ASE, Anderson, SC

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=704832

PM me for details. Let's keep this (fairly) clean, can we folks?

There are drawbacks, but plusses as well.

Job was vacated by Rob Meyer, who took the Roanoke job.

To answer the top question, I'd guess the job pays in the 31-32-33 range.

 

Anderson threads are ALWAYS fun around here.

 

Like FMR said, some goods and bads about this one.

Positives:
The paper decided a while back to quit trying to cover SoCar as much, meaning two guys split about 20-22 high schools (obviously some are covered more than others) instead of one.
Said two high school reporters do a good job raking in features and solid day-to-day stuff.
Quite a bit of freedom to try some new stuff (although not for reason some people want -- see below).
People have moved on to some pretty damn good jobs from this place -- See Solomon, Jon, for example (although the dude who left to be a high-school coach, wtf?).
Two photographers there are top-notch. They work their tails off and get some great stuff, often at the last minute. Either one of them could have moved on but are still there. (Sidenote: photo editor is a good guy to work with, too.)

Negatives:
A somewhat frustrating work environment set in motion long ago. SE can be a pretty good writer, although he's not much of a manager. That gives freedom, but it also adds a lot of work because the ASE is responsible for damn near everything. Barring a catastrophe -- which the SE always seems to fend off, somehow -- he's not going anywhere.
The paper has a very odd agreement in that a Clemson fan magazine is done in-house. It brings in a ton of money for the paper, and the paper even recently dropped a lot of that cash on photo equipment. However, about once a month or so a question of credibility comes up because the Orange and White people use Indy-Mail computers and often shoot events for the newspaper. This will probably never change because of the $$$$$.
If you go here, don't expect to get much help finding that next job. Some top editors take it personal every time someone leaves after less than 4 years.

Socially, there's a couple of good bars in town, although Anderson is only going to be as fun as you make it. Just make sure you buy your beer on Saturday if you want one to go with Sunday football.

 

It's been a little over a year and a half, but I had the pleasure of conversing - via the magic of the Internets - with someone who used to work there. Pretty much, good things were said. I also got the sense that the bolts on the ship could be tightened, but I'm finding that learning to deal with an oopsie-daisy management style can be pretty important in this business.

Plus, I had a friend who played summer baseball in Anderson. I don't recall him hanging himself with his shoelaces or anything.

 

My brother and his wife lived in Anderson back in the mid-late 90s during their residency. Everytime I'd go down there, I'd pick up the Independent-Mail and a copy of the Greenville News (neighboring bigger city).

The Independent-Mail was much cleaner and a far better read. Maybe I was getting an early regional edition of the News, but it seemed like it had too many careless errors for a paper of its size.

Things may have changed a lot since then, I don't know. What I do know is that Anderson is a pretty town and within easy driving distance to Charlotte, Atlanta and the coast. That should make it tempting enough.

 

Yes, yes they do.

 

F_H,
The Greenville paper could be very good, but it's widely considered the guinea pig for all that is Gannett, and the product suffers. They have good people up there, and their sports staff has good writers. They're just forced to dumb down their writing.

Having said that, the Anderson paper is also good, and their sports staff has good people on it, they just do stuff on a smaller scale. MU hit on good points, let's see if I can add:

The redesign they implemented, and subsequently won an SND award for, has helped by leaps and bounds. But weirdly enough, the last time I saw the paper (January), they were going away from everything they set out to accomplish in the redesign, at least in sports (i.e. big-ass logos, etc.). That said, the redesign helps the desk stay consistent, and the paper looks monumentally better.

MU mentioned the SE not being much of a manager, which is good because it gives the desk freedom and responsibility. That's true. However, it also puts a hell of a burden on a very small desk, especially with the workload on Fridays and Saturdays. Now, I know that's not different than any other place, but it's amplified here by no qualified clerks and an unbalanced desk. (PM me.)

Another drawback is that with the SE not being much of a manager, that makes the EE (formerly the ME, a position which went unfilled when he was promoted) think he needs to over-manage. I'm talking showing up in the newsroom after a big Clemson win and standing over you for two hours until deadline. Like MU said, the culture is that the SE can basically do whatever he wants and skate, which puts the burden on the desk and the EE. It's tough sometimes.

Now, having said all that, re-read MU's positives. There's a lot to like, good-looking girls at the college in town, good nightlife in Clemson 15 miles up the road, every chain restaurant you can imagine (and a few locals that are excellent) in town, and Hartwell Lake is awesome. Also, rent can be cheaply found, i.e. a two-bedroom duplex with a nice big back yard for a dog for $450 a month. And like F_H said, Greenville is close, as is Clemson and if you're looking for pros, Atlanta and Charlotte. Myrtle Beach is about 3.5 away.

Any other preguntas, feel free to PM me.

 

I'm familiar with this gig too. PM me if you want another perspective.

 

This could be a really good gig to learn a lot and develop a lot of skills. The EE (formerly ME) has a sports background, so while some might see him as too involved, he is also very helpful and doesn't undervalue the significance of the sports section. I also found him easy to work with. PM me for more details.

 

I will speak from experience that the EE at Anderson is a very good editor who cares a lot about sports and about developing his people. Don Kausler Jr. is good folk.

 

I think they may be going Birmingham with this one, too...

 

That's because he knew he was leaving after two months.

I beg that somebody PM me. Seriously. Pretty please. Anybody, anybody at all.