Sports Editor, DeKalb, Ill.

The Daily Chronicle, a Lee newspaper located in DeKalb, Ill., has an immediate opening for a sports editor to manage its three-person sports department.
The Chronicle covers Northern Illinois University — which boasts a top 40 NCAA Division I football program, a budding women’s basketball program and a rebuilding men’s basketball team — as well as nine high schools and a junior college. The sports editor is responsible for managing two reporters and for leading our print and online sports coverage.

The sports editor is a writing and editing position with part-time pagination responsibilities. Proficiency in QuarkXPress is required. A candidate must have a passion and vision for community sports journalism, as well as strong editing, organizational and design skills.

Qualified candidates should have five years daily newspaper experience with the demonstrated ability to write clear, concise and engaging sports stories and features. An editorial vision with the ability to communicate, coordinate and motivate is paramount.

DeKalb is a vibrant, growing Midwestern college town with just the right mix of small-town comfort and big-city amenities. DeKalb is located just 60 miles west of Chicago and is home to the 25,000-student Northern Illinois University.

This position offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits package and career progression possibilities. To apply, please send or e-mail a cover letter with your vision for building a local sports section, resume, writing samples and page designs (in PDF format if e-mailing) to:

Human Resources Department; Attn: Sports Editor Position; Daily Chronicle; 1586 Barber Greene Road; DeKalb, IL 60115. Send e-mail applications to nbanasiak@nipublishing.net.

 

I've seen a bunch of the suburban Chicago papers, but not this one. Is this one any good?

 

Haven't seen this paper in maybe 10 years. Design was brutal. Writing was disjointed. Don't know if things might have changed for the better, but friends from around the area don't speak highly of it. At least two people have emerged from there and gone on to bigger and better things: Brent Musburger and T.J. Simers both cut their journalistic teeth at the Daily Chronicle.

 

This paper's NIU coverage is pretty darn good.

 

It has to be. Who else wants to go to DeKalb?

 

Any idea on circulation, possible pay here?

 

Not sure about the pay, but I believe circulation is right around 9,000.

 

Anyone know why this job was just reposted?

 

FWIW, a certain supermodel named Cindy Crawford grew up in this community. Wish I'd been a teenager her age growing up at the same time in DeKalb. Missed opportunities, I guess.

Haven't seen the paper, but the town's pretty nice... and it's an hour or so from Chicago.

 

Anyone know anything about Lee Enterprise and how they run their newspapers?

 

I think Lee owns The Northwest Times of Indiana. Hope that doesn't open a can of worms. But I think they also own the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, which is a quality product, even though they sometimes don't give preps the proper attention. But U of A is there, so obviously the high schools take a back seat. I don't know much about the DeKalb paper but do work in Illinois and am quite aware that NIU doesn't get much coverage statewide. But you'd obviously have plenty of opportunities to get creative with a D-I school in your backyard that has some pretty nice facilites for the baskrtball teams. And there is a high interest in the football team lately since they are not going on 50-game losing streaks. Demetrius Jones (ND's opening game starter) is also headed there apparently, so that is going to be quite fun, listening to him blast the Irish.

 

Followed their stock for a class during my senior year a couple years ago. Main thing I got was I didn't want to work for them ... but really, isn't that the majority?