Sports Reporter/Designer, Elizabethtown (Ky.) six-day daily

Moddy, I sent you a PM. You'll understand why I worded it like I did after reading it.

I should have said 3.5 counting sports editor.

We have
- Full-Time Sport Editor
- Full-Time Sports Writer A (Me)
- Full-Time Sports Writer B (this is the open position)
- Part-Time Sports Writer (slash Clerk slash Agate Generator).

I goofed.

Four total desks in sports department. Three full timers (one sports ed, two writers/designers) and one part-timer. Thus 3.5 full-time personnel.

Since you have to have 2.5 people under you to be a manager (company rule) and eligible for salary, we've never had an assistant sports editor.

 

We do kind of rotate.

Usually off 2 of every 3 Sundays. If you have slot, you are by yourself. Usually a four-page section (unless classifieds start on 4). Section bumps to 6 in fall to account for two pages of NFL (which we usually have done by 9 p.m. since we don't wait on late game).

If you work Sunday, you're off Monday. Sometimes we'll have 1.5 in office on Mondays (usually no games). Sometimes 2.5 if there's a district game for some reason.

Usually everyone in house on Tuesday.

Wednesday rotates. I never had exclusive design on Wednesday because I handle Page 2 (agate-scoreboard) and page 4 (outdoors-youth sports). So lead designer has like Page 1, jump page and maybe one other page.

Usually everyone in house on Thursday.

On Fridays in football season, all four are at games. Everyone comes back, writes story, does stats and helps with the tab in some form or fashion (design, editing, updating stats/standings, tracking down scores from around the state, putting together stars of the week).

Usually everyone in house Saturday. Sports editor takes lead design. Divies up basically half the section between other two sports designers.

Days off are usually Monday or Sunday (sometime you get both and work Saturday then Tuesday-Friday).

In summer, there is no rhyme or reason for scheduling due to lack of local things and everyone getting in vacations.

 

Why doesn't KY just get this job?

 

Any idea on what the pay for this job is? Being from Louisville and working for an online site, this may be a job I'd apply for. I'll have to think this one over.

E-Town isn't a bad city. Decent size and you'll have all your basic necessities right there. Plus, you're 30 minutes from suburban Louisville and 45 minutes from downtown.

 

No more than $11 per hour. I've been here, in the same department as the job opening, and I don't get that. My 13-year anniversary here is in May (shortly before I turn 32 years old).

Benefits include Health, life, dental and vision. We might still have employer-matching 401K (not sure) and we have flex-spending for health.

Job is NOT salary. 40 hour week (plus 2 expected overtime). No timeclock-punchclock. You can rack up a ton of overtime during the postseason.

We don't cover the pros.

We don't cover colleges.

We do our own design (at least 90 percent of it). Sometimes we take our own photos (feature wise, at least for bowling, swimming and wrestling have been taken by the writer and not one of our two photographers because we have no sports specific photog).

So the benefits, community and price of living are all a part of what makes us a good opportunity.

I'm sure other places will pay better and give you better more enviable/better/preferred writing/story opportunities. And that's fine.

This job/pay will NOT be everyone's cup of tea. Some will balk at the pay. Some at having to do their own design. Some at not covering colleges and pros. Some at the large amount of youth/recreation stuff dominating our June and July fronts.

If it was really about the pay, I would have joined my future wife at McDonald's a long time ago, because Future Mrs. CK2 makes a lot more money than I do. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

 

The pays not terrible. At least not for Kentucky. I'm applying. I figured why not. Hardin County doesn't have a bad sports scene at all. I know E-Town has one heck of a girls soccer team.

 

We're in the interview stage.

 

Did our guy Conor Revell reach it?

 

Not sure.

I didn't.

 

Tell me about it.