Sports writer, The Paris News in Paris, Texas

[Brent.Wilburn]

We have an opening for a sports writer in our two-person sports department after the recent untimely death of longtime sports editor Van Hilburn. We'll be looking to fill the position in the next few weeks since, as we all know, football season is approaching.

We're an afternoon paper Mondays-Fridays with no issue on Saturday and a morning issue on Sundays. The job includes both writing and layout (using InDesign).


Here's the job description:

The Paris News, a six-day-a-week newspaper in Northeast Texas, is looking for a sports writer to help cover 11 high schools and one junior college.

The sports writer will be responsible for covering one of Paris' two Class 3A high schools, along with assisting the sports editor in the coverage of the other area schools. The sports writer will also aid the editor in page design. Experience in InDesign is a plus. Experience in covering high school sports is also a plus, as that will be the bulk of the sports writer’s assignments.

We are constantly looking to take our sports coverage to the next level, and we are looking for someone who shares that goal. In the past year, we expanded our coverage by introducing our Sunday Sports Extra (a 10-12 page section) during football season and by publishing a 48-page commemorative magazine for our local Class 3A state softball championship team.

Our company offers opportunities for advancement and attractive health insurance benefits packages. Salary commensurate with experience.

Apply by sending a cover letter, resume, layout and writing samples to sports editor Brent Wilburn by e-mail at [email protected] or by mail at The Paris News, P.O. Box 1078, Paris, Texas.

 

[spud]

A school from Paris won a state title in softball this year. I sat next to one of their guys in Austin this year, seemed like a pretty legit dude. That's all I got.

 

[Brent.Wilburn]

Yep, that was me. That ended up being a way bigger deal around here than I ever thought it would be.

 

[jrw]

Sounds like an interesting gig - especially since I've been trying to find a way back to Texas from my current spot in the Northeast for some time now.

 

[pressboxer]

I've always found Paris to be an interesting town. It's a decent sized place (25-30K), but split among three separate school districts, which keeps the schools fairly small (Paris High and North Lamar are both just under 900 students; Class 2A Chisum is about 250).

Both Paris and North Lamar have enjoyed more success since they dropped down from Class 4A and Chisum has a history of being pretty good in basketball. I'm not sure how many area schools they keep up with now, but there's a passel of 2A and 1A schools close by and, when I was in that part of the world, they covered a handful of Oklahoma schools a well.

Paris Junior College has been pretty good in basketball, baseball and golf over the years. I always thought it was kind of a kick that PJC still has a football stadium on campus even though it dropped the sport decades ago. Paris High, just a couple of blocks south of the college, still plays its home games there.

Like most small(er) towns, the social scene may not seem like much, but there were several decent restaurants. It's right at 100 miles from Dallas, which is just close enough to make the occasional weekend trip worth the time.

Van was probably the only guy I knew who was content to spend practically his entire career here. The second spot on the staff seemed to turn over every couple of years as guys got their clips and moved on.

There are better places and there are worse places. This is the kind of job where a young guy can do and learn a lot.

 

[Brent.Wilburn]

I've always found Paris to be an interesting town. It's a decent sized place (25-30K), but split among three separate school districts, which keeps the schools fairly small (Paris High and North Lamar are both just under 900 students; Class 2A Chisum is about 250).

Both Paris and North Lamar have enjoyed more success since they dropped down from Class 4A and Chisum has a history of being pretty good in basketball. I'm not sure how many area schools they keep up with now, but there's a passel of 2A and 1A schools close by and, when I was in that part of the world, they covered a handful of Oklahoma schools a well.

Paris Junior College has been pretty good in basketball, baseball and golf over the years. I always thought it was kind of a kick that PJC still has a football stadium on campus even though it dropped the sport decades ago. Paris High, just a couple of blocks south of the college, still plays its home games there.

Like most small(er) towns, the social scene may not seem like much, but there were several decent restaurants. It's right at 100 miles from Dallas, which is just close enough to make the occasional weekend trip worth the time.

Van was probably the only guy I knew who was content to spend practically his entire career here. The second spot on the staff seemed to turn over every couple of years as guys got their clips and moved on.

There are better places and there are worse places. This is the kind of job where a young guy can do and learn a lot.

This is pretty accurate.

Nowadays we keep up with 10 football teams in the fall, as well as about seven volleyball teams. That number jumps up to 11 basketball schools (22 teams) during winter. Plus there's soccer, golf, cross country, track, etc.

Paris High had been using the football stadium at PJC, but they will be opening their brand new high school and stadium this fall.

There is definitely room to grow here for whoever is hired. I got here about two years ago and this was my first job. I've learned a lot here and there's plenty to do.

 

[LarryCathey]

As a former Paris Newsie, I have few bad things to say about this job, and nothing negative to say about the people who comprise the news room.

The split shifts certainly can wear one down at times, but it's my understanding that Brent is good people. I met him on my way out and have heard nothing but good things about this up and coming youngster.

I enjoyed my time in Paris (miniature Eiffel Tower, anyone?), and always managed to keep myself entertained. Dallas is a stone's throw away ... at least in Texas' terms. Cheap golf. Manageable cost of living. I had a nice two-story townhouse across from a park for about $550. Magel's has the best goddamned dinner rolls you'll ever eat.

The Paris News could be a destination for some and a stepping stone from others. During my year, I received three unsolicited job offers from in-state publications.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the paper, besides photographer Sam Craft, was that people cared about what I wrote. I never had to wonder if people were reading my stuff. If I wrote a column, I heard about it one way or another. To me, that's the most rewarding part of this career. I wrote a column about the lack of excitement about fans at North Lamar (one of the two main high schools) on a Tuesday. At Friday's home game, I walked in and there were signs posted around the stadium telling people to "shut Larry Cathey up." Parents brought homemade signs. I love Oregon, but I've never received any response like that here ... even though I was named best local columnist in the second-largest circulation group (shameless, shameless self promotion).

In short, the Paris News and the town it serves is what you make of it. There certainly are some racism issues, but people of all skins were generally kind.

There are a lot worse gigs out here than this one. I'm sure Brent would like to move fast since football is already in swing. Shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

[chase.colston]

Proud to say that Adam Wadsworth, an intern at my shop for the last two summers and a Texas Tech grad, was hired to work in Paris. He'll do a great job.

 

[BujuBanton]

any word on this one?

 

[KJIM]

Since 2010?

 

[Football_Bat]

Well, the job did come open again recently.

 

[lesboulez]

hired. then fired.

 

[YankeeFan]

hired. then fired.

Who? Adam Wadsworth?

Doesn't look like he was fired:

This opening was my former position. I got my start at The Paris News right out of college nearly three years ago and have been there ever since. The only reason I'm leaving now is for a non-journalism opportunity in Dallas. Brent is good people, as are the coaches and school admins you'll be working with.

 

[Tarheel316]

hired. then fired.

Would you care to elaborate?

 

[lesboulez]

it was a bad typing job by me. i left out the "you're" sorry everyone...