Sports Reporter, Detroit News

This is sufficiently vague.

http://apsportseditors.org/jobs-internships/help-wanted/sports-reporter/

The Detroit News is seeking an experienced sports reporter to join its award-winning department. The News covers four major professional teams, two major universities, several mid-major and lower-division universities and more than 200 high schools.

The successful candidate must show excellent news judgment and understand where traditional print fits into the mix with multi-platform sports journalism – breaking news online, maintaining a highly successful blog, and successfully integrating multiple social networking tools as a normal part of the daily routine.

We’re looking for creative, energetic candidates who will bring innovative ideas into our coverage areas and provide solid enterprise and investigative reporting.

Interested candidates should contact Sports Editor Ruben Luna at (313) 223-4642 or ruben.luna@detnews.com.

The Detroit News, published Monday through Saturday, is in the Denver-based MediaNews Group and is an equal opportunity employer.

 

So, who left?

 

Hmm...I know Dana Wakiji left to join Fox Sports Detroit, but I've no idea if this is her old position or not. She'd been, among other things, the backup Red Wings writer. She left before the playoffs began.

 

Rumor is this job is centered on the Michigan State beat -- which would be interesting, considering Eric Lacy has held the job for quite some time, and there wasn't any indication he was moving on. Although it isn't unheard of for the News to shuffle reporters to new beats -- major restructuring happened about two years ago.

 

With the News, anything is possible. Other than Tom Gage, I wouldn't be surprised if they shifted anyone anywhere.

 

What does this mean? I am not in the know about this paper but am wondering what, exactly, this references.

 

Though I won't be applying for this job (way out of my league), was wondering what people on the board know about the News, particularly after the cut back in printing days. Are they three days a week now? Is it working? How is the newsroom/company looking?

 

They're going back to the seven days, albeit with independent contractors working the home delivery.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/7-day-newspaper-delivery-back-in-some-areas-20100623-wpms

 

The News has had a rough couple of years. The other paper in town, the Free Press, has always had the upper hand (and higher circulation), and about three years ago they became the exclusive Sunday edition in town. Both papers cut back on printing, and home delivery is limited to Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with much smaller editions Saturday and Monday-Wednesday. Although they're now going back to the seven-day delivery, the failed experiment cost the company tons of subscribers and tons of cash.

As for staff, buyouts hit sports hard in 2008-2009, and with the remaining staff (except for the Tigers guys, Lynn Henning and Tom Gage), beats were shuffled to much protest. We're talking Red Wings guy put on Pistons, GA guy to Red Wings, Pistons guy to GA, preps guy to colleges... the whole nine yards.

At least there are still four professional sports teams in town to cover (if you count the Lions), two great colleges and a good preps scene. The sports side of the situation isn't lacking -- it's ownership and the instability of knowing how much longer Detroit can stay a two-newspaper town. Everyone knows if one goes, it's not the Freep.

 

I agree with sayyestomi - I'm guessing that in five years, tops, The Detroit News will cease to exist. I just don't see both surviving, and the Freep is the dominant half of the JOA.

Hell, both papers already are in the same building, albeit different entrances. The business/printing operations are shared. How long can both keep making a go of it, especially since the papers are so thin? The News doesn't even bring in Sunday revenue - it gets one op-ed page in the Freep.

I'd say go for this job if you're willing to roll the dice. The News is a good paper, just on very shaky financial ground.

I hope The News doesn't fail, but I just don't see it surviving.

 

Others have touched on most of the points, but just for clarification sake.

It was NEVER three days a week. It was three day a week DELIVERY. You could still get the paper six days per week at stores.

 

As a former employee who loved working at the News and developed a friendly rivalry with the Freep, I think Detroit is a wonderful two-newspaper town. It has done wonders for the city to have dissenting voices, but it's unfortunate that financially, it isn't viable anymore. The News has suffered terribly as of late, but it still has a strong fan base and VERY high online readership figures. They still do some amazing work, even after a substantial decrease in resources.

Regardless, I highly recommend this newspaper, this job, and this editor, Ruben Luna, who's one of the best around. Feel free to PM me if you want any more details.