Tampa Bay Times seeks college sports reporter

Florida’s largest newspaper is looking for an enterprising, news-breaking reporter to join the Tampa Bay Times Sports department, primarily on the Florida Gators beat but with the goal of hopping on great stories at Florida State and around the state as well. This reporter, based in the Tampa Bay area, also will be in the middle of the action as Tampa hosts the College Football Playoff national title game in January 2017.

We seek an excellent reporter and writer with a strong work ethic who is as comfortable in digital coverage as in print, from Tweets to blogs to tight night-game deadlines. We’re looking for someone who can keep up with the news but isn’t afraid to break away from the pack to find a distinctive story. Experience covering college athletics and dealing with public records are pluses.

Sound like you? Email a packet that includes a cover letter, resume and a few clips that show the breadth and depth of your best work to Roy LeBlanc at rleblanc@tampabay.com. Please make sure your clips, whether links or attachments, easily print in a readable form.

 

Applied and now crossing my fingers! I spent a couple years in my youth in the Tampa Bay area so it'd be fun to go back as a professional.

 

Replacing A.E.?

 

I would think so.

 

On paper this seems like a good job but the two questions I'd have:
1) Doesn't this paper have major financial issues, per a thread on the j topics board? You worry about job security everywhere in this business, but this one seems especially tenuous.
2) If the primary focus is covering U of F, and some FSU, why be based in Tampa? Both of those are hikes from Tampa. Seems like that'd be a major deterrent from really owning the beat.

 

Gainesville is only two hours away from Tampa so that's not too bad in my opinion. I am from the Detroit area and the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press cover both UM (roughly an hour away) and MSU (2 hours) so the UF beat makes sense – at least to me.

 

Yeah, so every time a story breaks, you're two hours from the job. Cool.

 

No one seemed to have a problem with the Washington State beat in Seattle being five hours away. Some papers just do it different than others. Nothing wrong with that. Also sounds like this is a gig covering more than just UF.

 

In all seriousness, which paper doesn't?

 

But wasn't that job actually based in Spokane, Matt? It makes much more sense to have a writer located close to the beat as opposed to where the paper is located.

 

You've got to be near campus for the big Florida schools.
With all the arrests, you're a cops reporter, too. Got to move fast.