Sports reporter, Paducah (Ky.) Sun

Hey everyone... this is per Journalism Jobs, looking for a sports opening down there... I gotta say, I was through Paducah on my spring baseball trip last year and found there was a lot more to do there than I expected. Anyone with thoughts on the paper, the community?

 

I have a good friend who works in Paducah. I can tell you it's a Paxton paper.

 

Is that good or bad?

 

I haven't heard many good things, though I don't usually talk with my friend about his job. That's more from Paxton's takeover of Durham from which many not-so-good things have come.

 

Here's the info from jjobs

Company: The Paducah Sun
Position:
Sports Reporter
Location:
Paducah, Kentucky
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Not Specified
Ad Expires:
February 12, 2007
Job ID: 721939

Description:
The Paducah (KY) Sun seeks a productive, versatile writer to cover regional high school and college athletics in a sports-rich coverage area encompassing 16 counties across two states. Coverage opportunities include Murray State University’s Division I basketball program, state championship caliber local golf, tennis, football, basketball and track teams; dirt track racing at local facility owned and frequented by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kenny Schrader and Tony Stewart; and frequent tournament fishing events on the BASS and FLW circuits. Basic photography skills required. Tremendous opportunity for a writer with experience and flair to hone skills and build a resume.

The Paducah Sun is the flagship operation of Paxton Media Group LLC’s 29 daily newspapers, offering significant opportunity for advancement. Benefits include choice of Anthem health plans, 401 (k) with company match, others. Send resumes, qualifications and clips to "Sports Reporter" c/o The Paducah Sun, 408 Kentucky Avenue, Paducah, KY 42002-2300. Top applicants will be contacted for interviews. No telephone inquiries please.

--

Politically speaking, the Paxton family is further right than Bush. That said, The Sun is not that bad a paper, especially if you're starting or on your way up the ladder.

 

My bad for not leaving the information. Sounds like it's not a bad opportunity for the up and comers on the board. If it were an editor opening I might go for it.

 

Not unless it changed places with Flintstone, Ga. (Of course, she could have moved.)

 

Interesting to point out that the Sun needs a managing editor and another position to fill, all at the same time.
An early edition of spring cleaning, or something else in mind?

 

Didn't a lot of people leave Paducah for Durham after the Carolina Chainsaw Massacre? Maybe they're finding a new paper to pillage purchase.

 

Tell me more about this...

 

Paxton bought the Herald-Sun in 2004 and started firing people as soon as the ink on the contract dried. Pretty much all the top editors were canned, and I think they fired something like 20 percent of the newsroom? My memory's a touch fuzzy, but I have a friend down there who had started that year, and he was worried he'd get the ax. But they were looking at the big money people -- someone told me they fired the second-highest paid person in every department. A bloodbath, and not unprecedented (they did the same thing in High Point when they took full control of the paper after the publisher/part-owner there died in 2003.

There's probably people on the board who can tell the story better than I, though.

 

Paxton=evil. Stay far, far away.