Sports editor -- Port Charlotte, Fla.

[boundforboston]

Description:

IF sports is in your blood, we need to talk about our sports editor's job at the Sun newspaper on Florida's Gulf coast. We are in a sports-crazy market, spring training home for the Tampa Bay Rays and a hotbed for prep sports, Tampa Bay Bucs and Miami Dolphins fanatics. We are looking for a person with experience covering multiple prep teams with the use of staff and stringers. We want someone with a vision and a person capable of mentoring our writers to tell compelling stories that other newspapers might miss. Send resumes to [email protected]. The Sun is a drug-and-nicotine-free workplace. We do not hire nicotine users. Pre-employment drug/nicotine testing required.

JournalismJobs.com - Job Listing - Sports editor

 

[TGO157]

Anyone know anything about this place? Size of staff and how many schools covered? Possible salary?

 

[PM_Obley]

Punta Gorda is a tremendous small burg. Port Charlotte, its dumpy twin across the river, has all the required strip mall stores and chain food joints. Englewood is your beach. Very underrated. Boca Grande isn't far, either (glorious). Equidistant from Fort Myers and Sarasota. In addition to Rays spring training, there is a GARGANTUAN college baseball invitational that lasts a month going on at the same time with many D-I schools, including a lot of the Big Ten. Good, good people working inside the building, people I would go to war for, but the paper's overall philosophy with the internet is very behind the times, putting it kindly. All photogs are stringers. If you apply, make sure you inquire about the page production setup as they might be using this time as an opportunity to shift to a universal desk, which might shift what they are looking for in their SE. Great place to live, cost of living is shockingly low, but be warned that your work will not be all that visible cyber-wise. I can say a lot more. I was the SE before the most recent one and have spent plenty of years there. My handle on SJ.com used to be FreddiePatek. Lost my user info, lol. Feel free to hit me up.

 

[ScottJBryan]

Where is Mark going?

 

[PM_Obley]

He's taking over as SE in Bradenton

 

[ScottJBryan]

Good for him. Enjoyed talking with Mark from time to time. Between Obley and Mark Lawrence, they've had some damn-good SEs the last two rounds.

 

[PM_Obley]

Indeed, Mark is very good people. The Obley dude was sketchy

 

[ScottJBryan]

Most Royals fans are. #SadMetsFanOverHere

 

[PM_Obley]

Most Royals fans are. #SadMetsFanOverHere

Won't be long now ... We Royals fans are well on our way to being insufferable!

 

[BDC99]

Will second every thing said by PM Obley. Great area, with Boca Grande and Englewood among the best beach/outdoors places in the USA. Have spent many summer vacations on the quiet beaches of Englewood/Manasota Key. Cost of living was very low when I lived there, and there's plenty to do. Though it is more of a family-oriented place and as a single young guy at the time, I was bored out of my mind. The staff when I was there was tiny, and even then the desk was universal, which I also did not enjoy as a sports guy. I got out as quickly as I could because I was fresh out of college, but this is a good smaller-shop job, and hopefully the pay is far better than what I was making back in the late 90s.

 

[PM_Obley]

Will second every thing said by PM Obley. Great area, with Boca Grande and Englewood among the best beach/outdoors places in the USA. Have spent many summer vacations on the quiet beaches of Englewood/Manasota Key. Cost of living was very low when I lived there, and there's plenty to do. Though it is more of a family-oriented place and as a single young guy at the time, I was bored out of my mind. The staff when I was there was tiny, and even then the desk was universal, which I also did not enjoy as a sports guy. I got out as quickly as I could because I was fresh out of college, but this is a good smaller-shop job, and hopefully the pay is far better than what I was making back in the late 90s.

It has gotten a little better for single folk. Punta Gorda completely reinvented itself as a night spot following Hurricane Charley in 2004. As for the pay ... well ... you know ... better, but ...

 

[Tarheel316]

Absolutely agree about Punta Gorda. Would be a great place to live.

 

[PM_Obley]

Celtic Ray and the Icehouse just about make Punta Gorda worth it by themselves

 

[Riptide]

Punta Gorda used to be a Podunk town, right?
And then they rebuilt the entire town after the hurricane?

 

[BDC99]

Punta Gorda used to be a Podunk town, right?
And then they rebuilt the entire town after the hurricane?

When I was there Punta Gorda was a cool little old Florida town but it clearly has changed. I rented a 2br/2bath house for 460/mo in 1997 in Port Charlotte. Only thing I really miss.

 

[PM_Obley]

I was there just before the hurricane, then again four years after. Yes, Punta Gorda had a heckuva facelift.

 

[JV37]

I've been on staff as a sports writer here for almost two years now, so PM me if you have any questions about the job. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can about the paper/area.

 

[Bronco77]

No nicotine users need apply? That would have disqualified about 75 percent of my co-workers at my first job in the early '80s.

Can't speak for the work atmosphere there otherwise. But that's a nice part of Florida. Our shop has a content-sharing agreement with them, and the people I've dealt with have been terrific.

 

[bevo]

Place is not as cheap as it once was, like much of Florida. Expect to pay $1,000 a month for a decent place. I would guess the pay would be mid-upper $30s.

 

[micropolitan guy]

My parents live in Punta Gorda. I have enjoyed reading the Sun on my visits there. And yes. PG is much nicer since the hurricane blew out a bunch of old, broken-down crap. I like the Ice House, and have always had a soft sopt for Harpoon Harry's.