Executive Sports Editor - The Buffalo (NY) News

The Buffalo News seeks an executive sports editor to lead its award-winning team into a new era of multi-platform coverage.

Buffalo is a big-league sports town that loves its Bills and Sabres. Calendars are arranged around NFL Sundays. Playoff games, though scarce in recent years, are regional holidays. Solid, unified ownership of both franchises has brought long-term stability, renewed hope and occasional frustration. In short, there's plenty to cover here.

The successful candidate will be an innovator with a plan to dominate this hypercompetitive space. This person needs to have an entrepreneurial mindset, constantly looking for new ways to grow a global audience of paying customers. This person must be willing to reinvent coverage in anticipation of changing technology and trends – then must be eager to do it again a couple months later. The ability to manage change and effectively deploy resources is as important as knowing about the Electric Company and the French Connection. Previous experience managing pro sports coverage is essential.

The executive sports editor is also a key member of the newsroom leadership team. He or she has to be looking for ways to collaborate with colleagues in other departments and be willing to put organizational goals ahead of all else.

Digital innovation and product development will dominate the executive sports editor's time. Managing The News' veteran staff and keeping print vibrant must be an effortless afterthought.

Applicants should send a resume and cover letter to recruiter@buffnews.com.

 

I know what they were trying to say here, but ye gods.

 

I wonder what kind of resources they have for the brave new world. They have done a very nice job there, but to reinvent it and keep doing good stuff, you need some people.

 

They cover the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Final and World Series, send three on the road with Bills and pack the pressbox for home games, staff Sabres home and away, and still make room for solid college/preps coverage. Brought Vic Carucci back to take over Bills beat after another former PFWA prez, Mark Gaughan, moved to colleges at his own request. Two columnists (Jerry Sullivan and Bucky Gleason) and an enterprise reporter (Tim Graham) in the department. Veteran staff -- besides Carucci and Graham, who've both returned for a second stint, I can think of at least seven reporters with 15+ years there.

To the best of my knowledge, they've never had a layoff in the newsroom. (There have been occasional buyout offers to senior employees, several who took the payoff but continued writing on a reduced schedule.) They're owned by Warren Buffett, but NOT as part of the Berkshire Hathaway group which did recently go through a round of layoffs. Buffett's email to then-editor Margaret Sullivan in 2012:
"The Buffalo News has a special place in my heart, and I would not want anybody positioned between me and its publisher and editor."

So the bank account may not be unlimited, but they're probably in better shape than a lot of other places. One caveat: They did drop AP two years ago. Last Sunday's print edition included bylined NYT, WaPo and Bloomberg stories and a "wire services" report that may have been from Sports Xchange. Not sure what they do for agate.

 

One of my must-reads every morning. This is a very solid, thorough sports section. They even sent Bucky Gleason to the West Coast two years ago to cover St. Bona's women's BB in the Sweet 16.

 

I second that. Very thorough section. That said, this is a big-boi job above my grade. But dammit, would I love to work there (even though it seems like they get 1,000 inches of snow every year...)

 

Bump ... This one has been quiet for a while. Anybody know what's up?

 

Seconded. Any news on this one? I tried calling their offices to ask for an update but I think I dialed the wrong number

 

I hear they're down to three candidates.

 

This job has been filled.

 

Great hire.