Writer - Jonesboro, Ark.

I know a couple of guys on the staff — Kevin Turbeville (sports editor) and Tony Manley. Those two are great guys and know their stuff.
The only problem (as with a few other job openings that's popped up from time to time), it's a Paxton paper.

 

Knew a guy that spent a few summers in Jonesboro. They cover a good portion of Northeast Arkansas and occasionally wander into the Memphis area.

 

Can someone explain that part (for people like me who don't know what that means)?

 

And you gotta live in Jonesboro, which is a dump. And the university there is barely D-1. It's a poorly-run athletic department in the Sun Belt Conference. The men's basketball coach -- the brother of Razorback football coach Houston Nutt -- is hated by many but manages to win just enough games to keep from getting canned.

 

Not to mention other Paxton papers where employees weren't treated that great. So usually ads from Paxton papers come with a few words added — such as run or walk away slowly so you're not noticed.

 

The only thing I know about Jonesboro is that the zone penetration rate is outrageous, like in the 90s and it was the highest in the country then and by a lot.
For comparison, the highest ranked metro was the Buffalo News and it was in the 60s.
Zone penetration is a measure of readership and it basically means in Jonesboro that everyone is reading the paper.
That isn't a bad thing.

 

Of course, this is also worth mentioning ... Jonesboro is DRY.
Most people wanting that type of refreshment head south on Arkansas 1, where there's a store just across the line in Poinsett County.

 

That's Poinsett (sp?) County.

Woodruff is the next county over to the west (both are wet).

 

Sure, Paxton stinks, but what chain doesn't these days?
(Purely rhetorical - no need to list the great ones, you all get the point.)

I worked in this shop for a while and although it's not the paper it used to be when family owned (1999 Pulitzer Prize finalist for its coverage of the Westside School shooting) this has the potential to be a great place to cut your teeth. There are still a handful of holdovers from the glory days and the core sports staff has been there a while and are great people to work with.

You'd likely be charged with covering Jonesboro High, one of the state's traditional basketball powers. Toss in an opportunity for occasional Division I coverage and somebody fresh out of school or looking to make a move up would be a good fit.

It would be easy (and cheap) to dog Arkansas State as "barely Division I," but when you consider the fact the school's basketball coach is on the hot seat, the football coach is having success for the first time in years and a mascot change is imminent (damn politically correct NCAA), you've got the potential to help with some pretty interesting stories.

Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas is one of the few areas in the state to experience growth. There are a handful of restaurants that serve alcohol, even fewer bars and a church on every corner, so it could be tough on a wild, young single. Still, you'd be an hour from Memphis and I'm guessing the salary is enough that you could actually make the trip and enjoy yourself without eating Raman and drinking Sam's Choice Cola for the next month.

This place has possibilities. Of course it's much more fashionable to bitch and moan than actually consider what's there.

This is like any other job in any other profession: It is what you make of it.

PM for details.

 

interpret: it sucks.

 

Very well said, especially the first line.

One person who had a brief run at the Sun now writes for the statewide Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Another had a stint at the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, another big paper in the state.

The Sun has an excellent ASU beat writer, but there are chances to pick games up here and there. Plus, said beat writer is a very nice, approachable guy who would be more than happy to share his knowledge and help a young'un advance his career.

The prep scene there is pretty good, and with many local papers, the opportunity to break real news is always there for the person who wants to do more than the standard feature on Johnny Prepstar.

Memphis is close by, and while most of the town is dry, the county line isn't far. Living is pretty cheap, and the place has shown a bit of growth...they recently put in a good sized shopping mall complete with a Barnes & Noble.

With the right attitude, this is a great starter job.