ASE, Florida Today

[Sunshine Scooter]

Sorry if this is a D_B. I know this job was open awhile back, so not sure if it's a re-open or more revolving door action.

http://jobpath.com/CSH/Details.aspx?did=J8N1GR6KM5DFKQK01G8&csh=CSH_GANNETT

Description
Asst. Sports Editor leads the editing and presentation of sections produced by the sports copy desk. Responsibilities include ensuring that work produced by the sports desk meets or exceeds established standards for page design, headline and writing/editing; planning online content; and managing page flow to ensure a 100 percent on-time deadline performance. Position requires ability to fill in for sports editor with budget forming, meetings and planning.

Requirements
Ideal candidate will be an experienced, creative layout editor with experience in managing special sections/projects and demonstrate a high skill level in designing pages, writing headlines and managing special projects.

 

[ondeadline]

They do go though SEs and ASEs, don't they?

 

[floridasun]

Indeed they do. The opening was created when the ASE left to go to a paper somewhere else in Florida as SE. Of course, he hadn't been on this gig at FT for more than six months, which seems to be about the average for ASEs and SEs to stay there (read: put up with things). Word also is staff members have run screaming from this opening. Be wary ...

 

[Prince of Persia]

I know it's Gannett, but is that the only reason why this job goes through sports editors seemingly once or twice a year?

That's unheard of, especially at a place that is a pretty respectable paper...

It is a pretty respectable paper, but the reason for the instability is dealing with the higher-ups, or so I hear from someone with knowledge of the situation.

 

[User 4755]

It's true that it's one of Gannett's better sections, but I applied once for an management opening there seven years ago and was so underwhelmed by upper management I didn't stop running until I was in Fernandina Beach. Sounds like I wasn't the only one.

 

[Sunshine Scooter]

Seems like the SE would have to deal with more upper management B.S. than the ASE. My guess is they hire both, the SE gets driven out of his mind and leaves, then the ASE is promoted, forced to double up on the work and then driven to insanity as well. Sound familiar?

 

[Left_Coast]

So who is the SE now?

 

[koolbreeze]

Last I heard it was Lee Nessel, who moved up from the ASE post when Ralph Routon left late last year.

 

[thegrifter]

I thought she was the online editor or something

 

[floridasun]

My guess is they hire both, the SE gets driven out of his mind and leaves, then the ASE is promoted, forced to double up on the work and then driven to insanity as well. Sound familiar?

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. I've also heard that while the work piles on one person for months at a time, pay (while not bad) hasn't been what it should be (from previous people who have held similar jobs) for some of these people who have busted their butts to get in position to be promoted/hired.

 

[FreddiePatek]

Indeed they do. The opening was created when the ASE left to go to a paper somewhere else in Florida as SE. Of course, he hadn't been on this gig at FT for more than six months, which seems to be about the average for ASEs and SEs to stay there (read: put up with things). Word also is staff members have run screaming from this opening. Be wary ...

ASE went to the Charlotte Sun as SE. He had been at Fla. Today for several years, but not at the ASE post for long.

 

[SEC Guy]

If you can run off Ken Bradley the way they did, I'd want no part of going there. He's as mellow and as good a guy as they get and if I guy like that goes running, it speaks volumes about the assholes that must be running the place.

Truly unfortunate.

 

[HackyMcHack]

If you can run off Ken Bradley the way they did, I'd want no part of going there. He's as mellow and as good a guy as they get and if I guy like that goes running, it speaks volumes about the assholes that must be running the place.

Truly unfortunate.

Ditto for Ralph Routon.

 

[jeffdalessio]

First-time poster here and a pretty proud Florida Today alum.

The newspaper gets an undeservedly bad rap, in this former sports editor's opinion. For its size, Florida Today can be as good as it gets: tremendously talented and hard-working writing staff, opportunity to cover the entire state, above-average resources for a 90,000-or-so circ paper and, perhaps most importantly, sports is — and always will be — a priority.

You win your fair share going head to head with the Sentinel (John Denton on the Magic) and break as much news on the biggest beat in the state as anyone anywhere (David Jones on Florida). You'll be hard-pressed to find a more enterprising high schools writer than Mike Cherry, who kicked tail on the West Virginia football beat for a long time in Charleston, and the columnist (Pete Kerasotis) is an APSE top-10 regular.

Whomever lands this gig will have a chance to work with some really gifted people, both the writing staff and the designers, led by the incomparable Hillard Grossman. I could go on and on about the staff.

I'd highly recommend the job. Matter of fact, I'd have been very happy staying in Melbourne much longer than 2 1/2 years had my dream gig (college editor in Atlanta) not opened up.

Any quick questions — emphasize quick — I can answer about the job, just e-mail me. I'll always tout this newspaper and the great people there, and I'm not blowing smoke. I've worked at four newspapers and one magazine and, in a lot of ways, FLAT stacks up well against any of them. My work e-mail, best way to reach me, is [email protected].

 

[ondeadline]

It seems that the problem is not the people you'd supervise, but the people calling the shots above you (and I don't mean the SE).

 

[floridasun]

Agreed, the people on the sports staff there do a great job despite what we've heard about from what's going on above them. You'd think with as many APSEs as they have won over the past few years, the SEs and ASEs would be happy to be there:

2006: Daily (HM) / Kerasotis (5th in Columns)
2005: Daily and Special Sections (HM) / Jones (1st in Breaking News), Jones (5th in Gamer), Scott Brown (4th in Explanatory)
2004: Daily and Special Sections (HM) / Kerasotis (1st in Columns), John Denton (2nd in Breaking)
2003: Top 10 Daily and Sunday / Jones (3rd Breaking), Jones (HM in Gamers)

Jones is arguably the best on the beat and definitely the best at breaking news. Denton more than holds his own with the Sentinel and Kerasotis is solid. Brown was good too before he left for the Pitt Trib-Review.

 

[SEC Guy]

Jones is definitely the best of a bad group on the UF beat. Granted, there hasn't been much talent on that beat since Schad and Darlington left, but right now it's Jones and a bunch of hacks. The kid from Orlando is OK, but he doesn't break news.

 

[Dan Rydell]

Not to hijack this thread, but anyone who has read Darlington's raw copy knows this: He should buy his editors a steak dinner once a week.

 

[hoopsfor3]

Disagree. Darlington does a solid job writing and reporting.

 

[Rockbottom]

I would offer that Robbie Andreu is as dialed-in on that beat as anyone ever has been. David Jones is in his wake. And I like and respect both personally and professionally.

rb