Sports Writer, LaGrange Ga.

The LaGrange Daily News, a daily newspaper about 60 miles south of Atlanta, is seeking a sports writer to join a two-person staff. LaGrange is a growing city located on West Point Lake. There are four primary high schools we cover, as well as a college that is preparing for its second football season. Candidates should have a strong writing background and be able to generate story ideas. Paginating experience is beneficial. Email resume and three to five writing clips to Kevin Eckleberry at keckleberry@lagrangenews.com, or mail to P.O.box 929, LaGrange, Ga., 30241.

 

I'm the one leaving here. This is a great place to get some clips and watch some good prep sports. PM me if you want any details.

 

I'm the sports editor in LaGrange, and I'd be happy to answer any questions about the position. Just let me know.

 

Is there a Mike Cameron feature every week?

 

This is an excellent starting point for anybody fresh out of school. The preps are outstanding and the community is excellent. Rents are cheap, a plus for those who just got out of school.

Kevin, for those who don't know him, is a great guy to work for.

 

I want to say that Kevin has been great, and it was a tough choice to leave the field. If you want to get better as a writer, there are far worse places you go. Kevin gives you a lot of freedom. This is also a PM paper M-F, and a morning paper on Saturday and Sunday. Get used to a few split shifts during most of the year.

FYI, the paper was just sold to a new owner about three weeks ago, so there could be some changes. The new ownership group is Heartland Publications. I don't know anything about them.
Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

 

Sense of impending doom...

 

Heartland has a rep as being really cheap. I have a friend who is the SE of a small daily in that chain and they stiffed him good. He got an offer at another paper, they countered, he stayed and then they reneged. Real nice.

I'm sure LaGrange is a good gig. But for those of you who are at AMs - and that's probably a vast majority - it's a whole different animal. I'm the SE of a North Carolina PM so I know. I grab sleep whenever I can, usually during the day. It can be a real challenge to cover a game at night and then come in at 6 a.m. to lay out the section. Couldn't do it without caffeine.

 

Aside from thoughts on ownership, LaGrange is a great area with plenty to cover, especially in the football department. But I don't know how to handle a PM. That is like bizarro world to me.

 

An afternoon paper is a different animal. I personally prefer it because I like being at home with my family at night. I also do the majority of my writing at home, and the sports writer does the same thing. If it's a particularly late night I'll usually have the writer come in later (around 9 a.m.) or not at all. Basically, there's a lot less time spent at the office, which suits me fine. As for the change in ownership, I don't anticipate any changes in the newsroom. The newspaper as a whole will see some changes, with some folks whose job descriptions are hard to define (see Office Space) likely to get the heave-ho. I've got my meeting with the two Bobs Tuesday morning.

 

"You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy. It's that I just don't care."

 

Uh-oh ... After what they destroyed in Mount Airy, N.C., you may have gotten out at a good time.

NOTHING against Kevin ... I've heard nothing but good things about him (Hello, Kevin!). But for a good man like Tarheel316 to say that about Heartland should tell you all one needs to know about that company.

I hope everything goes well for Kevin, and Mount Airy ends up being an exception. But fair warning if it isn't ...