Sports Editor/Roanoke Rapids NC

Roanoke Rapids is probably 75 miles west of the ocean or the N.C. Sounds. It might be on the Roanoke River, or even Roanoke Rapids Lake, but then I've never been to the office building so I don't know. It's where people in Emporia and other parts of Southside Va. go to buy cheap cigs. HOWEVER, last time this job came open, I did a few searches out of shits and giggles, and whoda thunk it, the Rapids warrant a Starbucks. Who saw THAT coming?

EDIT TO ADD: A Maquest query of their listed location indicates it's in what passes for the Roanoke Rapids downtown and not on any bodies of water. Though given the rains in the Mid-Atlantic, I guess it's possible Roanoke Avenue is a river now.

 

Disregard my previous posts (and good catch Mystery_Meat). While you were searching, so I was I. I was thinking about when I applied for the Elizabeth City Daily Advance SE job. I know nothing about Roanoke Rapids.

 

Elizabeth City was one of my first job interviews, about five years ago (just a sportswriter position, though I would likely have been the SE since he left within a year). They're not right on the river, but they're close to it. The river part of downtown there is nice. The rest, not so much. You had to live in the circulation area, which meant you couldn't live in the Hampton Roads area (which would have been a nice plus for me, since my mom lives 45 minutes from E. City and I could have stayed with her and saved money for a while). The Elizabeth City and Roanoke Rapids papers are probably fairly interchangable as far as working conditions and coverage priorities and salaries.

 

I think Elizabeth City opened a brand new building last year, FYI

 

Good for them if that's the case. The old building had seen much better days (the conference room was across the street from the main office, if I'm remember correctly — I definitely know you had to leave the main building to get there. And good for Cox for spending money on a paper that's probably one or two more ABC audits from going under 10K circulation.

 

They did. It's right on the waterfront too. Pricks.

 

Worked there for almost two years. Got what I needed out of the job. The managing editor is overbearing. The publisher has no brains at all. It is a job that involves 85 percent preps coverage. There is absolutely nothing to do over the summer besides keep track of Babe Ruth baseball tournaments, State Games, etc. Take what you want from what I said. Would be a good job for a rookie to build up some strong clips while looking for other opportunities. He/she will have lots of freedom in what they want to write and how they want to balance the coverage. Roanoke Rapids offers little to no nightlife. Could go on and on, but why?

 

Also, I believe RR is a Boone newspaper. That was the worst chain I worked for, Media General and cnhi included.

 

RR is a Wick Communications paper. They have few papers of distinction. Their largest paper is in Sierra Vista, AZ.

 

Well, one thing to be said, I'd bet the cost of living is cheap. You could probably get a 2-bedroom place next door to Daisy and Uncle Jessie for about $150 a month I bet.