Atlanta Falcons Digital Beat Reporter (team site)

[ScottyB]

Hey all,

I'm Scott Bair, Digital Managing Editor for the Atlanta Falcons. I've been here two-plus years and covered the NFL for the North County Times/SD Union Tribune and NBC Sports Bay Area before coming over to the team side.

We're looking for a digital team reporter to complete a three-person editorial team here in Atlanta. While there are some video responsibilities and regular podcast appearances, we need a beat writer first and foremost. We need someone who can write football analysis and transactions, someone who can work a locker room and set agendas in press conferences and find new and interesting angles bring to our team coverage. I thought this might be the right place to find someone qualified to do that.

As a note, you need at least one professional year/season covering a sports beat as a full-time staff writer or intern to be considered.

I know you don't see team sites posting here, so I'll take it down if it's a policy violation for these boards. It's a good opportunity for a good writer and versatile talent, and I'm more than happy to answer any questions about working for this particular team site. Anyway, preamble over. Here's the link for those interested:

Atlanta Falcons Digital Team Reporter

 

[playthrough]

You should see the jobs we take down, Scott. This is perfectly fine, even better than fine. Good luck.

 

[maumann]

Hey, another guy who ditched the high prices of California for the sound of bluegrass, pork barbecue and strange southern accents!

Flowery Branch is far enough away from the Atlanta sprawl to avoid the commute, and even I-85 isn't that bad on Sundays. You're close to Lake Lanier, the Mall of Georgia, minor league baseball and hockey, and some cute towns like Buford and Dacula. The weather's nice and you're an hour from the Blue Ridge mountains or downtown, except for rush hours or chicken trucks.

I'm near Helen and too happy in retirement but working for the Falcons sounds like a really sweet opportunity for someone younger and more mobile than me. I'm well aware of the complications of trying to satisfy "two masters" -- see NASCAR, the NCAA and the PGA of America for the very definition of micromanaging -- but the level of access and variety of stories possible is a massive plus. Add in a rabid fanbase and it should be a no-brainer to fire off a resume and samples.

I can't vouch for Scott personally, but a resume that includes UCLA/Chargers/Padres/Raiders tells me he knows where he's going and what he wants in a hire.

There have to be more than a few digital media folks out there who have dreamed of covering the NFL. Here's your chance.

 

[Shelbyville Manhattan]

Appreciate you posting here, Scott. I've worked with major-professional team sites in the past, and that realm has its attributes and drawbacks. But that's the case with any gig. I found that roughly 98 percent of the time, I could still do quality, forthright work. And as for the 2 percent, well … there hasn't been a job, independent or team, at which I didn't have some objection to 2 percent of it, whether it was the publication's overall direction or being asked to do something that was lowest-common-denominator stuff.

One question I had was the part where you mentioned "set agendas" in press conferences … in that regard, does that imply that you want the reporter to steer a presser in a direction that reflects more what the team desires, rather than what the other media may desire from that availability?

Hey all,

I'm Scott Bair, Digital Managing Editor for the Atlanta Falcons. I've been here two-plus years and covered the NFL for the North County Times/SD Union Tribune and NBC Sports Bay Area before coming over to the team side.

We're looking for a digital team reporter to complete a three-person editorial team here in Atlanta. While there are some video responsibilities and regular podcast appearances, we need a beat writer first and foremost. We need someone who can write football analysis and transactions, someone who can work a locker room and set agendas in press conferences and find new and interesting angles bring to our team coverage. I thought this might be the right place to find someone qualified to do that.

As a note, you need at least one professional year/season covering a sports beat as a full-time staff writer or intern to be considered.

I know you don't see team sites posting here, so I'll take it down if it's a policy violation for these boards. It's a good opportunity for a good writer and versatile talent, and I'm more than happy to answer any questions about working for this particular team site. Anyway, preamble over. Here's the link for those interested:

Atlanta Falcons Digital Team Reporter

 

[ScottyB]

Appreciate you posting here, Scott. I've worked with major-professional team sites in the past, and that realm has its attributes and drawbacks. But that's the case with any gig. I found that roughly 98 percent of the time, I could still do quality, forthright work. And as for the 2 percent, well … there hasn't been a job, independent or team, at which I didn't have some objection to 2 percent of it, whether it was the publication's overall direction or being asked to do something that was lowest-common-denominator stuff.

One question I had was the part where you mentioned "set agendas" in press conferences … in that regard, does that imply that you want the reporter to steer a presser in a direction that reflects more what the team desires, rather than what the other media may desire from that availability?

Valid question, Shelbyville. And a good one. By "set agendas," I don't mean to suggest that we want created team-preferred lines of questioning. I was trying (poorly) to say I need a reporter who can ask the right questions, even if they're unpopular, to further enhance the level of discourse in press conferences. Hope that makes sense.