Sports Writer, Durham, N.C.

The Herald-Sun of Durham, N.C. — located in the heart of ACC country — has an immediate opening for our Duke athletics beat, including the reigning NCAA champion men’s basketball team. We are looking for someone with experience on a beat and the enthusiasm for producing front-page packages. A successful candidate will have copy editing and design skills, as our writers also have desk duties. Football season is almost here, so the application deadline is July 15. If you’re looking for a challenge, please submit a résumé, writing samples and salary requirement to Jimmy DuPree, Sports editor, by e-mail to jdupree@heraldsun.com or send to P.O. Box 2092, Durham, N.C. 27702.

 

Looks like their circulation has taken quite the hit. Any idea of what they might be paying?

 

Wow. I saw that the circ. was 25K. Is that right?

 

I interviewed there over a decade ago, I think the circ was about 150K back then. Good paper. Good people.

 

If I had the experience and this paper wasn't going the wrong direction circulation-wise, this would be a dream job for me.

 

If you are interested, I would not necessarily make the paper's circulation a determining factor in whether to take a job that includes a beat of this caliber, coupled with the opportunity to either use or learn or further design/technical skills.

Most papers of this size would make this beat secondary to whatever else there is -- and that is usually loads of preps coverage -- and they're just using the possible Duke/major opportunities as advertising candy to attract applicants. Often, it turns out that you probably won't get that many (if any) real opportunities to regularly cover such a beat because the concentration and emphasis is elsewhere.

But this job ad sounds as if covering Duke is your job, first and foremost, with the rest of the work also involving highly useful/desirable opportunities to expand and legitimize your skills, the better to set yourself up for future opportunities.

I'd check out the actual focus of the job, and make sure it is what it sounds like, and/or what you think it is or want it to be, of course. On its face, though, it sounds like it could be a terrific opportunity to cover premier major college athletics, regularly, without having to also handle preps. That just doesn't happen very often at a paper this size.

 

A lot of times in these jobs threads, people in the know will describe the sporting scene in the paper's area.
Anybody know anything about Duke basketball?

 

You're right. If it's what they say it is, it'd be a great job for whoever gets it. From what the ad says, it sounds like you'd be responsible for Duke football, basketball, everything, which could be an excellent opportunity.

 

That 25K figure is stunning. Of course it is a Paxton paper so that has something to do with it. Anyone know where Bryan is going?

 

Found this on the "I was fired by the Herald-Sun" page on Facebook.

Mike Potter-- May 15, 2009 in the third wave of the Paxton layoffs. I was the Carolina Hurricanes beat writer, called in at 10:30 in the morning to receive news of my "severance package" the night after I had been in after midnight following their Game 7 road win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. I got the "maximum" 12 weeks' severance pay after 24+ years and of course "benefits" ended immediately. Paxton has cut staff by 2/3 and circulation by only half. In Paducah math, I guess that's success.

The downfall of the Herald-Sun is such a shame. I grew up in a nearby town and this would have been a destination job that I would have gladly retired at when I first got in the business...not anymore.