Sports Reporter/Designer, Midland, TX

Here we go again.

The Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram, a Hearst Corporation Newspaper (20,000 daily, 25,000 Sunday) in West Texas, is seeking a sports designer/reporter for our award winning sports section. We are looking for someone who can provide fresh ideas for the layout of our section and help enhance the quality and look of our section.

This is primarily a design and copy editing position, but there will be some writing required as this position will cover District 2-5A, primarily Midland High football, during the fall.

Our focus is on high school sports, especially football, but the Permian Basin’s sports scene is complemented by a Double-A baseball team, minor league hockey, indoor football, a yearly Nationwide Tour golf event, a very active local golf scene and a new minor league soccer franchise. We also provide limited coverage of Texas Tech University sports.

Candidates should have a strong knowledge of AP Style, while experience with Quark Xpress, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Freehand is preferred.

Experience is a plus but recent college graduates will be considered. We plan to fill this position quickly because the high school football season in Texas is just around the corner.

Please send resume, clips and layouts to: Len Hayward, Sports Editor P.O. Box 1650 Midland, TX 79701 hayward@mrt.com

For more information: Len Hayward, Sports Editor (432) 687-8846 hayward@mrt.com

 

Crazy fun prep football beat. West Texas is an acquired taste and its pretty revolting to my palate. Area was insulated against some of the recession so tons of places are hiring when this one doesn't pan out. Got no info on the place itself but 20,000 circ in a 100,000-population city is kind of surprising and this ad is posted a couple times a year.

My buddy is from just outside Midland and he still gets excited about visiting the sand hills, climbing up wind power generators and messing with cows. That sound like fun? You're hired.

 

On the other hand, you're close enough to consider the leap to Roswell when that job opens up.

 

Say what you will about Midland, but I challenge you to find a place that is more passionate about it's high school football. See the movie or read the book "Friday Night Lights" for an idea. Yes, I know that was based in Odessa, but the principle still holds.

And that can be both a good thing and a bad thing when passion reaches that level. Whatever you say, don't say "Oh, it's just a game". Not to those people it's not.

 

One part of this ad doesn't ad up. How is it that is primarily a copy desk/design job if you are going to cover Midland High football? Wouldn't that be one of the paper's primary beats?

Only thing i can guess is that you don't do much desk during football, but take over the desk in the other seasons.

 

I probably should have been a little more specific in the ad. But this position is covering Midland High football, plus some general assignment reporting in the fall and after football season taking over desk duties for the rest of the school year. There is some writing during that time, but the focus will be on design, layout and copy editing. We've done this the past few years and it's worked well.

Thanks,
Len Hayward

 

I've never heard truly good things about the West Texas area. A lot of people I know have been turned off by it.

Though I will say this: NO ONE loves their high school football more than West Texas. It's intense, that's for sure.

 

You have some interesting posts.

On one, you say you've lived in Texas your whole life. On another, you've somehow never heard of Harker Heights.

Yet, we are supposed to believe you when you tell us the Midland paper sucks and it sucks to live in West Texas?

Do you have any first-hand knowledge or are do you just want to post on as many threads as possible and try to act like you know everything?

Len Hayward is good people and this would be a great job for a recent graduate or a youngster in the business. You will get the experience of covering a high school football beat like it is a college beat and you will get good experience on design.

 

heaven forbid someone not know every freakin 20,000 population town in a state the size of texas.

 

You deserve Texas as much as it deserves you.

 

so you can jump someone else but you're off limits? gee, that's fair of you.

 

I was making an observation, just like you were.