Sports editor, Rome, GA.

[Clever username]

Company: Rome News-Tribune
Position: Seeking tech-savvy motivated Sports Editor
Location: Rome, Georgia
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Ad Expires: September 29, 2008
Job ID: 190453
Website: http://www.romenews-tribune.com


Description:
Daily newspaper in Northwest Georgia seeking an inspiring Sports Editor to head up our sports and recreation coverage. We cover local pro, college and prep sports as well as local youth and recreation leagues for both our print and online editions. We keep our web site up to the minute with local sports news and are ahead of the curve in multimedia coverage with our biweekly Gridiron Central video show produced in our new high-tech studio as well as comprehensive video coverage. This a sports-rich community that embraces our comprehensive sports coverage. The sports editor -- a player-coach position -- leads the department of writers and copyeditors, must be proficient in layout and design (InDesign), must be a strong writer and line editor and must be diligent in keeping the web site sports news up to date. A bachelor's degree in journalism or related field is required with at least three years of newspaper experience preferred. Multimedia storytelling experience is a plus. About 100,000 people live within the Seven Hills of Rome, enjoying its three rivers, local nightlife and affordable living. Rome is a scenic city an hour from both Atlanta and Chattanooga. The city boasts a thriving arts community, is home to four small colleges, hosts a minor league baseball team and is a healthcare hub. We are a privately owned paper. No Wall Street interference here. We have vibrant print and web editions and a newsroom that's like working in a loft in a historic factory. Send resume and clips to Executive Editor Charlotte Atkins at Rome News- Tribune, P.O. Box 1633, Rome, GA 30161 or e-mail [email protected].

 

[Clever username]

Isn't this Deliverance country?

 

[heyuimintojsus]

Anyone knows where Jim O'Hara's going since this is/was his position?

 

[SixToe]

No, Deliverance country is about four hours east.

 

[John]

Nothing like Deliverance country, but then Deliverance country is just a part of metro Atlanta now.

Rome's a nice place. My mom's from there so I've been plenty, though it has been a few years and I haven't been to the Rome Braves' stadium yet.

 

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Anyone knows where Jim O'Hara's going since this is/was his position?

I was going to say...

If Jim is gone or moving upstairs, that's HUGE news up that way.

 

[dixiehack]

Retiring. Looks like I'll have to head that way soon and buy my favorite Irishman a round.

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news921399.html

I will say this, I doubt the next sports editor there will be able to deflect nearly as much upper management bull**** as Jim was able to do.

Anyone wants details, feel free to PM.

 

[prhack]

Retiring. Looks like I'll have to head that way soon and buy my favorite Irishman a round.

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news921399.html

I will say this, I doubt the next sports editor there will be able to deflect nearly as much upper management bull**** as Jim was able to do.

Anyone wants details, feel free to PM.

Ditto what Dixiehack said here. I spoke with the Big Irishman recently, and after 20 years at the RN-T (and 30 years in the business), I think he finally reached his limit. No plans as of yet, but I'm sure he'll be okay.

Dixiehack's been there since I have, but I might be able to provide some insight into this one as well.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

As places to live go -- and I've had my share of stops -- Rome is pretty good. State Mutual Stadium ain't a bad place to take in a game, and you're short drives from Atlanta, Chattanooga and the mountains. Deliverance country is the other side of the state.

 

[prhack]

As places to live go -- and I've had my share of stops -- Rome is pretty good. State Mutual Stadium ain't a bad place to take in a game, and you're short drives from Atlanta, Chattanooga and the mountains. Deliverance country is the other side of the state.

Agree with Novelist. Rome is located midway between Atlanta and Chattanooga. It's off the interstate (about 25 miles), which has allowed it to develop and retain its own identity. Nice mix of restaurants and bars in the downtown area, and there's a pretty good arts community as well. State Mutual (home of the Rome Braves) is a great minor league baseball facility. Two private colleges in town, along with a two-year state school and a technical college. One of the private colleges (Shorter) has football. The other (Berry) boasts the world's largest college campus (26,000 acres), making it great for biking, hiking, etc. Two major regional medical centers. Great high school sports.

Job notes: In the past, reporters at the RN-T have had the opportunity to cover the Big-Boy Braves and major college sports (re: UGA and Ga. Tech) on occasion. Major focus is high school, especially in the fall. Rome Braves also get heavy coverage through the summer months (before the Braves got there, it was mostly sports camps, the local golf tour and, gulp, Dizzy Dean Baseball). Several golf courses in the area, and tennis is a big focus as well. RN-T has really good relations with one of the local radio stations, so it's entirely possible you'll find yourself doing color on a football game (they are always happy to share a head-set).

Every community has its flaws, but as small towns go, you'll find far worse.

Feel free to PM for more info.

 

[Georgiaguy]

Well first off, let me say that Jim will really be missed as he was one of the few left that could deflect the meddling from above.
I once worked for one of the small weeklies in this family owned chain as the sports editor, so I understand much of what is going on in this shop.
Jim is a class act guy, he always had time to help me and his suggestions turned me into at least a passable sports writer. He was always there and even though he could not always help me out, he always tried.
Now for the job, Rome has plenty of high schools (6) and two colleges that play NAIA sports. The newspaper sponsors a holiday basketball tournament and has forever, so as sports editor you will be in charge of running that. In the past this area was a hotbed of high school football and some very good players and teams have come from there, but while the area is not bad now, it is not what it once was.
You will also have the Rome Braves the Single A team of the Atlanta Braves, along with a lot of youth sports, baseball, soccer and all the USTA tennis and local golf you can handle.
The community has all the stories you could ever want to cover.
I could write a novel on why not to work for these people though. They are not as bad as Marietta, but they have chased a lot of good people out of the business by the way they handle things. If you want a chance to step up and run your own section, DO NOT let them con you into taking this job because you will never have control of your section the way you want to.
PM me if you want more information.
BTW, this is my hometown paper.

 

[TheEck]

Jim is one of my favorite people in this business, and I hate to see him go. I know I learned a lot in the two years I worked with him. It's a really huge loss for that community. As for Rome, it's a really nice place to live. Plenty to do, and it has a Sonny's Bar-B-Q which cranks it up a few pegs in my book.

 

[Daniel Shirley]

This is another big loss for our state. Jim is a great guy and ran a good section. Good luck, Jim.

 

[I'll never tell]

This area really does have some nice golf courses, if you're into that sort of thing.

The paper (as a whole, not sports), though, is crap.

I picked it up after playing 18 on the way through the town and was shocked. I just always assumed that it would be a decent sized rag. Not the case.

With all the commerce that town has (not to mention the small towns around it) the paper in no way reflected it. In their defense, they throw a lot of attention to the online stuff, but let's be honest ... this is still deep south, rural education demographics. I would say probably 40 percent of your hardcore followers are still on dial up, if they've even got internet at all. (I'm from the same kind of town, so I'm not bashing.)

I respect them for trying, they're just misplacing their efforts.

If anything, they should go heavy on internet Braves' single-A for all the Bravo junkies in other parts of the state and region, and keep preps to a print-first endeavor.

I do not envy the person that will be forced to juggle both. You do however have a lot of college kids in the town to use as stringers. In that past, that's what they've done with Berry and Shorter kids.

 

[Brookerton]

Sorry to hear Jim is leaving the SE spot. He always helped us out in sharing stories and photos.
As far as Rome, it's a nice city, but don't get it twisted. It's not close or easy to get to Atlanta from there. It's a nice place to raise a family, but if you like to go out and have a good time Rome is not the best place. The night life is pretty dull.
They have pretty good HS sports teams. I think Rome HS is probably the best all around. Of course having a minor league team in the town is a plus. They used to have indoor football, but I believe that faded away.

 

[bigbadeagle]

Without Jim, who is going to be the biggest cheater at the GSWA golf outing now?

 

[prhack]

Sorry to hear Jim is leaving the SE spot. He always helped us out in sharing stories and photos.
As far as Rome, it's a nice city, but don't get it twisted. It's not close or easy to get to Atlanta from there. It's a nice place to raise a family, but if you like to go out and have a good time Rome is not the best place. The night life is pretty dull.
They have pretty good HS sports teams. I think Rome HS is probably the best all around. Of course having a minor league team in the town is a plus. They used to have indoor football, but I believe that faded away.

Regarding the drive to Atlanta, it really depends on your definition of "close" and "easy." If you are heading south toward I-75, it's a 30-minute drive to Cartersville via four-lane to hit the interstate, then 40 miles to downtown. I've made the drive many times and never found it to be particularly hard. On a good day, it shouldn't take you much more than an hour and 15 minutes. If traffic is bad, you'd better pack a lunch :)

Indoor football has indeed faded. The team was decently successful, but it never really found its niche.