Job Title: Sports editor
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Submitted on: 05-Feb-03
|
|
Job Title |
Workplace
Survey |
| Sports editor |
SNP is a group of 21 weekly papers serving a multi-county area within and
surrounding the Columbus metropolitan area. Total circulation for all 21 papers
is over 260,000.
When I began in 1980, SNP did not exist. Seven papers were produced by two
separate publishing companies which merged to form SNP. There was a very
familial
feel to the organization, and communication betwen management and staff was
informal and very non-rigid.
When ownership changed in 1987, a more corporate, structured mentality took
over. The new owner/publisher also owns a weekly independent newspaper and a
monthly magazine which is advertized and promoted more actively than the weekly
newspaper group. Movement from one editorial staff to another is not encouraged.
The prevailing mentality is that the indy paper and magazine are the "glamour"
publications of the group, while the weekly papers actually produce the lion's
share of the operating revenue.
Hours vary on the editorial staff. Most of the news rweporters work a fairly
typical week, with normal 8-hour days and few weekends. The sports staff works
primarily afternoons, evenings and weekends, with a nearly 7-days/week schedule.
No one is supposed to work over 40 hours, however, since overtime is not paid.
Unfortunately, most of the sports reporting staff regularly works in excess of
40
hours; it is simply not reported on weekly time sheets.
There is very little diversity at SNP; the number of African-American, Asian and
minority employees is probably less than 1% of the entire staff. The management
staff has been entrenched in their positions for over a decade; there is little
or no opportunity of advancement past associate or assistant editor on the
editorial staff. A large majority of employees are maried to spouses who
actually
are the higher-paid earner in the family and/or who have better benefits; hence
there is little motivation for seeking employment elsewhere. Most new reporters
who do not fall into this category stay less than 3 years; average turnover on
the editorial staff is 6-8 per year.
SNP is not a particularly bad place to work, but unequal treatment of hours,
lack of advancement opportunity and a perception that other branches of the
company are viewed more favorably by the public and management are problems.
|
|
Cm Media Inc. Interview Surveys
