Fayetteville Observer sports reporter

[Dennis Hall]

The Fayetteville Observer, an APSE award-winning 65K circulation newspaper in North Carolina, is looking for a sports reporter to cover two beats: high schools and Fayetteville State University, an NCAA Division II program. We currently have one high school sports reporter and need another to cover 10 high schools in the county and about 40 in the 10-county region. The other half of the beat is Fayetteville State, an HBCU that competes in the CIAA.

We're looking for someone with versatility and a strong work ethic. We are ramping up our high school sports coverage on the web and need someone who's comfortable writing blogs and appearing in videos. We need someone who can transition easily from covering games to writing features and Sunday enterprise pieces. General assignments are also part of the job. We cover three local minor league teams, three other region colleges, ACC football and basketball (we're an hour from Raleigh) and major golf events in the Pinehurst area (also an hour away).

Requirements: A college degree and some daily newspaper experience is preferred. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace.

Qualified candidates should send a resume, cover letter and references to:

Dennis Hall
Assistant Managing Editor/Sports & New Media
The Fayetteville Observer
P.O. Box 849
Fayetteville, NC 28306

You may also apply via e-mail to:
[email protected].

 

[Rockbottom]

I applied once for a job in Fayetteville. FINE paper. The town, well, Fort Bragg is there.

rb

 

[sgaleadfoot]

I've never worked here, but did start in the business at a local paper in Fayetteville's coverage area. I had various dealings with most of the writers on staff here with all of them being very good people.

There's definitely a chance to cover a wide range of stuff in this area from the local preps and colleges and with the big in-state schools closeby in addition to the golf at Pinehurst.

It's tough to beat the location here if you want to be not too far from various stuff: Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill about an hour away with both Charlotte and the beach within two hours. Oh yea, and about an hour north of the infamous tourist trap, South of the Border.

Overall, this is a pretty good stop for someone looking to make a step up to a mid-sized paper.

 

[FreddiePatek]

Brian Tolley runs the Observer. He's the former AME/SE at The State.

 

[SCEditor]

Brian Tolley runs the Observer. He's the former AME/SE at The State.

And a good, good guy. IMHO.

 

[Precious Roy]

Did someone leave? I hope it wasn't Graff, he was a good guy when I met him long ago.

 

[SEeditor]

Graff is still on board. He was moved over to news. A really good guy and great features reporter.

 

[Precious Roy]

Graff is still on board. He was moved over to news. A really good guy and great features reporter.

Yeah, it was the features that got him to Fayetteville in the first place from Rocky Mount.

 

[JackReacher]

I second the praise on Mr. Graff. He's the titties. Never heard much negative about the staff at the Observer. Looks like a great opportunity.

 

[slappy4428]

I second the praise on Mr. Graff. He's the titties. Never heard much negative about the staff at the Observer. Looks like a great opportunity.

hee hee hee... ryan sonner used "titties"

 

[CUinthenewsroom]

I had the chance to visit there this summer for a news desker position, but also met with the sports staff as they thought I might eventually move over there. They were all great people and in some ways I regretted not taking the job because of how great the staff was. Can't really comment on the town, although they took me out apartment hunting and their were some nice places. But the staff is probably worth moving there.

 

[Tarheel316]

This would be a great stop for anyone. Or it could be a destination itself. They've got some excellent veteran writers on that staff. And they produce an outstanding section. Graff is as good of a features writer as I've seen.

 

[LemMan]

How's the weather in Fayetteville?

 

[Yawn]

Here's a curious question on a job like this, a mid-sized daily rag with a good reputation.

What would be the realistic pay range here?

I'm betting with "some daily newspaper experience" you're talking nowhere near 35K.

 

[sportsnut]

Here's a curious question on a job like this, a mid-sized daily rag with a good reputation.

What would be the realistic pay range here?

I'm betting with "some daily newspaper experience" you're talking nowhere near 35K.

I would say between 30-40K a year depending upon experience at a newspaper and on a beat.

 

[Yawn]

See? That's what makes liberals out of newspaper people. That's a salary only a person with an MD wife can afford for any considerable length of time, especially if they desire family. Although, I must say, it's better that some of those job posts that reflect the audacity of offering less than $20,000 a year. Those places deserve nothing more than high school wannabe journalists. No one sacrificing the time for a four-year degree should sniff those places.

 

[Khary McGhee]

This was my beat (region colleges) before I moved to features and Mikey took it over.

Fun beat. There are a lot of great stories over at Fayetteville State. The annual Central Intercollegaite Athetlic Association basketball tournament in Charlotte is a major, major event (the CIAA is the oldes historically black athletic conference in the country, and the tournament is only behind the ACC and SEC tournament in terms of attendance...it's also televised live on ESPN networks, the only NCAA Division II conference tournament to have that privilege).

By extension, there are a lots of good stories coming out of the CIAA, if only because the conference can be a tad dysfunctional at times.

Didn't do much with high schools when I was at the Observer, but the coverage area is so vast that there are a tons of stories out there. The Observer does a great job on preps in Cumberland County but less so in surrounding counties. Adding another staffer should help.

And never worked for Dennis, but knew of him when we were both in the DFW market (he was at the Morning News and I was at the Star-Telegram). Heard nothing but good things.

 

[Birdscribe]

See? That's what makes liberals out of newspaper people. That's a salary only a person with an MD wife can afford for any considerable length of time, especially if they desire family. Although, I must say, it's better that some of those job posts that reflect the audacity of offering less than $20,000 a year. Those places deserve nothing more than high school wannabe journalists. No one sacrificing the time for a four-year degree should sniff those places.

Your best post yet, Yawn. Well said.

Is Brett Friedlander still there? Good guy, good writer.

 

[sgaleadfoot]

Friedlander is still there, as well as Sammy Batten, Earl Vaughn and Thomas Pope.

 

[FreddiePatek]

Friedlander is still there, as well as Sammy Batten, Earl Vaughn and Thomas Pope.

A pretty good crew.