Sports reporter, Wayzata, Minn.

[Jay Sherman]

PART TIME

From JJobs: http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=744043

The Lakeshore Weekly News seeks an experienced, independent journalist to work approximately 30 hours per week as a sports reporter. The successful candidate should have a four-year degree in journalism or a related field and should have newsroom experience. The reporter will attend and report on high school athletic events in five school districts as well as develop and write features about residents involved in sports. The right individual will be someone who can report on sports more creatively than writing typical game stories. Send cover letter, resume and clips to Brett Stursa, 1001 Twelve Oaks Center Dr., Ste. 1017, Wayzata, MN 55391 or e-mail [email protected].

 

[deskslave]

So they want an educated, experienced, reasonably talented professional, and they want to employ this person part-time. Fabulous.

 

[Kevin Morales]

So they want an educated, experienced, reasonably talented professional, and they want to employ this person part-time. Fabulous.

They already have a sports editor, they're just looking for someone to help on the side. That kind of setup is pretty common for weekly papers like this.

I met Brett (a woman, BTW) while I interned at this paper in college. She was, and I'm sure still is, very genuine and easy to work with. There are good HS sports to cover in the area, as well. Kris Humphries, who I believe plays for the Utah Jazz, went to school at Hopkins. Haven't followed it too closely lately, but I remember the area producing a lot of college-calibur athletes.

 

[slappy4428]

My parents get that paper, so write good...

 

[deskslave]

So they want an educated, experienced, reasonably talented professional, and they want to employ this person part-time. Fabulous.

They already have a sports editor, they're just looking for someone to help on the side. That kind of setup is pretty common for weekly papers like this.

I met Brett (a woman, BTW) while I interned at this paper in college. She was, and I'm sure still is, very genuine and easy to work with. There are good HS sports to cover in the area, as well. Kris Humphries, who I believe plays for the Utah Jazz, went to school at Hopkins. Haven't followed it too closely lately, but I remember the area producing a lot of college-calibur athletes.

Doesn't matter what role they're looking to fill. My point was that they want someone with experience and a four-year degree to fill a part-time position, one that I'm guessing has hours crappy enough to make holding down another job awfully difficult.

And I've never been impressed with the "famous athlete went to school here" meme, because once-in-a-generation athletes tend to be just that, not to mention it shouldn't affect the job status, pay, etc., at all.

 

[Twinkilling]

My parents get that paper, so write good...

I hear that Fenian's pub is the No. 1 Irish pub in Michigan.

And it's write well.

 

[Twinkilling]

Hmm, the more I think about it, the more tempting this job is. I mean, I graduated from the University of Minnesota, I grew up there, why NOT cash in my career chips to write features about the local tennis team? I write good.

 

[Stitch]

I guess the Humphries fan really has kept up with his career since he hasn't played for the Jazz for at least two seasons.

Instead of selling me on the fact that some NBA reserve grew up in the area, I want to write about the high school star who is working at Wal-Mart and talking about how one bad play ruined his life.

 

[slappy4428]

My parents get that paper, so write good...

I hear that Fenian's pub is the No. 1 Irish pub in Michigan.

And it's write well.

Write good was deliberate, thank you. And I have no idea where Fenian's Pub is. it's not about a bar, it's about a lost soul.

 

[Twinkilling]

And I have no idea where Fenian's Pub is. it's not about a bar, it's about a lost soul.
[/quote]

I really have no idea how to respond to that. Go Twins.

 

[Kevin Morales]

I guess the Humphries fan really has kept up with his career since he hasn't played for the Jazz for at least two seasons.

Instead of selling me on the fact that some NBA reserve grew up in the area, I want to write about the high school star who is working at Wal-Mart and talking about how one bad play ruined his life.

Definitely not a Kris Humphries fan and have not followed his career after Minnesota.

You guys need to relax. The only reason I mentioned it was to point out there are usually good teams in the area, including one standout athlete a couple years back. Didn't say it should impress anybody or affect the job status, pay, etc., at all.

And there are newsrooms all over the country that have experienced reporters with four-year degrees working part time.

 

[Cosmo]

Tim Herron was nicknamed "Lumpy" after on his first day of work at a golf course in Wayzata, Minn. Sorry, that's all I've got.

 

[ServeItUp]

There's lots of money out in this part of The Cities, so you could say the athletes you'll cover are the best money can buy. More than likely they want someone from the area; then again, who would move from beyond a day's drive away for a part-time gig?

 

[big green wahoo]

Actually, given that I want to move back to the Cities, I would take it. And I live at least two solid days drive away.

Brett's clearly against that idea, however. It is certainly her choice and heaven knows I'm not God's gift to the industry, but it's depressing to be given the cold shoulder simply because I'm not a local.

Let the flaming about my being a whiner begin.

 

[slappy4428]

Actually, given that I want to move back to the Cities, I would take it. And I live at least two solid days drive away.

Brett's clearly against that idea, however. It is certainly her choice and heaven knows I'm not God's gift to the industry, but it's depressing to be given the cold shoulder simply because I'm not a local.

Let the flaming about my being a whiner begin.

Did you try selling her on how much you'd love to move back and her paper would be a solid fit -- someone who loves the area (and can't afford to live in Wayzata) and can do the job?

 

[big green wahoo]

I did, but the sense i got was that she was worried I'd either get there and be ticked off at the so-called ``low level'' of the work or that I'd wind up in financial straits and then bail.

The truth is that I get excited about covering games and finding feature material even if it's on the Little League beat and my wife makes good money in another field and can relocate within that field pretty easily. But when all folks know of you is what you send them on paper, it's tough to get other things across.

You do the best to sell yourself and then try not to have any regrets. But I'm still surprised at the number of shops that don't even bother to send back a form letter that says they got your resume and clips.

Ah well, my family can pay its bills. The true worry is for folks in this biz who are getting kicked to the curb every day and may not be able to pay their own.

 

[slappy4428]

tell her you're in for the long haul. It's not like your going to the Strib or PiPress with their cutbacks...

 

[Stitch]

Maybe she's worried that someone is a little too excited to jump at a part-time gig that's a two day's drive from where you're at.

It's a job for some local kid that doesn't want to flip burgers.

 

[zeke12]

Maybe she's worried that someone is a little too excited to jump at a part-time gig that's a two day's drive from where you're at.

It's a job for some local kid that doesn't want to flip burgers.

And who has a four-year degree in journalism?

Funk dat.