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Sports page designer, Freeport (Ill.) Journal-Standard

Discussion in 'Journalism Jobs' started by WeCoverPretzels, Jun 10, 2006.

  1. WeCoverPretzels

    WeCoverPretzels New Member

    Here's a verbatim copy of our journalismjobs ad.

    Looking for a job where you can let your creative juices flow? The Journal-Standard, a 14,000 a.m. daily covering much of northwest Illinois, seeks a full-time sports page designer to complete a four-man sports staff.

    You will be expected to help us make deadline and encouraged to think outside the box in your designs. In addition to daily design, the success of our area high schools and junior college at state and national tournaments lends to the opportunity to create some interesting wraps and special sections. This is a good job for a talented recent grad or someone looking to move up from a weekly. Our paper has a strong tradition of moving people up the journalism ladder, and we'll look to you to contribute to that trend.

    For those interested in expanding their reporting portfolio, there will also be opportunities to write stories.

    The Journal-Standard uses Quark and Photoshop on Mac design computers.

    Please send cover letter, five design clips, resume and references to Sports Editor Alex Hickey, 27 S. State Ave., Freeport, IL 61032 or e-mail to alex.hickey@journalstandard.com

    You can see the work of our outgoing designer here:
    http://www.newspagedesigner.com/por...rPages=0&totalRows_rsUserPages=43&UserID=4858

    No phone calls please.
     
  2. Trey Beamon

    Trey Beamon Active Member

    Couple questions...

    - How many pages on an average night, Sunday section?
    - Typically, when's your deadline?
    - How big is the staff?
    - Payscale?
    - What's Freeport like? Cow town or suburbia? How far from Chicago and Milwaukee?
     
  3. WeCoverPretzels

    WeCoverPretzels New Member

    -- During the week, there are generally four or five pages. One of them has the TV and local schedules and agate with room for a story or briefs. We already employ a top-notch agatetologist, so you usually won't have to worry about that more than once a week. For the Saturday paper, generally 6 pages, and in the Sunday section there are 8 pages.

    -- 11:30 p.m. deadline, midnight on Fridays, which gets moved to 12:30 once football season starts.

    -- We have three full-time reporters and a part-timer. We are a young staff, everyone is less than two years separated from college.

    -- Payscale is probably normal for a paper this size. It will depend on how qualified a candidate is, but should be significantly higher than the $20K mark.

    -- There are cows here. Most of the schools we cover have less than 300 students, but still expect their share of the pie. We're a stone's throw from Chicago and Milwaukee, as long as you have strong arms. About a two-hour drive to each. Madison, another place of great entertainment value, is little over an hour.
     
  4. Smokey33

    Smokey33 Member

    This is a good job for someone looking to move up after a year or two. Like the ad says, they have a strong history of moving people up.
     
  5. Where have past people gone from this paper?

    And what is the time table to fill this position?
     
  6. MU_was_not_so_hard

    MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

    No idea on the time table. One former staffer though, now runs a hs basketball mag out of Chicago (see left).
     
  7. WeCoverPretzels

    WeCoverPretzels New Member

    Our tentacles have spread in many directions. The most recent person to leave is bound for the Tulsa World. In addition to Ill. Hoops magazine, recent (i.e. since 2004) J-S alums have also moved on to various positions at the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Press, Kalamazoo Gazette, Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Kane County Chronicle (if that is still what it is being called now that it is a NW Herald entity).

    The time table is ASAP. We already have one interview scheduled.
     
  8. Pretzels,

    I'm good friends with Chicago Tribune Sports Editor Dan McGrath, and he started out in Freeport.
     
  9. Smokey33

    Smokey33 Member

    McGrath did indeed start in Freeport. I've also heard the current editor is good people.

    Get your resumes in now.
     
  10. PP and K

    PP and K New Member

    We are one of the papers cited by WeCoverPretzels. Yes, we hired a J-S alum. To say we have been disappointed is putting it mildly.
     
  11. Can you be a little more specific?
     
  12. PP and K

    PP and K New Member

    Yes, I should be more specific. I don't want to reflect badly on the Freeport paper. It seems to have a healthy attitude about people gaining some initial experience and moving up, a place that recognizes win-win situations.

    The issue with our J-S alum is about a person's intangibles -- work ethic, maturity and attitude.
     
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