Quad-City Times (Illinois/Iowa border) sports and news reporter

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1309542

I know four people who work or recently have worked at the Quad-City Times. It's a good newspaper for its size (60,000), but it's a challenge sports-wise because it covers two Illinois cities (Moline and Rock Island) and two Iowa cities (Davenport and Bettendorf). They've got some nice online preps coverage, though. As I understand it, the Iowa cities are more important sports-wise (in no small part because it's easier to compete for state titles in most sports in Iowa than Illinois).

 

Always thought the circulation was a little small given the fact the joint population of the Quad Cities is what, about 350,000? Still, it's a Lee shop, and it is a great paper for the area. And, as the ad points out, you are within decent distance of Des Moines, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Chicago...

Don't know about Tahoe, though.

 

You're guaranteed to cover a lot of state tournaments and D-I caliber athletes with Bettendorf. Plenty of clip-worthy material there.

 

Iowa City isn't far from there. Do they regularly staff games there?

Got a good friend who grew up in Muscatine, which is square in the Quad Cities coverage area. (He was a Cyclone, appropos of nothing.)

 

They regularly staff football and men's basketball at Iowa, plus the occasional wrestling meet and other sports there. I believe they string out for coverage of Iowa State and Illinois sports.

This is my boyhood paper, and if I were to get back in the business, it's one of the few I would be interested in going to. They have a PGA Tour event every year, (low-level) minor league baseball and hockey, have a pretty high-level road race that draws in the 10,000-15,000 range for participants (and I believe is co-sponsored by the paper), and they staff some good D-I sports and even some pro stuff in Chicago and St. Louis.

There's a ton of stuff to do there throughout the year, and (depending on the area) can be a great place to raise a family.

 

Without totally outing myself, I know quite a bit about the QCT and a ton about its competitor on the Illinois side of the river. Yes, the Quad-Cities still has two daily papers.

Versatile is right, the focus of the Q-C Times is on the Iowa side, but they regularly cover the large high schools in the Illinois portion of the region, as well as a minor league hockey team in Moline and a Div. III college in Rock Island that's had some national success. Very strong prep B-ball programs on the Illinois side ... a kid from Rock Island H.S. is currently starting, as a true freshman, for a damn good Stanford men's team.

Not sure about the specific duties, salary range, etc. of this position -- and I'm particularly intrigued by the "news-sports combo" aspect of it. But if you want info about the region or how the various newspapers cover it, feel free to PM me.

 

Beautiful view from the Mark (or whatever it's called now). Alongside the Mississippi River. Once you pass over the bridge on the right in Davenport is a roach motel and a breakfast joint. The breakfast joint is super food. Recommended.

 

I could go for a big-ass Volcano from that place about now.

 

You better top that Volcano with snow.

 

Is Don Doxsie still the SE? I enjoyed freelancing for him a few years back, good guy with a good staff.

 

Yes, Dox is still the SE, and still does his share of reporting. And you're dead on about their sports staff -- good people.

And after reading the comments about Ross's Restaurant, I had to find a picture:



This pile of deliciousness isn't just for journalists or drunks, either.

Here's someone getting a Magic Mountain to go during a recent trip to the Quad-Cities:

 

This place looks like a dump from the outside.

Are they still open only 22 hours? 6a-4a? Always found that a bit odd.