Sports Writer in LaGrange, Ga.

SPORTS WRITER
The LaGrange Daily News, a daily newspaper in LaGrange, Ga., is seeking a sports writer who is comfortable writing game stories, feature stories and columns. The position also includes some paginating. We cover high school sports extensively, and a local college is starting a football program this fall. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. LaGrange is a growing community in West Georgia located on West Point Lake one hour from Atlanta and 45 minutes from Columbus. Email resume and clips to:
Kevin Eckleberry at keckleberry@lagrangenews.com
fax to (706) 884-8712
or mail to:
P.O. Box 929
LaGrange, Ga. 30241

I know the sports editor down there really well, and he's a great guy to work with. From what I understand, the pay's not too bad, and they actually appreciate your work. Crazy talk, I know, but maybe it is possible that not every small daily is a sweatshop  ;D

As for the town, LaGrange High is a prep powerhouse in Georgia (in football and baseball, at least). There's 2-3 other high schools in the area as well as a small college. They also venture to bigger venues on occasion when interest warrants. It's not too far from Auburn or Columbus. It's right off Interstate 85, so you can get to civilization pretty quickly.

 

They got a lotta nice girls...

 

From which website did you find the job listing? Thanks.

 

Ga Press site

http://gapress.org/classifieds.html#Anchor-33869

 

AM? PM? Circulation? Staff size?

 

This is the person leaving the job that is going to be open! At first I was mad because I was starting out at a paper of a circulation of about 10,000, but it didn't take long for me to love my job. Kevin is great to work for, and the paper is incredible for its size. It wins lots of awards every year in multiple contests.

If you love high school sports (I didn't think I did until I started covering them here in Troup County), this job is for you. Kevin also gives you plenty of opportunities to travel up to Atlanta to cover Falcons, Hawks, etc. etc. if time allows.

The high school sports here are PHENOMENAL! In two years here I've covered state championships in basketball, football, softball and baseball. They really take their football around here seriously- think Varsity Blues and Friday Night Lights. Football games here are as exciting as they come!  Most of the coaches here are great to work with (which can be rare).

If you want any more info, private message me. And to answer the question I'll probably get (why am I leaving?)- I've decided to go back to school, get my masters and be a high school teacher. That's how great the high school kids are around here- they've inspired me to teach them instead of write about them.

And as far as the social scene, for anyone wondering, LaGrange has grown lots lately, and has even developed a nightlife. There's also a KIA plant coming in a year or so that is supposed to bring about 5,000 jobs to Troup County.

Oh yeah, and it's an afternoon paper. Deadlines during the week are 10 a.m., which means a split shift basically, but it's nice to have that little extra time to write your stories. We're a morning paper Sat and Sun, so Fri and Sat nights are late during the school year, like at any paper.

 

Ditto on what the previous poster said. She replaced me there when I left for Florida and boy, that was a big mistake for the most part. I didn't know how good I had it until I left there.

The preps there are unbelievable, the folks are really nice and you're close to ATL and Columbus. And the cost of living is CHEAP!

LG is a powerhouse in football. Troup is close to being one. You cover 'em like they were the NFL, but it's definitely fun. The coaches actually cooperate, which is a definite plus. Kevin is a great guy and I learned a lot from him. They win a ton of awards and for good reason. The football section is always top notch and now there's going to be a NCAA Division III program there (LaGrange College).

I'd recommend this job to anyone.

 

Position still open

Just wanted to let everyone know we're still looking at folks for this position. The sports writer who is leaving has about three weeks left, so we'll need to fill the position by then. If anyone has any questions, email me at mkeckleberry@yahoo.com

-Kevin Eckleberry
sports editor

 

Granted, it may be youthful enthusiasm, but it's nice to see such praise for working in a pretty small market and that good people are running things. Those aren't always words that go together in the same sentence.