Sports reporter in New Ulm, Minn.

The publisher and editor should be embarrassed for posting this on JournalismJobs with a $15-20K/year salary. At least Punxsutawney is up to $20K now.


http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1272193

Company: The Journal
Position: Seeking Sports Reporter
Location: New Ulm, Minnesota
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: $15,000 to $20,000
Ad Expires: October 27, 2011
Job ID: 1272193

Description: The Journal, a 7-day AM daily in New Ulm, Minn., has an opening for a sports reporter.

The primary responsibility is covering high schools in the New Ulm and surrounding circulation area. We’re looking for a reporter who goes beyond game coverage, one who will be out in front of news stories.

Reporter will share editing and layout duties with the sports editor. Job hours are afternoons and evenings, and working every other Saturday.

A college degree in journalism is required. Experience with Quark, Photoshop a plus.

Email cover letter, resume, writing samples and references to Kevin Sweeney, Managing Editor at editor@nujournal.com, or mail to Kevin Sweeney, The Journal, P.O. Box 487, New Ulm, MN 56073.

 

A college degree is required? YGBFKM. If you ONLY work 40 hours a week, that works out to $7.21 an hour. A college degree for a job that pays less than Walmart greeters and fry cooks?

Hell, this wouldn't be acceptable in 1981 ...

 

Honestly, when I get closer to graduating, I would not hesitate to apply for a job like this. It's a good starting job

 

$7.25 is the minimum wage. Most Walmart employees make considerably more than that.

 

I don't think he wants the job either.

 

That's not unheard of though. Some people are offered jobs before they graduate, esp ppl that have done internships where the employer wnts to hire you right away. Oftentimes they take the job and drop out of school

 

I agree, the degree is worthless, especially in this economy.

 

Especially if you can land a job paying between $15,000 & $20,000.

 

I can confirm that salary range. A buddy of mine applied for a different position at this paper and eventually turned it down because of the salary, or lackthereof.

On the plus side, there's a Schell's brewery in the tiny town and there are plenty of colleges (at least 3) within 30 miles for weekend escapades, if you're young enough to mingle with that crowd.

 

The paper was my first job out of college -- 27 years ago and my job paid the wonderful sum of $14,800. So in 27 years, they've gone up to $280-$380 a week.
One plus is summer baseball -- good area for it. Another is the alcohol, within a block of the paper are something like four bars or places that serve; two negatives: Those in charge -- the publisher and managing editor, who are both suck-ups to the bidness community. I worked 37-straight days once, laying out the daily and then special sections on my days off, and this same ME wouldn't pay OT and fought me on the comp time.
I did watch the publisher win a power-spitting contest at the Brown County Fair beer tent once, so that's something. And once upon a time, we used to get a 12-pack after work and play fast-pitch wiffleball in the basement.
Mankato is a half-hour to the east; Walnut Grove (yes, THAT Walnut Grove) is 45 minutes west.
Oh, and it's Ogden.
Worked with a lot of good people there, including a former SE in Duluth and a columnist for the Strib. These two still in New Ulm aren't in that category.

 

It is unheard of. Frankly, it's an insult. To ask someone to put in 40+ hours a week, lay out pages and more than likely take and edit any multimedia for their section and then offer them a salary that will force them to take a second job is flat out disgusting. I don't care if it's a small town and living costs are below normal, to offer anyone 20K or less at a seven-day daily is insulting and wrong.

 

ME wouldn't pay overtime and fought you on the comp time? Then the special sections wouldn't come out then. A few hours is one thing once in a while. But after one or two times, that ME would be putting out the special sections himself.