UT beat for Chattanooga

We lost a very good reporter and a better guy when Wes Rucker went online.
Here is the job ad:

UT athletics beat writer

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is looking for an aggressive reporter with a velvet writing touch for its top sports beat – the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

The job emphasizes football and basketball and is based in Knoxville. We travel to all football games and to most men’s basketball games.

Chattanooga is called the “Scenic City” for a reason. Nestled along the Tennessee River and amid the Appalachian Mountains on the Tennessee-Georgia border, we are one of the few U.S. newspapers growing its print circulation (75,000 daily, 100,000 Sunday). We are owned by a private company and are committed to our readers, not shareholders (we have only one, the owner).

We are looking for a passionate and talented professional who is a self-starter with an eye for storytelling in traditional and non-traditional ways and on multiple platforms. We expect this writer to contribute front-page stories and then Tweet about it.

A college degree and previous college beat-writing experience are required. E-mail your résumé, cover letter and five best clips to Sports Editor Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. No phone calls please.

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me.

Jay Greeson
Sports Editor
Chattanooga Times Free Press

 

PM to me if you'd like to know more about the TFP.

 

I despise Twitter with every fiber of my being, but it'd be worth going to the dark side for a job like this.

 

One of the biggest regrets in my former life as a newspaper guy was never being able to work at this paper. Good staff of writers. Good boss. But Newcastle still tastes like raisins.

 

From all accounts, Jay is a great guy and a fantastic editor to work with. It's a crazy beat, but Jay will push to make you better while you do it. Wes knocked the hell out of Twitter, so I'm sure you'd be expected to hit that hard, but it really is a good tool for reporting. Good luck to all who apply (and there will be many).

 

You're doing it wrong.

 

Yeah. Guy probably goes on there expecting that what he reads is, you know, true.

 

I can personally attest to this. As the expression goes, Jay Bird is good people.

 

Indeed. If I had any inkling I wanted to live in Knoxville, I'd apply just because of Greeson. A fine human being he is.

 

I get so few chances to pump up people on these Job threads, so:

I'd like to officially espouse the virtues of David Uchiyama for this gig.

He is an excellent, diligent reporter even if his Southern accent needs major work. He is the best star pilot in the galaxy, he is a cunning warrior.

And he is a good friend.

;D

No, seriously, Uch is awesome.

 

Actually, I'm not doing it at all. My paper doesn't require me to use Twitter, and I think Twitter is just dumb, so I don't have an account. When it's required by my employer, I'll post on it. Until then, I will have nothing to do with Twitter.

Let's return the focus to the job. It seems like a great opportunity for a qualified candidate.

 

I've been at the TFP for four years now. It's a great paper (one of the few that's growing), Jay's an excellent boss and this is a very good opportunity for someone.