Merced (CA) Sun-Star

I worked this paper for more than a year and a half. Like a lot of jobs posted here, Merced can be good or bad. I had a trying experience, but I got in, got my clips worked my butt off and got out -- just like I told the EIC I wanted to in the first interview I had.

If that's your plan, you can do it here -- with opportunities to move up to Modeso and maybe Fresno if you build those relationships. And they're covering Fresno State about 5 million percent more than when I was there (That's a very good thing). But there's been a recent shift in ideology with Cameron in charge. Paolinelli had me at an 8-year-old youth football game on Thanksgiving one year!

One problem I had there was sports people leaving without being replaced for months at a time. That's why they need people who can do it all -- because like a lot of small papers, a sports layout guy will leave, and they need someone to do multiple jobs at the same time to put the section out.

I came on to round out a five-person staff, but within a few months I was laying out four nights a week and covering the college beat on a staff of two and a part-timer. If you're not willing to put up with that, they probably don't want you.

Great opportunity for someone young with a good work ethic because you'll need it.

Covering Fresno State will be great and the high school football and baseball is very good, too.

If you're a young single guy/girl, decent one bedroom apartments can be found very undermarket. Young family man/woman? New homes pop up every day. But the money here isn't really the home-buyer's type.

Not sure exactly what they're looking for, but I'll be safe and guess it's working long and late for little — like most of the 15K to 20K papers.

Nobody left here for Fresno from sports. PM me for details.

 

oops. i meant they're covering more Fresno State "BECAUSE" of Cameron's shift in ideology.

 

is this the same editor who brings his girlfriend's poodle into the newsroom and lets it run amok?

 

SUN-STAR, MERCED (MERCED CO.) AVG M (M-F) DLY 15,952 w/no sunday.

 

I don't know what Cameron does with dogs, but Kieta was the one getting (unfairly) blasted for bringing in his girlfriend's (I heard they've since been married. Wish I could have been there.) poodle. As far as I can remember, he only brought it in once or twice for a few minutes during off hours, and he carried it in his arms, not let it run amok.

My first day on the job, however, I recall the pet columnist having a very, very big dog in the newsroom sitting at a desk with her. But I never saw that dog again. It was a little weird to see dogs in the newsroom on a rare occaision, but it didn't hinder anyone from doing their jobs. There were much greater challenges to the gig.

When I came to interview for the job I have now, there was a woman who brought her daughter to the office that night to practice her flute in the newsroom. That would seem a little more distracting than sitting near a dog, but I haven't seen her since either.

 

update: for those inerested in the animal happenings at the sun-star, the pet columnist mentioned above is apparently bringing in a chicken weekly so it can pick the winners of the prep football games. the chicken beat the sports staff by picking 8 winners this week to the staffers' 7.

the chicken allegedly typed this challenge to the writers in his (her?) debut column: "You'll have nightmares about feathers when this is over. The Pickin' Chicken is bringin' it..."

no shit, i've heard this is an actual chicken and it picks the games by running to one side of it's cage or something. haha. for those interested in the job, i'm sure the chicken will not peck you on deadline.

 

Are you still bitching about that youth football game J.D.???
Jesus dude, get over it!!!!

Although, one might point out that when Paolinelli was there and the focus was more on Merced sports the circulation was reportedly over 18k. Now that the sports focus is way more on Fresno State, I noticed that circ numbers are down to 15k. Hmmm. I wonder why the Sun-Star has lost 16% of its circ since Paolinelli left?

And what's up with the pickin chicken nonsense? Between the fowl presence in sports and the amok poodles its no wonder they are bleeding subscribers there.

 

is merced a good place to raise a poodle?

 

I wouldn't raise anything in that dump.

 

merced is better than turlock, talk about a dump. every time i exited 99 into turlock for a football game, it smelled like sewer.

and yes, that youth football game was a joke. i was there freezing my butt off in los banos, asking an 8-year-old what it was like to defeat his hated rival for a story that wasn't running for two days. meanwhile, you guys were all at home eating turkey and stuffing.

although, i guess if your home is in turlock and you have to simultaneously eat food AND endure the poop stench, i might rather be watching little kids trying to push each other around in the baños.

as far as the circ. i think it was always around 15 Gs. paolinelli didn't raise it or lower it, but word on the streets is he was in on some crazy behind-the-scenes hijinks.

 

so, merced isn't THE shitiest place in the region?

where does it rank against other places in the region that don't smell like shit?

 

I wouldn't know about Turlock, I live on the coast just a little south of San Francisco. But Merced is definitely a crap hole. Although I hear it is much better than San Luis Obispo I hear. Now that is a crap hole if there ever was one.

I don't know of anyone in their right mind who would move there...