Sports reporter, AthletesConnection.com, Houston

Putting this out there here to get a feel for the market (and blowing any remaining chances at anonymity!). If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'll be out of the office for the rest of the week but will check messages here when I can.
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The Athlete's Connection, Houston's Online High School Sports Source, has immediate openings for an energetic, self-driven sports journalist for our coverage of more than 30 high schools in Greater Houston.

Major responsibilities include:
1. Developing assigned beat by communicating with sources, identifying sources and developing expertise.
2. Daily communication of coverage planning with editors by keeping a budget of upcoming stories, event coverage, etc.
3. Reporters may take game photos, record video standups or record audio recaps of events as needed.
4. Other duties as assigned.

Our ideal candidate will have prior newspaper experience, experience with video reporting, at least entry-level knowledge of photography and knowledge of Texas high school sports. Those assets are preferred but not necessary.

Out-of-area candidates will be considered.

Salary is negotiable and commensurate with experience.

Send resume and five best clips to Dave Purpura, The Athlete's Connection, 3100 South Gessner Road, Houston, Texas 77063. Questions can be directed to dpurpura@athletesconnection.com.

 

Anyone heard of this site? Looks nice and seems to have good advertisers. Just curious if anyone knows more

 

I believe it's a site geared towards the promotion and/or positive-exposure of high school athletes.

Actually, I don't really believe it. I know it. From the About Us section:

Mission
The Athlete's Connection is a nationwide online news source dedicated to increasing the positive exposure and recognition of high school student-athletes by highlighting their efforts in the classroom, in the community, and on the field of play.

If that's your cup of tea, I say more power to you. The site looks reputable, at least.

 

The founders firmly believe that, but it's not a case where anything gets censored or the higher-ups tell you you're being too negative in a story. Speaking strictly from my own experience here and why I was brought to Houston from Ohio to help the site along, we're a site that both gives athletes exposure they're looking for and serves as a news source in a market that can't seem to get enough high school coverage.
Coming from Columbus, where high school sports is far distant in importance behind Ohio State, it still amazes me how much cities like Houston and San Antonio can't get enough high school sports coverage. That's the need we're trying to fill on not only a print platform, but also through video, podcasts et al.

 

As a native of H-town, the city needs a cite like this. It is such a large city but has only one major newspaper. There is no way the Chronicle can honestly do a good job covering everything, especially in a city where there are so many talented athletes.

Anyone who gets this job is walking into a great sports city.

 

If that were so. Houston does not support its pro teams that well and doesn't seem that bothered when they don't do well. Good preps, but the colleges are not big time and the UT/A&M duopoly looms large (and not in a good way).

 

It's a great time to be covering the Houston prep sports scene. The football is second to none and the boys' basketball may be the best in the nation as of now. That's not counting the baseball and track, along with a budding lacrosse scene.

 

Houston supports its pro teams just fine. The Astros lost 89 games and drew 3 million fans. The Texans have sold out every game. The Rockets sell out more often than not, and every game when they're winning. This is not unlike any other NBA city. And don't say the Oilers left because of poor fan support because that's not true.
As far as colleges go, UH and Rice are afterthoughts, though UH can get some fans when winning.

 

Is this kinda like that other site hsstm.com? So what is the pay scale on a job like this? I am just saying since the other one paid a very nice $250 a month.

 

The pro fans aren't really "fans". They just go as an event; something to do. I've lived in Houston the past 22 years or so and the fans are apathetic as I've ever seen. There's more passion for preps. Editude had it on point. All you have to do is look at all the red seats during Rockets games and see how many fans leave before the fourth quarter of Texans games. They go simply to say they were at the game, not because they have sincere interest in the teams' welfare.

 

I've lived in Houston 33 years and it's not as bad as you're saying. Many NFL teams that are struggling like the Texans have fans leave early, and the same is true with most NBA teams. Show me a city where an 89-loss baseball team draws 3 million fans, and that is not a city with apathy for pro sports. Atlanta has apathy. Houston? No.

 

Sites like these serve as great sports portals and, from an advertising standpoint, give a zillion-hit exposure to soccer moms who need an outlet to post their kids' teams' pictures. As media, it can be a great success. Journalistically, not so much. Just my 2-cents.