LaGrange, Ga. sports writer

There is an opening for a sports writer at the LaGrange Daily News, an 11,000 circulation daily 50 miles south of Atlanta. The position in question is vacant because someone has decided to leave after a whopping five weeks of employment. He's going to Auburn to work in the sports information office. So, this job is open. We focus heavily on prep sports, but we also have a Division III college we cover. The football team is in the midst of its second season. We also keep track of the numerous college players from the county, and we're planning on staffing some college games this season that will have local players. It is a five-day-a-week job, and Sunday is a built-in day off for everyone. If you work Saturday, Monday is usually the second day off. The sports editor does most of the page layout and pagination, but the writer will fill in occasionally. Pay is generous for paper this size in Georgia. Obviously we'll be looking to fill this position as quickly as possible, so let me know. Contact keckleberry@lagrangenews to submit a resume and clips or if you have any questions.

 

I hear they got a lot of nice girls down there.

 

I am not sure if this line is entirely professional: "The position in question is vacant because someone has decided to leave after a whopping five weeks of employment."

 

That line threw me as well. Luckily for him, there's 200 J-school kids working at Target desperate for a shot.

 

I guess that paper has high turnover?

 

Hey, Eck, don't rip the guy for leaving after five weeks. Maybe he decided that this wasn't for him. The fact that he is heading into sports information hints toward that. Better to let an unhappy person leave the newsroom than keep him around for spite's sake.

 

Snarkiness works for stand-up comics, not sports editors.

 

Wrong LaGrange but nice reference. Have mercy.

 

And honestly, that line turned me off. If I were in the job market, you would've lost a candidate.

 

It lost me. I really want to move down near Atlanta, but I'm not going to take a job where the SE or EE or whomever writes a bitchy line about the departed writer in the job ad.

Don't let your crankiness for being overworked turn off potential candidates.

 

Snarky job postings notwithstanding, Eck is a good guy to work with and for (I should know; I did it for about five years at two different papers). Never worked in LaGrange, but from what I understand, the situation is a good one (especially for a small daily in Georgia). If your goal is to find a job near Atlanta, you could do a whole lot worse than this (see Marietta Daily Journal). My only concern might be the parent company (the paper recently was sold, as I recall), but others on the board can speak with more knowledge on that one.

 

Lets be frank: leaving after five weeks is pretty damned shitty on the part of the new guy, that's all. Kevin is being honest and damn, I'd be that honest if football season was starting and I lost my No. 2.

And as one of the Eck's proteges, I will tell you, without a doubt, the LDN is an excellent place to work. Kevin is a pro's pro and you'll learn a bunch, trust me. I'd go back if my situation wasn't what it is now.

The town is great, cheap to live in and the prep football is unbelievable. The design of the paper (unlike a lot of other smaller ones) is pretty excellent and you have a real chance to make a name for yourself at that paper. You'll get a lot of bylines and plenty of Quark experience. I loved it there and there are days I wish I'd have never left.

If you're a new guy out of school, THIS is the place you want to go. The sale to a new company I don't know much about, but if you want some more information about the town and the paper, let me know.