Wyoming beat reporter at Casper Star-Tribune

Note: Make sure you apply through the website, found at the bottom of the job ad. Lee has new hiring software we are using.

Wyoming's leading newspaper is looking for a versatile, motivated sports journalist to complete a talented staff.

Few newspapers our size offer the growth opportunities you'll find at the Casper Star-Tribune.

Your beat will be to cover Division I athletics at the University of Wyoming, primarily football, basketball and wrestling, while also helping with rodeo coverage. Casper hosts the College National Finals Rodeo each June; we also cover many of Wyoming’s top professional rodeo, including Frontier Days.

This beat has helped propel former employees into big-time gigs at CBSSports.com, Foxsports.com and ESPN.com, to name a few.

Our statewide circulation of 26,000 makes us the most prominent media voice in the Cowboy State. Our sports section won six APSE awards in 2013, including top-10 finishes in Sunday and Daily. In the last three years, the Star-Tribune has collected 15 APSE awards. We're looking for someone to help us build on that excellence.

You'll need a bachelor's degree. We are looking for top-notch reporters who are self-starters and understand how to connect with readers in print and online.

Meanwhile, you'll live and play amid Wyoming's outdoor splendor. You’ll be located in Laramie, about two hours north of Denver and situated between the Snowy and Laramie mountain ranges. You’re also an afternoon’s drive from Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

We offer an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) retirement, paid holidays and vacation. We are an equal opportunity employer. You can see our web site at trib.com. Learn about our parent company at www.lee.net.

Apply online at www.trib.com/workhere. Upload cover letter, resume and five to seven clips.

 

Gus, have you guys had problems with getting the right jobs to show up on the Lee website? Last week your site showed 117 jobs. I clicked "sports" as a keyword, even narrowed it down to one city, and the same 117 jobs showed up.

 

I went through as a candidate and found it OK. After going through potential employees portal on the landing page, I searched by state/city and found our listing.

 

Hmmm. I tried it with Firefox. Maybe I'll do it with IE and see what happens. Anyhow, thanks for the posting!

 

I worked at this paper from 2005-09. This is a beat with potential for lots of great stories. Sports is a priority for the CST and it shows. It's Lee, so take that for what it's worth, but Casper's in-paper management realizes the value of a strong sports section.

 

What happened to old kinfolk? He slide though?

 

Must love wind

 

All of Wyoming is windy compared to most of the country, but Laramie isn't anywhere near as windy as Casper. It's a small college town with nice neighborhoods south ("the trees") and northeast of campus, and if you love outdoor recreation, it's got lots of it. Housing/rental prices are a little higher than the rest of the state. Usual chain restaurants and stores, some good local dining, lots of bars but if you're into malls the closest are in Cheyenne and Fort Collins.

UW has made significant facilities upgrades to its athletic plant in the past 10 years, with more on the way. They've really upgraded the east side of War Memorial Stadium, built a new weight room/locker room and indoor practice facility adjacent to the stadium, and now they're building something in the north end zone area between the stadium and Grand Avenue (might be a new alumni center, not sure).

I think the summer college wood bat baseball team is changing leagues and on a one-year hiatus and Laramie High is generally competitive in a lot of spots (football has sucked lately), but I don't think the Star-Tribune would do any coverage of those teams. If you have to get out, Cheyenne's airport has a lot more direct flights to places other than Denver than it used to. DIA is about 2.5 hours away if you take the toll road and there's 3-4 flights a day from the Laramie airport to Denver too.

 

I know nothing about the paper, but I worked at a ranch outside Laramie for a couple of months. Loved the area.

Also, no state income tax. Always a bonus. I think the sales tax is fairly low as well, but I'm not sure about that.

 

Absolutely the best beat in all of Wyoming, for what it's worth.

No, it's not Notre Dame or Alabama, but it's a Division I university beat at arguably the best paper in the state. And you'll have the freedom to show your stuff. Great opp for a younger reporter to go here for a couple of years, do good work and build a nice clip portfolio.

On the downside, Laramie and Casper are both in the middle of nowhere. And, yes, it snows (some people don't like that).

 

Drove through a sudden snowstorm in Laramie on my way to a world cup qualifier in Salt Lake City -- in June -- several years ago.

That being said, as someone who works in the rodeo industry, I'm hoping they get a great person on this beat. Lots of great rodeo stories in that state.

 

Pay less an $30k, right?