Sports Editor, Fergus Falls, Minn.

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal, an award-winning 8,000 circulation newspaper in the heart of west central Minnesota’s lakes country, seeks a sports editor with a passion for community sports. The Daily Journal seeks a candidate with the ability to communicate with coaches, write game stories and sports features and gather game statistics such as box scores. This is a great opportunity to live and work in a community full of outdoor recreational opportunities — including over 1,000 lakes in our county. If this is a challenge that interests you send a cover letter, resume and clips to Jeff Hage, managing editor, The Daily Journal, 914 E. Channing Ave., Fergus Falls, Minn. 56537 or by email to jeff.hage@fergusfallsjournal.com.

 

Via the Fergus Falls Daily Journal's Web site:
Circulation: 7,200
Publication dates: Monday through Friday evenings, Saturday mornings

I'm pretty sure this is a one-man show. Beautiful area of the country to live in though and the area has decent small-town preps and a mediocre juco program.

 

This is coming from a third-party source so take it with a grain of salt but...

• Fergus has gone through four SEs in the last year.
• The publisher apparently quit last Friday...and "forgot" to tell anyone at the paper.

Can anyone out there verify these things? Seems like a tough — and strange — situation right now, to say the least...

 

You're lucky to get a page to work with every day. Low pay and the editor is a different cat. I don't know if he is a bad guy, but comes off strange.

 

Any idea on the pay range?

 

I used to work for this company, but not this particular paper. I can tell you people within company always heard this was a tough place to work. Bare bones operation. It may be a good place to gain experience if you're just starting out, but this isn't a place for an experienced professional. I'd stay away unless you are desperate and really need a paycheck. Area is nice though for recreation.

 

Is it anywhere near Frostbite Falls?

Sorry - couldn't resist.

 

I would think low 20s. It's not a bad area to live if you can deal with the cold and wind, and deal with a low-paying job.

 

Do they teach you how to rob banks to make ends meet?

 

I have a friend in Fergus Falls who's talked to the editor about stories and I've heard from him several times that the guy's an idiot. I don't know how many SE's there have been, but it's common knowledge in the community that there's a high turnover rate at the paper and the editor frequently fires people.

 

So not only to you get paid peanuts, but you also get treated like crap...good luck to all on this one

 

You left out the possibility of getting fired on a daily basis for a reason other than possible layoffs/cutbacks