Sports Reporter, AP (Charlotte, N.C.)

Big boy job...

***


The Associated Press seeks an experienced sports reporter to cover North Carolina from its offices in Charlotte.
The successful candidate will take over and build beats covering sports in North Carolina, including two professional sports teams: the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats owned by Michael Jordan, along with college sports, NASCAR, and golf, among other duties. This reporter will have a proven track record of building reliable sources, breaking news, writing accurate and compelling game copy on deadline, and delivering smart enterprise that shows ownership of a beat, team or sport.

We want someone who sets the agenda for the top sports news in North Carolina and gets the scoops for the AP's global audience. This is a position that requires speed without sacrificing quality, excellent planning skills and the ability to juggle. While the position is text-based, we want someone aware of the growing demand for content in multiple formats (photos, video, audio) and can work with his or her colleagues to deliver it. We prefer someone comfortable with using social media tools. Experience in reporting on professional teams will be considered a plus.

JOB REQUIREMENTS: Candidates should have demonstrated excellence as a beat reporter, and have a proven record of developing sources, breaking news, originating story ideas and writing on deadline in a clear and engaging way. Applicants should understand the growing importance of multimedia news and be able to coordinate with AP staffers from other formats. The successful candidates should have at least five years of full-time reporting experience at a daily newspaper, broadcast station or AP bureau.

Other qualifications:

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
* Ability to recognize and develop newsworthy stories of global interest and work accurately under deadline pressure
* Strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines
* A willingness to work nights and weekends, and to travel to various sports assignments

Authorization to work in the U.S. is mandatory as is advanced-level professional competency in written and spoken English language.

The Associated Press is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply for this position, please copy and paste the following link into your browser address bar:
http://ap.contacthr.com/20777874

 

Did Mike Cranston leave?

 

Yes ...

 

Seems like AP typically just moves people from other AP bureaus to fill it's big job. Am I wrong on that?

 

Not always. Cranston was hired from the outside after Jenna Fryer became Auto Racing Writer.

 

Mike had been doing a lot of freelance work for the Charlotte bureau before they brought him in full time with Jenna's promotion ...

 

Cranston has done solid work ... the only difference I saw that was because Jenna was promoted and working auto racing along with Mike Harris, Cranston didn't have to pull as much of the NASCAR/auto racing wagon.

Still, the Panthers, Bobcats and (UNC) Charlotte 49ers, especially with the start of a football program looming, and Tour stops around the area should be plenty to do.

 

Tack on doing some Wake Forest football and basketball to that ...

 

So AP brought a longtime stringer in as fulltime. Pity more bureaus haven't done that -- especially in the Great Lakes...

 

I was wondering why Iacobelli's been on the Panthers preseason beat.

 

Camp is down in Spartanburg, S.C. ... Iacobelli's territory.

 

Yeah, but if Cranston was still on the job, he'd be there ... standard AP policy is to have the staffer that covers the team full time go to the training camp, no matter where it is ...