're into outdoors stuff, and a weekend trip to the beach isn't out of the question.