Sports writer, Alamogordo (N.M.) Daily News

This is the same position that was open a few months ago. This was my position for three years before I left last March. PM me for any questions.

The Alamogordo Daily News, a six-day a week newspaper in southern New Mexico, seeks a full-time sports writer who can do it all, with an strong emphasis on social media and other digital tools. Duties include covering three high schools and a semi-professional baseball team whose season runs from mid-May to late August. Photography and page layout skills helpful. Must be a self-starter.
The person who accepts this job will be able to step into a position that has been well-managed and has an excellent reputation within the communities we serve. We are looking to fill this position ASAP.

What we're looking for:

Knowledge of high school, college and professional sports.
Ability to be flexible on sports coverage and work collaboratively in a team-first, digital-first environment.
Track record of urgency in reporting and writing.
Uncompromising accuracy and clarity in writing, with the ability to engage our readers.
Capability to meet deadlines and effectively manage time.
Desire to live in a Southwest desert climate.
The candidate will be required to post breaking sports stories as they happen and must have a working knowledge of, and willingness to use, social media and to use it effectively as part of your overall report.
Our focus is digital first, print second. If you’re not comfortable with that philosophy, keep looking.
Bachelor’s degree for this position is preferred.

And now more about us and our desert oasis …
The Alamogordo Daily News is located in southern New Mexico at the base of the beautiful Sacramento Mountains, home to endless outdoor recreation opportunities in the Lincoln National Forest, and 13 miles east of world-famous White Sands National Monument. The area is steeped in military and space history (White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base played key roles in the Space Race) and we’re the home to the New Mexico Museum of Space History and International Space Hall of Fame.
Alamogordo is also home to the oldest nationally accredited zoo in the Southwest (it was established in 1898) and boasts more than 300 animals and 90 species on 12 acres of land downtown. The zoo and its adjoining two-mile long park plays host to several community events and festivals throughout the year. Alamogordo even has a branch campus of New Mexico State University.
If you love hot summers and mild winters, Alamogordo is the place for you. It’s possible to ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon.
We are about an hour’s drive from Las Cruces, N.M., and El Paso, Texas, and three hours from Albuquerque.

Back to the job info …
We offer a competitive salary and a generous benefits package that includes health and dental insurance, vacation and sick/personal days, 401K option and an optional health club membership.
Our concern is for the health and safety of our employees; therefore we offer a smoke-free work environment and conduct a pre-employment drug test.
The Daily News is a member of the Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership.
Email cover letter, resume and no less than five samples of your published stories to Michael Johnson, managing editor, at alamogordodailynews@gmail.com. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. No phone calls please.

 

Wasn't this job up just a couple months ago?

 

Yes it was. It's the same position that was open in March.

 

Did you add that part after or did he neglect to read the first freaking sentence?

 

Former shop of mine; moved out & mrudi19 did a heck of a job there. Lot has changed, looks like.

 

"This is the same position that was open a few months ago...."

 

Yes, there have been a lot of changes here. Definitely more focused on digital than print. GidalKaiser, who also did a heck of a job here, would probably say the same thing. But Michael Johnson is a really good guy to work for and he's a former sports writer too if you need help with anything. You have a lot of freedom to do what you want in Alamogordo.

 

I heard the deadline is crazy early. How do they deal with print on game nights?

 

Yeah that's a issue with Alamogordo is the deadline. Alamo has to be off the floor by 9:30. Basically, games don't make it into next day's paper, unless it's like a Saturday morning/afternoon game. Sometimes you might get a basketball game in. A couple of the smaller schools start hoops games at 6:30. However, you are required to have your gamer for online that night. I usually tried to get that done by 11. I'd put the gamer on the web that night and it would go on the paper a day late. So a Tuesday night basketball gamer, plus the local roundup from the other games, would go in Thursday's paper. When we still did the layout in Alamo, I would get the layout done before heading out to that night's game and left a space open on 1B for a photo. A photographer would shoot the first half, put the photo on the page and we'd at least have a photo and a score for the next day's paper.

 

I'm assuming this is a job that college grads have a decent shot at? How many teams get covered in this area?

 

Yeah it's mostly a job for recent college grads. Last four in this position were out of college and had little experience. Alamo is a good place to start your career. There are three high schools and a independent league baseball team. Most of the coverage is focused on Alamogordo High School, which is in NM's biggest class: Class 5A. The other two are smaller schools. One is a 2A and the other a 1A school.

 

This position has been filled.