Sports Reporter: Medford, OR

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post... but your line "I might be dropping my pro beat for the paradise that is Medford" smacked of smarmy sarcasm.

I'd be interested to know what your aversion to Indiana is based on, if anything. Feel free to share, if you're inclined.

 

You did seem to come across as too cool for school when reading several of your recent posts, gut. You came across as more of a person this time and less of a big-time-everybody caricature. It's more becoming this way.

(And I don't think I'm alone with this. And, it wasn't just the Indiana thread )

 

Hey sportsguydave, PM me if you want to discuss Indiana. I have a couple other conversations going with people that way and the communication has been fabulous.

If you are from the state, I understand why it struck a nerve.

 

Medford's a good town. And I liked their paper — I picked up the Mail Tribune when I worked in nearby Yreka, Calif., as a news/sports guy. I've driven through Medford a ton of times, especially when I used to work in NorCal. The town has all the essentials: the aforementioned good coffee, a Costco, it even has a strip club. ;D. Also, Ashland — another nice little town — is nearby. And if you need a real good breakfast, Ma and Pa's in Yreka is awesome (if it's still there — probably is — but it's been years)

 

Tim Trower is an outstanding fellow. For the right person, I reckon this would be a lot of fun.

 

ditto.

 

Tim would be a great mentor for a young reporter.

 

Yeah, Tim is a great guy. Worked there, mainly as a copy desk guy, for a year and have been freelancing for them quite heavily for the past year.

Staff is SE and three FTers and 2-3 PTers (depending on time of year).

Guy they are replacing left to get married. When he came in 07, he was pretty much right out of university, via a month or so at a small daily in Calif.

Not sure how they want to structure the staff now. I was the lead desk guy and when I got cut, another staffer who had been a regular writer assumed that role. So whether he stays as a desk guy or moves back to writing probably depends on (1) what he wants and (2) the skills of the new hire. "LA" (guy who left) was mainly writer and did desk 1-2 days per week. Paper uses InCopy and InDesign. Size of section has shrunk quite a bit in past year.

Paper is heavy on preps, and some good ones in football, basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling. Coverage area tends to be pretty broad. Oregon has 6 high school classifications --- far too may for a state its size, IMO --- and that results in some weird conference alignments and scheduling. (The 6A schools are in a league with a couple of schools from Eugene, three hours away).

Beyond preps, Southern Oregon University (NAIA) football, basketball, softball gets minimal coverage. There's the PBA Earl Anthony Classic in January, legion baseball in the summer, a NORPAC (junior A) hockey team coached by Chris Chelios' brother and some local golf tournaments and distance running events.

Don't count on doing much of anything with Oregon or Oregon State. They did a little when I was there, but the distances involved are just too great to justify the travel, even moreso now with some of the recent budget cuts. So they usually get a stringer much cheaper and/or take AP.

Cost of living is slightly more than some places (you can get a nice one-bedroom apt. for low $600s and home prices have dropped markedly in the past year), but not in the San Francisco or Seattle range. City has most major retailers and is a hub for southern Oregon and northern California.

Hope that helps. If you want to know more, feel free to PM me.

 

They hired a full-time sports desker late last summer/early fall.

 

Nope. Wrong paper. They've had a hiring freeze ever since the round of cuts that I was in, with the lone exception of a news desk spot because the news copy desk got so short they couldn't get the paper out.

But sports has been just 4 FTers (including the SE) since June 2008. In fact, when I talked to the SE a few weeks ago, there was real concern that they wouldn't be allowed to fill this vacancy. So glad to hear they are moving forward on this. I know the guy who does the desk pretty well.

 

I don't know him personally, but my first impression is that that's an accurate statement. I've applied for this job, and Tim sent out a form e-mail today letting everyone know he'd only contact those who were finalists. A good chunk of editors won't do that, so an editor who does scores a lot of points as far as I'm concerned.

 

so, what's it mean if you didn't get this e-mail today?