Sports Columnist - Indianapolis Star

[Matt Stephens]

From the Gannett site: https://career4.successfactors.com/career?career_ns=job_listing&company=Gannett&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=en_US&career_job_req_id=39323&selected_lang=en_US&jobAlertController_jobAlertId=&jobAlertController_jobAlertName=&_s.crb=903aU%2fa5522ztGH5q4vR8m8GwSk%3d

Provides insightful and powerful commentary on local sports. Writes 4 columns a week on local sports topics. Serves as a watchdog columnist, holding local sports teams, owners and players accountable for their performance and actions. Establishes and grows a strong social media presence. Writes in-depth profiles and enterprise stories as warranted. Posts quick-hit blogs reacting and interpreting breaking sports news as they develop. Appears on IndyStar shows and helps host live sports shows as needed.

Main Functions:
Researches and writes columns that continuously grow a fan base by informing, engaging and entertaining readers. Acts as a public ambassador through community outreach and connects with readers through social media. Provides thoughtful analysis of complex issues and produces highly sophisticated content. Produces self-directed work in collaboration with the content coach, content strategists and audience analysts to shape storytelling to meet audience needs and interests on every platform. Contributes to the community’s greater good through revelatory journalism and breaking news. Coaches and mentors less experienced journalists.
• Ability to produce top-notch investigative and revelatory journalism.
• Exceptional cross-platform storytelling skills.
• Exceptional core journalism skills (reporting, producing and editing).
• Deep understanding of and curiosity about competition for our customers' time and money.
• Self-motivation and self-direction.
• Advanced knowledge of social media and how to engage fan base on digital platforms.
• Photo and video skills.
• Effective communicator; able to get along with diverse personalities.
• Able to multi-task and excel under intense deadline pressure in a rapidly changing environment.
• Knows how to use time effectively in an always-on workday.
• Works collaboratively within a cross-functional environment.
• Must embrace peer-to-peer feedback and training.
• Applies innovative, creative thinking to support the company’s goals.
• Writing, spelling, grammar, AP and local style.
• Industry knowledge.
• Organizational skills.
• Command of media law and Principles of Ethical Conduct.
Required Skills:
• Bachelor's or Master's in Communications, Journalism or equivalent in experience and education.
• More than 10 years of experience developing a well-defined personal brand and fan base.
• Experience with advanced storytelling techniques on multiple platforms.
Additional Information:
• News often requires employees to work extended hours, evenings, weekends and holidays, sometimes unexpectedly.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

• Job requires that you work for the worst sports editor in the history of journalism

 

[Jim Luther Davis]

^what earned him that distinction?

 

[Moderator1]

I'm curious about that, too. I've never worked with Ronnie but my dealings with him have always been good and people I know who have worked for him are generally pretty complimentary.
No one who has done it long will have 100 percent support. Bruised egos happen in an ego-heavy business.
Not too long ago, I would have jumped on this hard.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

I'm curious about that, too. I've never worked with Ronnie but my dealings with him have always been good and people I know who have worked for him are generally pretty complimentary.
No one who has done it long will have 100 percent support. Bruised egos happen in an ego-heavy business.
Not too long ago, I would have jumped on this hard.

Most of us would have. There has been such a mass exodus from this place in recent months and it's not like people are leaving for great gigs. Even Kravitz got a job with a local station.

Ramos destroyed the AJC. He forced good people out, made disastrous high-priced hires and you would have a hard time finding a single person there who would say a decent thing about him.

That's not even taking into consideration the crap he did at the NCAA where he publicly called out writer who had the nerve to write things he didn't like, little-known hacks like Pat Forde.

It's almost like the good people at Gannett said, "Who can we hire to make our entire staff run for the door and we can't afford Mike Kellams."

I will be very curious who gets this job.

 

[Moderator1]

Kellams? Jesus - another guy I like. A lot. "Poached" one of my guys right before football season and could not have been more professional. I know a ton of his guys and they like him and miss him a lot now that he's in business.

Again, hard to be an SE for long without pissing off a few and I imagine it is even more difficult at a big-city daily (yeah, I was at one but had a small-city staff in terms of numbers). I do know Kellams a lot better than I do Ramos and I'd go to work for him in a second if I was in the market. Well, except that he's now business editor.

 

[Fran Curci]

I doubt that many would be deterred by the rep of the sports editor -- even if they should be -- given that legitimate opportunities to get a columnist job are almost non-existent.

 

[Ace]

Why even mention a master's degree? I would guess the percentage of sports columnists at papers with circulations over 100,000 is south of 10 percent.

 

[playthrough]

"Coaches and mentors less experienced journalists" is an interesting addition. That's not necessarily something that someone with "more than 10 years of experience developing a well-defined personal brand and fan base" may embrace wholeheartedly.

 

[boundforboston]

Does "Must embrace peer-to-peer feedback and training." mean everybody is everyone else's boss?

 

[PioneerVoice]

For clarity's sake, Ronnie Ramos isn't the sports editor. He's basically #2 in the newsroom and over all things digital. Your sports editors would be Jim Lefko and Nat Newell, I believe.

 

[Fran Curci]

This is how he describes it in his bio: Managing Director / Digital & Sports ... manage digital, sports, photo, graphics, videos and interactives

In the not-so-old days, that would have been AME/sports, web, graphics. Sounds like you're working for him ..........

 

[Matt Stephens]

"Coaches and mentors less experienced journalists" is an interesting addition. That's not necessarily something that someone with "more than 10 years of experience developing a well-defined personal brand and fan base" may embrace wholeheartedly.

That's part of the new Gannett structure with columnists, especially when sites don't have a traditional SE. Someone to help the newer folks along, because, generally, columnists are pretty in touch with the community and paper they work for and have good experience in the field.

 

[SCEditor]

For clarity's sake, Ronnie Ramos isn't the sports editor. He's basically #2 in the newsroom and over all things digital. Your sports editors would be Jim Lefko and Nat Newell, I believe.

Nat Newell is a good, good dude. Knew him years ago when he was in South Carolina.

 

[PioneerVoice]

This is how he describes it in his bio: Managing Director / Digital & Sports ... manage digital, sports, photo, graphics, videos and interactives

In the not-so-old days, that would have been AME/sports, web, graphics. Sounds like you're working for him ..........

Alas, no. My bread isn't buttered by Gannett. And not necessarily taking any sides, here. Just pointing out that, in the "newsroom of the future," his role might not be exactly what a lot of people think it is.

 

[1HPGrad]

The person now overseeing sports has ties to Cincy, and that's exactly where I would set my sights: On Doc. He's great. He's Gannett.
He would bring instant credibility and create quite the competition with Kravitz.

 

[Ace]

Who would Doc leave Cincinnati to go to another Gannett paper in Indy? He is very good, though.

 

[1HPGrad]

Not saying or suggesting he would or anybody is even remotely considering it. Only that I would make it incredibly tempting. I'd throw Kravitz money at him, in other words. I'm a fan.
There aren't many guys who can walk in an immediately have credibility in a new market. He is one.

 

[Dick Whitman]

How much does this gig pay, would you guys estimate?

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Unless he took a pay cut recently, which at Gannett is always possible, Kravitz was one of the better-paid columnists in the country, not at the level of the LA/NYC/Chicago/DC guys, but probably in the top 10 of the rest of the group. Indy did a full-court press to lure him away from the Rocky Mountain News and that was in the final days when newspapers actually spent money.

I seem to remember a couple bigger markets coming after him and he stayed. Who knows if that was about $$$ or not?