Sports Writer, Emporia, KS

The Emporia Gazette, a family owned 8,000-circulation evening newspaper in the scenic Flint Hills of Kansas, seeks a sports reporter who is driven to dig up sports news and get it published as quickly as possible.

Our community is home to Emporia State University, which has a national presence at the NCAA Division II level. This past year, the women's basketball, baseball and softball teams traveled to national championship tournaments. And the university played host to the NCAA Division II national outdoor track and field championships. We also heavily cover the football, men's basketball, volleyball, women's soccer and tennis programs.

At the secondary level, Emporia High School is a Class 5A school with football, volleyball, cross country, track and field, boys and girls basketball, soccer, golf and wrestling programs. In Lyon and surrounding counties, we cover sports at eight smaller high schools.

We are looking for a sports reporter who cares about community journalism. Reporting and writing skills must be demonstrated. Ability to layout pages for pagination in InDesign is a plus as is experience with the NewsEdit Pro system. While experience is preferred, we would consider recent college graduates who possess the essential skills.

The Gazette has a community journalism tradition has been rewarded with state and national recognitions, including sweepstakes awards from the Kansas Press Association for each of the past six years.

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, work samples and three references to Gwendolynne Larson, managing editor, The Emporia Gazette, 517 Merchant St., Emporia, KS 66801. E-mail applications may be sent to larson@emporiagazette.com.

 

My Emporia story:

Following the Grateful Dead circa '94 and we drive through Kansas one day. Stop in Emporia for the night. Buddy isn't in the mood to shoot some hoops, so I go to Emporia State and find an indoor pick-up game. Scored the winning bucket in one of them, a 17-footer from the wing.

 

Songbird wins the "random post of the millenium" award. In a fucking landslide.

 

How in the world do places like this find someone to fill the job? Nothing against this paper specifically, I just have a hard time envisioning anyone who isn't from the area wanting to move somewhere random and rural like like Emporia, Kansas, to run a community sports section for a tiny paper.

 

I disagree. People need a change. It might be a good fit for someone.

 

I can think of a lot worse jobs than this one. A lot worse. This wouldn't be a bad job for a lot of new grads.

 

All I'm saying is not many people from other places are going to want to move somewhere like this, where it would seem you're basically a one-man department focusing on a DII, a high school and community stuff. It's damn hard to move up these days even with impressive clips and a solid resume, let alone with something so small. Then again, I'm thinking froma writer's view, so I guess it would be easier to use something like this to get another editing/layout gig.

 

In this business you need luck, talent and timing. Without all three working at the proper moment, you are truly fucked.

 

JME, it's doubtful that they're looking for someone other than local candidates. what the hell's there to do in Emporia, anyway?

 

I know what you're saying, and small-town Kansas isn't for everyone. But I've known plenty of bright people that have come out of KU and Mizzou and taken jobs at other small papers in Kansas, and they probably weren't as good at the Emporia Gazette. The journalism school at KU is named after William Allen White, the long-time, Pulitzer-winning publisher/editor of this paper.

 

I aim to please.

 

Emporia is a great place to live if you're into midwest weather and short travel.

It is 45 minutes to Topeka, about an hour to Lawrence and 90 minutes to Kansas City and Wichita.

Paper looks nice - spent a bundle on a redesign a few years ago. Wins tons of awards.

That said, it's owned by a private family who has run off some of the most talented reporters, ad reps, etc., in the state.

The sports editor is a great guy. Just about everyone else was run off.