Sports Writer, Parkersburg, WV

[Diego Marquez]

Hot off the JJobs press:

Company: Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Position: Local Sports Writer
Location: Parkersburg, West Virginia
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: Negotiable
Ad Expires: March 22, 2007
Job ID: 738875


Description:
Local sports writer sought for the award-winning, seven-day, 38,000 circulation Parkersburg News and Sentinel to fill a vacancy created by a company promotion. The successful candidate will have strong grammar and writing skills, along with a love of youth, high school and college sports. A bachelor's degree in journalism or a related field is required. The newspaper offers the opportunity to learn and advance, along with paid vacation, sick leave, medical benefits, a 401(k) plan, etc. Send resume and writing samples to James C. Smith, executive editor, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, 401 Juliana St., Parkersburg, W.Va. 26101 or e-mail [email protected].

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Odgen.

Ballgame.

 

[sportschick]

Ahhhh, Parkersburg. The big metropolis to a girl from super-rural Southeast Ohio (otherwise known as Northern W.Va.). Many fond memories.

That's about all I've got. I don't remember a damned thing about the paper.

Oh, and Napoli's pizza (if it still exists) had the best subs . . . yummie!

 

[SportsHack1818]

This could out me, but so be it ...

After I graduated from college, I tried out for the independent pro baseball team in Parkersburg. I was cut, saw the people they decided to keep, decided to stay in town because I knew there would be a good chance they'd change their mind, and caught on as a news reporter at the paper in town (at that time there were two, and I'll be honest, I can't remember if it was the morning or the afternoon).

Three weeks later, the baseball team came calling and I went and enjoyed my final two months in the sun. When it was over, the paper came back and offered me a full-time sports writing position at a whopping $7 an hour. For a boy from the West Coast, that wasn't going to cut it.

Now, to be fair, this was almost a decade ago, so I'd assume pay has increased somewhat. The staff at that time skewed to the "experienced" side, so I don't know how many people would be left. The technology was bad, but again, in 10 years time it's likely to have improved. The sports staff did cover WVU, and Parkersburg High had a very good high school sports program, or at least I was told, given I was there in the summer and din't have any first-hand knowledge.

As for Parkersburg, if anyone has any questions, I'd be glad to offer what I know at your request.

 

[Taylee]

Friend turned down a job there a while back because of low pay and high cost of insurance.
Depends on who moved up, but I wouldn't go thinking you'll hop into the WVU beats.
Grew up north of Parkersburg on the blue and gold side. If you'll cover preps, they aren't bad with P High and South. P Catholic is a throw-in for coverage.
Williamstown, just up the road, has a great Italian restaurant, though.
Often see the paper. Still amazed they have a circ. of 38,000.

 

[Orange Hat Bobcat]

Worked as a stringer for the News & Sentinel during my junior and senior years at Ohio University. Covered Ohio football and men's basketball, worked my way from gamers and advances, to notebooks and features ... to outta town. And I never stepped foot in the newsroom.

But I loved working for the paper, if only because Dave Poe gave me a shot and let me write a bit. Didn't get a whole lot of guidance, but I got my first real professional experience outside of internships and the student paper. Wouldn't have traded those two years for anything.

PM me if you want a bit of information. Can't promise I've got a lot, but I'll tell you what I know.

 

[Pops]

This could out me, but so be it ...

After I graduated from college, I tried out for the independent pro baseball team in Parkersburg. I was cut, saw the people they decided to keep, decided to stay in town because I knew there would be a good chance they'd change their mind, and caught on as a news reporter at the paper in town (at that time there were two, and I'll be honest, I can't remember if it was the morning or the afternoon).

Three weeks later, the baseball team came calling and I went and enjoyed my final two months in the sun. When it was over, the paper came back and offered me a full-time sports writing position at a whopping $7 an hour. For a boy from the West Coast, that wasn't going to cut it.

Now, to be fair, this was almost a decade ago, so I'd assume pay has increased somewhat. The staff at that time skewed to the "experienced" side, so I don't know how many people would be left. The technology was bad, but again, in 10 years time it's likely to have improved. The sports staff did cover WVU, and Parkersburg High had a very good high school sports program, or at least I was told, given I was there in the summer and din't have any first-hand knowledge.

As for Parkersburg, if anyone has any questions, I'd be glad to offer what I know at your request.

I think this is how the average Joe figures most guys get into sports writing. Great story.

 

[wickedwritah]

Odgen.

Ballgame.

Far worse companies out there to work for, trust me.

 

[sportschick]

Odgen.

Ballgame.

Far worse companies out there to work for, trust me.

Shall we start? Hagadone, CNHI, JRC . . .

 

[sports scrub]

small Gannett paper

 

[wickedwritah]

Look, I have worked for so-called "better" companies that haven't supported the editorial operation anywhere near the way Ogden does. Ogden papers at least stock their supply cabinets, don't eff around with payroll and budgets and will sign off on overtime when it is needed, and they'll treat their people decently with time off and vacation policies. Again, there are far worse work environments than at Ogden rags.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Odgen.

Ballgame.

Far worse companies out there to work for, trust me.

Shall we start? Hagadone, CNHI, JRC . . .

Don't forget Paxton.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Not denying any of that, but Odgen is still from all account a miserable chain for which to work. Got offered $15,000 at one of its papers in 2001. I'm fairly sure the computers and I were the same age. I'd be willing to bet they're still offering in the mid-teens at some of their holdings.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Interviewed at an Ogden paper once (about 25-30K circ.). Starting pay was about 28K. Didn't get the position, but it didn't seem horrible to work for. Fairly new office and the equipment wasn't ancient.

But each paper could be different.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

My interview was a 15K evening paper in a town where they also had a 20K morning paper. Cost of living, to be fair, was pretty low, but still.

Maybe they've upgraded the equipment, but it seemed like last time I saw an opening at an Ogden paper, they weren't paying well. Like you said, though, each paper could be different.

 

[wickedwritah]

(Maybe I'm outing myself, but whatev.)

MM, sometimes the pay ain't worth the hassles. I'd rather not have to make a decision at all, of course, but: Would you rather work for a company that pays a couple grand more and sends down corporate edicts every five minutes about "real life. real news," cuts budgets the second it loses 1 percent of ad revenue and bends over backward to be a pain in the ass when it can, or a paper that lets local people do its own thing and provided a decent amount of support from up on high? Look, money is important, trust me. But I have been on both sides of the fence, and I have found myself happier after taking a pay cut.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Wicked: all that is understood, and I doubt seriously I'd be comfortable in a newsroom environment created by, say, Gannett. But Odgen has, at a good number of its publications from what I understand, pay poverty wages. In my case, the city is Wheeling, W. Va. Pretty little town, framed by the Ohio River to the west and mountains to the east. And I was on the verge of taking the job. But while money can't buy you love or happiness, $15,000 a year makes experiencing both a tall, tall task.

 

[wickedwritah]

Agree, MM. There has to be some basic, living wage. You couldn't even live on $15,000 in BFE, W.Va.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Amazing that they publish Grit and the Utne Reader...

When I was in college I freelanced at home for an Ogden paper in Ohio. Bad, bad scene. No upside at all.
(But it's fun to go to my old paper and laugh at the stuff that the knuckleheads who work there produce. The current SE is a religious, johnny fairplay goofball and his columns always inspire a chuckle or two.)