Baton Rouge

After a search that took longer than it takes to decide on a new pope or for a Supreme Court Justice to be approved, the Baton Rouge Advocate has filled two of the three openings on the sports staff.

Perryn Keys from the Beaumont Enterprise and Scott Hotard from the Naples News will join the staff in late October.

 

Good luck to them. May they be treated far better than the person who just left -- and be sure to watch your backs. Management is all around.

 

You know, there was a little wind and rain down there that I'm sure slowed the process just a bit.

 

Neither rain nor wind had much do do with the prolonged process.

It was botched well before Gustav hit and botched even worse afterward.

 

what positions were filled and what's still open?

 

Southern Beat and the beat that encompasses being the fourth preps, prep football recruiting (thank God somebody else will do it) and LSU women's sports.

The last opening is anybody's guess. SE is fond of saying the main LSU beats belong to the paper not the writer. Priceless.

 

This explains why I noted on another thread that a Southland Conference beat position was open. Perryn covered Lamar for the Enterprise. Interested? PM me.

Position has not been posted yet. But despite several recent layoffs in Beaumont, I am told Perryn will be replaced.

 

What do you mean that the LSU beats belong to the paper and not the writer?

 

If you say 'This is my beat and I need to do this or that to do my job as well as possible, his stock response is 'This is the Advocate's beat and we all work on it.'

Usually that leads to sending somebody else out to do your job to make sure what he deems as unnecessary OT is avoided.

 

OK, so what's the problem. Someone else does the story. A smart beat guy wouldn't give his best stories away. He'd wait for the right time to spring them so that no overtime would be involved, if the paper wasn't going to pay OT.

 

Paper does pay OT. SE doesn't like it because he wants to be the good manager whose department never has it.

And who the hell are you to toss out comments like "smart beat writer." I've been doing this a while and know exactly what it takes to cover a beat in a competitive market.

Try walking in these shoes before you start questioning how smart somebody else is.

 

Whoa fella calm down. I got my own shoes to fill. We're just sharing ideas here.
Just asked what the problem was. I thought it was a situation where the SE didn't want to give out OT.
However, I was taught many many moons ago that no one gives away their best stories. It doesn't matter if you're in Baton Rouge or Salinas or any point in between. That's something you don't do.
Ever go on a job interview and have someone ask you to give you five story ideas? The bastard behind the desk writes them down. You don't get the job but your ideas come up as stories for their paper? I have had it happened to me a few times and each time I forgot the rule about giving away good story ideas. I got what I deserved.