Sports Reporter - Wakefield, RI - Cumputer experience needed

sgreenwell · Mar 1, 2013

From the Craiglists posting here: http://providence.craigslist.org/wri/3612904471.html

Southern Rhode Island Newspapers is looking for a full time sports reporter to join our team. Assignments will include covering local sporting events, writing game stories, taking photographs for our newspapers and websites and page layout and design. Experience with Quark and Mac cumputers is desired.

Southern Rhode Island Newspapers is the publisher of The Narragansett Times, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Coventry Courier, The Chariho Times and the Kent County Daily Times.

Note 1: As you can see, that ad has been posted since mid-February and they haven't felt the need to edit out the typo, in case you believe in omens about things.

Note 2: At least three people on this board have held this job, and I've freelanced for them here and there.

Note 3: It's not mentioned in the ad, but the pay is probably around $20,000 a year. I think it normally starts around $10 an hour, with mileage for travel, although maybe it's up to $12 an hour nowadays. In either case, there is an 11 p.m. curfew now in effect - If you're not done by 11, then they don't want you working past that, and they do expect you to wake up in the mornings to do layout instead.

Note 4: This is a pretty wretched hive of scum and villainy, and not in the fun way. The news product put out by every paper in the chain is horrible, a news editor was recently promoted upward for no good reason, anyone decent at the chain has either been fired or left for better jobs, and the majority of the current staff is either 1) good people desperately looking to get out or 2) misfit toys that have bounced around and/or been fired by every other place in Rhode Island.

Note 5: Despite all of the previous facts, they've allegedly already gotten about tons of applicants for said open job.

Baron Scicluna · Mar 1, 2013

sgreenwell said:
From the Craiglists posting here: http://providence.craigslist.org/wri/3612904471.html

Southern Rhode Island Newspapers is looking for a full time sports reporter to join our team. Assignments will include covering local sporting events, writing game stories, taking photographs for our newspapers and websites and page layout and design. Experience with Quark and Mac cumputers is desired.

Southern Rhode Island Newspapers is the publisher of The Narragansett Times, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Coventry Courier, The Chariho Times and the Kent County Daily Times.

Click to expand...

Note 1: As you can see, that ad has been posted since mid-February and they haven't felt the need to edit out the typo, in case you believe in omens about things.

Note 2: At least three people on this board have held this job, and I've freelanced for them here and there.

Note 3: It's not mentioned in the ad, but the pay is probably around $20,000 a year. I think it normally starts around $10 an hour, with mileage for travel, although maybe it's up to $12 an hour nowadays. In either case, there is an 11 p.m. curfew now in effect - If you're not done by 11, then they don't want you working past that, and they do expect you to wake up in the mornings to do layout instead.

Note 4: This is a pretty wretched hive of scum and villainy, and not in the fun way. The news product put out by every paper in the chain is horrible, a news editor was recently promoted upward for no good reason, anyone decent at the chain has either been fired or left for better jobs, and the majority of the current staff is either 1) good people desperately looking to get out or 2) misfit toys that have bounced around and/or been fired by every other place in Rhode Island.

Note 5: Despite all of the previous facts, they've allegedly already gotten about tons of applicants for said open job.

Those applicants probably think they're going to get laid by a computer. Well, sounds like they'll get ****ed either way.

Rhody31 · Mar 1, 2013

Anyone have questions, PM me.
Actually, don't. I have nothing good to say except the schools you cover are filled with good kids and good people. Parents can be kind of douchey, but there are more good ones than bad ones.
Expect to work 50 hours and get paid for 40. No overtime, even during playoffs.
Expect to be micromanaged by managing editor who has little idea of what he's doing and thinks the best way to cover sports is to not cover sports.
Expect to be micro-micro managed by a publisher who was in charge of a floundering ads department and is the publisher because she happened to be the next in line.
If you think this is a good first stop, it's not. You won't be able to work and live on your own. Rent in the area is ridiculous unless you have a few roommates. Forget a second job, because you're in the office Monday Tuesday and Wednesday and have games on Fridays and Saturdays.
You'll get antiquated equipment to work with and have no boss. If you want to learn how to be a better reporter, you won't do it here. The only award-winning writers the paper had have been terminated, quit because the managing editor thinks he's a genius, and demoted from an editing position before leaving the company.
But yeah, other than that, it's pretty good times there.

terrier · Mar 1, 2013

While I never held this particular position (did sports freelance before going full-time to news and eventually getting turfed), I can vouch for just about everything Rhody31 says. I got to a better place nearby, but am still close enough to the situation to watch the blood spurt from the turned screws.

Football_Bat · Mar 4, 2013

The buttons keep sticking for some reason.

Untitled · Mar 7, 2013

Rhody31 said:
Anyone have questions, PM me.
Actually, don't. I have nothing good to say except the schools you cover are filled with good kids and good people. Parents can be kind of douchey, but there are more good ones than bad ones.
Expect to work 50 hours and get paid for 40. No overtime, even during playoffs.
Expect to be micromanaged by managing editor who has little idea of what he's doing and thinks the best way to cover sports is to not cover sports.
Expect to be micro-micro managed by a publisher who was in charge of a floundering ads department and is the publisher because she happened to be the next in line.
If you think this is a good first stop, it's not. You won't be able to work and live on your own. Rent in the area is ridiculous unless you have a few roommates. Forget a second job, because you're in the office Monday Tuesday and Wednesday and have games on Fridays and Saturdays.
You'll get antiquated equipment to work with and have no boss. If you want to learn how to be a better reporter, you won't do it here. The only award-winning writers the paper had have been terminated, quit because the managing editor thinks he's a genius, and demoted from an editing position before leaving the company.
But yeah, other than that, it's pretty good times there.

Sounds like my shop. Yikes.