LaGrange, Ga. sports writer

[TheEck]

There is an opening for a sports writer at the LaGrange Daily News, an 11,000 circulation daily 50 miles south of Atlanta. The position in question is vacant because someone has decided to leave after a whopping five weeks of employment. He's going to Auburn to work in the sports information office. So, this job is open. We focus heavily on prep sports, but we also have a Division III college we cover. The football team is in the midst of its second season. We also keep track of the numerous college players from the county, and we're planning on staffing some college games this season that will have local players. It is a five-day-a-week job, and Sunday is a built-in day off for everyone. If you work Saturday, Monday is usually the second day off. The sports editor does most of the page layout and pagination, but the writer will fill in occasionally. Pay is generous for paper this size in Georgia. Obviously we'll be looking to fill this position as quickly as possible, so let me know. Contact keckleberry@lagrangenews to submit a resume and clips or if you have any questions.

 

[Barsuk]

I hear they got a lot of nice girls down there.

 

[hockeybeat]

There is an opening for a sports writer at the LaGrange Daily News, an 11,000 circulation daily 50 miles south of Atlanta. The position in question is vacant because someone has decided to leave after a whopping five weeks of employment. He's going to Auburn to work in the sports information office. So, this job is open. We focus heavily on prep sports, but we also have a Division III college we cover. The football team is in the midst of its second season. We also keep track of the numerous college players from the county, and we're planning on staffing some college games this season that will have local players. It is a five-day-a-week job, and Sunday is a built-in day off for everyone. If you work Saturday, Monday is usually the second day off. The sports editor does most of the page layout and pagination, but the writer will fill in occasionally. Pay is generous for paper this size in Georgia. Obviously we'll be looking to fill this position as quickly as possible, so let me know. Contact keckleberry@lagrangenews to submit a resume and clips or if you have any questions.

I am not sure if this line is entirely professional: "The position in question is vacant because someone has decided to leave after a whopping five weeks of employment."

 

[Appgrad05]

That line threw me as well. Luckily for him, there's 200 J-school kids working at Target desperate for a shot.

 

[Mayfly]

I guess that paper has high turnover?

 

[wickedwritah]

Hey, Eck, don't rip the guy for leaving after five weeks. Maybe he decided that this wasn't for him. The fact that he is heading into sports information hints toward that. Better to let an unhappy person leave the newsroom than keep him around for spite's sake.

 

[Editude]

Snarkiness works for stand-up comics, not sports editors.

 

[GuessWho]

I hear they got a lot of nice girls down there.

Wrong LaGrange but nice reference. Have mercy.

 

[wickedwritah]

Snarkiness works for stand-up comics, not sports editors.

And honestly, that line turned me off. If I were in the job market, you would've lost a candidate.

 

[luckyducky]

Snarkiness works for stand-up comics, not sports editors.

And honestly, that line turned me off. If I were in the job market, you would've lost a candidate.

It lost me. I really want to move down near Atlanta, but I'm not going to take a job where the SE or EE or whomever writes a bitchy line about the departed writer in the job ad.

Don't let your crankiness for being overworked turn off potential candidates.

 

[prhack]

Snarkiness works for stand-up comics, not sports editors.

And honestly, that line turned me off. If I were in the job market, you would've lost a candidate.

It lost me. I really want to move down near Atlanta, but I'm not going to take a job where the SE or EE or whomever writes a bitchy line about the departed writer in the job ad.

Don't let your crankiness for being overworked turn off potential candidates.

Snarky job postings notwithstanding, Eck is a good guy to work with and for (I should know; I did it for about five years at two different papers). Never worked in LaGrange, but from what I understand, the situation is a good one (especially for a small daily in Georgia). If your goal is to find a job near Atlanta, you could do a whole lot worse than this (see Marietta Daily Journal). My only concern might be the parent company (the paper recently was sold, as I recall), but others on the board can speak with more knowledge on that one.

 

[Bamadog]

Lets be frank: leaving after five weeks is pretty damned ****ty on the part of the new guy, that's all. Kevin is being honest and damn, I'd be that honest if football season was starting and I lost my No. 2.

And as one of the Eck's proteges, I will tell you, without a doubt, the LDN is an excellent place to work. Kevin is a pro's pro and you'll learn a bunch, trust me. I'd go back if my situation wasn't what it is now.

The town is great, cheap to live in and the prep football is unbelievable. The design of the paper (unlike a lot of other smaller ones) is pretty excellent and you have a real chance to make a name for yourself at that paper. You'll get a lot of bylines and plenty of Quark experience. I loved it there and there are days I wish I'd have never left.

If you're a new guy out of school, THIS is the place you want to go. The sale to a new company I don't know much about, but if you want some more information about the town and the paper, let me know.

 

[boots]

Lets be frank: leaving after five weeks is pretty damned ****ty on the part of the new guy, that's all. Kevin is being honest and damn, I'd be that honest if football season was starting and I lost my No. 2.

And as one of the Eck's proteges, I will tell you, without a doubt, the LDN is an excellent place to work. Kevin is a pro's pro and you'll learn a bunch, trust me. I'd go back if my situation wasn't what it is now.

The town is great, cheap to live in and the prep football is unbelievable. The design of the paper (unlike a lot of other smaller ones) is pretty excellent and you have a real chance to make a name for yourself at that paper. You'll get a lot of bylines and plenty of Quark experience. I loved it there and there are days I wish I'd have never left.

If you're a new guy out of school, THIS is the place you want to go. The sale to a new company I don't know much about, but if you want some more information about the town and the paper, let me know.

BULL****!
It was a personnel matter. The kid left and will probably make more money as an SID than in journalism. Kevin had no right to put his comments on the net and should be reprimanded for it.
That being said, LaGrange is a good spot for someone.

 

[Larrbear]

How close is LaGrange to Augusta? Apparently if you caddy at National 12 times in a year they let you go out on caddy day.

 

[prhack]

How close is LaGrange to Augusta? Apparently if you caddy at National 12 times in a year they let you go out on caddy day.

LaGrange and Augusta are barely in the same time zone (literally). Good deal at National, though. Wonder how I'd look in one of those white jumpers?

 

[wickedwritah]

Lets be frank: leaving after five weeks is pretty damned ****ty on the part of the new guy, that's all. Kevin is being honest and damn, I'd be that honest if football season was starting and I lost my No. 2.

As boots said, you keep that to yourself.

Say you took another gig, Bamadog, and after three weeks you got an offer for a better salary and some better hours. Are you telling me you would fall on your own petard solely because some for-profit entity would be short manpower?

Or say you took a gig and after three weeks realized you did not like the place. Maybe the newsroom was filthy, maybe the ME never showered, maybe co-workers gave you wedgies after work every day -- I don't care what the reason is, but maybe you just didn't like it. Would you sacrifice your personal happiness solely so a corporation could go on without experiencing a bump in the road?

I've been in situations such as my second scenario before, and I'd say that the kid who was there "a whopping five weeks" made the right call to get out, if he was unhappy. He also made the right call to get out if he got offered more cash, because loyalty ain't a common element in this business.

 

[Gob Bluth]

I left the job this summer to become a teacher, but Kevin is a great guy to work for. He does a large part of the layout, so you really get a lot of time to write. There are far worse places to work. If you have any questions just PM me.

 

[Bamadog]

Lets be frank: leaving after five weeks is pretty damned ****ty on the part of the new guy, that's all. Kevin is being honest and damn, I'd be that honest if football season was starting and I lost my No. 2.

As boots said, you keep that to yourself.

Say you took another gig, Bamadog, and after three weeks you got an offer for a better salary and some better hours. Are you telling me you would fall on your own petard solely because some for-profit entity would be short manpower?

Or say you took a gig and after three weeks realized you did not like the place. Maybe the newsroom was filthy, maybe the ME never showered, maybe co-workers gave you wedgies after work every day -- I don't care what the reason is, but maybe you just didn't like it. Would you sacrifice your personal happiness solely so a corporation could go on without experiencing a bump in the road?

I've been in situations such as my second scenario before, and I'd say that the kid who was there "a whopping five weeks" made the right call to get out, if he was unhappy. He also made the right call to get out if he got offered more cash, because loyalty ain't a common element in this business.

As someone who has been at a few different gigs over the past few years, you've got a point. And the answer is no, if I didn't like a place, I'd run. But I've been able to avoid that because I've learned through painful experience that you've got to do your homework (cost of living, can I even find a place, the reputation of the editor and publisher, etc. etc.) before you decide to even interview.

And you're right about loyalty. When a corporation will pay you X amount of dollars, you then show that you're worth more than X and deserve Z, yet are rejected on getting Z because "dollars are tight," yet when you leave, they give Z to the new guy who isn't worth a damn, it's proof they sure as hell aren't loyal to you. So nor should you be in return.

My objection was not so much dogging the kid, or making a value judgement about Kevin mentioning that fact (he is the No. 1 in a two-man shop), but really trying to build up what is a great gig. LG is a great town and I have no problem recommending that job or working for Kevin at all.

 

[wickedwritah]

My objection was not so much dogging the kid, or making a value judgement about Kevin mentioning that fact (he is the No. 1 in a two-man shop), but really trying to build up what is a great gig. LG is a great town and I have no problem recommending that job or working for Kevin at all.

Didn't mean to jump down your throat earlier, either.

You are right -- someone should do their homework before getting themselves in a situation. I've done my homework before and ignored some pretty sound advice from people here, as well as following their hunches -- no one is foolproof.

 

[deskslave]

My objection was not so much dogging the kid, or making a value judgement about Kevin mentioning that fact (he is the No. 1 in a two-man shop), but really trying to build up what is a great gig. LG is a great town and I have no problem recommending that job or working for Kevin at all.

Didn't mean to jump down your throat earlier, either.

You are right -- someone should do their homework before getting themselves in a situation. I've done my homework before and ignored some pretty sound advice from people here, as well as following their hunches -- no one is foolproof.

Meh. LaGrange is a decent town, better than some to be sure, but I don't know that I'd call it a great town. It's nearish to Atlanta, but not close enough to pop over after work on a Friday night. It's probably closer to Columbus, and Columbus sucks.