Sports Editor Opening - Ocala, Fla

[Riddick]

This just in on jj.com

Description:
The Star-Banner, a 55,000 circulation daily newspaper in north central Florida, is looking for an editor who has a passion for local sports. We publish a smart, full-service sports section, but our reporters don't cover the Buccaneers, the Magic or the Devil Rays. Sure, we sometimes staff Gators or Seminoles games, and we follow the elite athletes from our area who make it big in college and professional sports -- pro football players, golfers, bowlers, anglers, jockeys, baseball players and boxers, among others. But we devote most of our time to doing what no one else can -- covering local sports like nobody's business. High school sports. Golf tournaments. Outdoors sports. Even rec leagues and youth sports. We cover the sports played by people in our own community. So applicants should have passion for local sports, at least two years of supervisory experience in a newsroom, demonstrated leadership ability and some page design skills. The Star-Banner is a New York Times Company newspaper nestled in the rolling hills of Florida's horse country, about an hour north of Orlando, an hour west of Daytona and 40 minutes south of the University of Florida. We offer competitive pay and terrific benefits. Send resume, cover letter and samples of your work to Tom McNiff, managing editor, Ocala Star-Banner, 2121 SW 19th Avenue Road, Ocala FL 34474. Or e- mail your interest to [email protected]

55,000 and no pro sports coverage? seems odd.

 

[Pringle]

At least they're honest about it. Plenty of places like to tout their proximity to big-time sports in job ads, then pull the old switcharoo once the hire gets to town.

 

[nafselon]

No pro sports to cover around Ocala. Bucs, Jaguars and Magic are roughly two hours away. Although I'd guess they would try to staff Bucs and Jags playoff games if possible.

They do some University of Florida stuff with the campus being just 30 miles away, but with their sister paper located in Gainesville, they use them for a lot of copy as well.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

They did staff the Bucs at one time.

 

[Riddick]

for some reason, i was thinkin this was a pm paper. is it?

 

[Ira_Schoffel]

for some reason, i was thinkin this was a pm paper. is it?

Nope.

 

[zman82]

NYTC a good company to work for or are they like Gannett? just curious.

 

[Lollygaggers]

They're supposed to be great with benefits, but I'm pretty sure most of their papers are on hiring freezes (no new positions), are understaffed and kind of incertain financially. Of course, who isn't? I'd still say better than Gannett.

 

[Riddick]

I'd still say better than Gannett.

who isn't?

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I'd still say better than Gannett.

who isn't?

CNHI, JRC, Lancaster, Heartland, Ogden ... just to name a few.

 

[nafselon]

They're supposed to be great with benefits, but I'm pretty sure most of their papers are on hiring freezes (no new positions), are understaffed and kind of incertain financially. Of course, who isn't? I'd still say better than Gannett.

The benefits are top notch. The 401, stock options stuff used to be but they've completely overhauled that program. All of NYT is on hiring freezes except for positions of need. Solid company to work for, but living in Ocala isn't paradise.

 

[Lucas Wiseman]

What happened to Eric Barnes, who had been the SE for a few years?

 

[Lifer]

I actually think Ocala is a very nice place. It's growing like crazy, has crap-tons of new amenities and is on I-75 about an hour from Tampa and Orlando and even less than that from Gainesville. I think they get all their UF copy from the Gainesville Sun, but I'm also guessing the SE can go to whatever event he/she wants within reason to write a weekly column, and that there's isolated opportunities to attend UF or FSU football games. I believe HS sports in the region are sub-par -- maybe if you're lucky you get a soccer or softball team in the state tourney every now and then, but football and basketball have seen better days with the exception of 1A juggernaut Trinity Catholic, a team that swipes the best athletes from the other schools in the area and is coached by a former UF quarterback. They might've won state last year, but with the lack of competition in the area, their typical regular season game is a 55-0 mind-number. There's also a JC or CC in Ocala that's been known to feed Div. 1 schools with basketball and baseball players.

I'd like to get an idea about pay range and what the office, people and operation are like. Anyone?