This is a new position being created amid some interesting changes in the building, the most notable being the move of former news editor Ossie Bladine (of the Bladine family that owns the paper) into the position of editor. His father, Jeb, remains the publisher. The chief operating officer is retiring in the fall. A reporter who recently began covering the county will be news editor (and part-time city reporter), and a N-R veteran will take the county beat. The managing editor, Steve Bagwell, remains in the role -- and as HandsomeHarley said, he's one of the best. Bagwell's a tireless worker who knows the business and has teaching credentials at several area colleges, including Oregon State and Linfield. He's experienced in working with young reporters.
For potential applicants, let me not bury the lede: If you can shoot photos, or paginate, or turn around video quickly, or have a good handle on multitasking (especially in terms of being able to balance print and Web work), you'll move to the top of the stack. If you can do all of the above, you're likely the first who'll get an interview (and possibly the last).
You cannot be allergic to hard work.
You'll have to accept that not everything you write will win an award, and you'll need to be fast -- as well as versatile in juggling assignments for sports and for the various specialty publications (which are being emphasized like never before). A creative thinker will mesh these responsibilities well into a routine you'll likely be able to largely carve out yourself, as this is a new position for which there are no precedents and few preconceived notions.
This hire will be a shot in the arm for the sports department, which has had roughly a handful of part-time staffers on a 1.5-man staff in the past two years, with much of that turnover coming in the past year. The sports section is a lot of work for a two-person staff, and it's a beast for one or 1.5, so Mr. Husseman (who has been at the paper for approximately one year) will be overjoyed to see this new position filled. He's got good ideas that can only be better served by having some help.
There is always plenty going on in the sports world to cover, including Linfield, which has recent national championships in baseball and softball (and 10 years ago, in football). The football program has the NCAA all-division record for most consecutive winning seasons, a streak that's alive at 58 seasons and counting. Scott Brosius is the head baseball coach there, and if there's a World Series MVP who won't big-time you, it's Brosius. The running scene in Oregon speaks for itself, and Linfield has had national champion performances in track and field in recent years. If someone is on the job by then, one of the first assignments is likely to be the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, an event that's growing every year and is fun to cover. Sports information director Kelly Bird and senior woman administrator Katherine Brackmann are always happy to help with Linfield access, info and more.
New district alignments in Oregon high school athletics will shake things up a bit in terms of coverage of McMinnville High (the top prep beat) and nearby rivals Amity and Dayton, to name two others in the circulation area. Also, the addition of football at George Fox University (in Newberg, which is also in Yamhill County) adds an interesting twist, as the school is a league rival of Linfield. Then you have your weekend warriors and your quirky sports stories, and once a year you'll have a chance to find a good local angle on the Civil War football game between the Ducks and Beavers. If you like researching historical pieces, the McMinnville High School Sports Hall of Fame inductions each spring will give you plenty to chase.
HandsomeHarley is right about the lack of turnover in the newsroom (what little there is usually happens in sports), and one of the reasons is it's a great place with a family atmosphere, with good people who work hard and care about each other and the newspaper. Third Street is one of the most fun downtown streets you'll find in a small town, and in fact, it's one of two finalists in Parade's Best Main Street in America competition:
http://parade.condenast.com/308534/parade/wheres-the-best-main-street-in-america-vote-in-our-tournament/
More info on downtown here: http://www.downtownmcminnville.com/news
You won't cover the Blazers or the Ducks or the Beavers, but if you're creative enough to find a story with a local angle involving those teams, you're pitch will be considered with an open mind. The paper's mission, though, is local, local, local. People can get national and regional news from other sources, but in terms of Yamhill County coverage, the News-Register is it.
Circling back to a theme from earlier: This is a new position, and if you can come in and make it your own, make it work and do good work, you'll make everyone else's life a lot easier (read: you've got a better than decent chance of taking a large role in writing your own job description). That being said, be prepared that if things aren't going in the right direction, you'll be asked to tweak how you do things. But nobody will say, "The last person who had your job did it like this." It's a clean start.
If you love wine (especially pinot), this is a great place to be. Oregon Wine Press is published out of the same building, and there's a good chance you'll go home with a free bottle of wine if you're in the right place at the right time (after one of the tastings for an upcoming issue).
If you're interested in the slightest, don't waste time mulling. The school sports year starts in less than a month, and I'm sure they'd like to get someone in place sooner rather than later.
Oh, and maybe I did bury the lede: a newspaper that's adding a position? That's great news.
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