How would you like to lead the staff at two century-old newspapers, in beautiful small Southern towns that offer the amenities of a large city? The LaGrange Daily News publishes in LaGrange, Georgia, a city situated on Interstates 85 and 185, just an hour south of Atlanta. It is home to a number of musical entertainment venues, a craft brewery, one of the largest collections of Middle Eastern artifacts and world-renowned gardens. The Callaway Foundation supports the community by adding trails and parks, providing affordable housing and supporting small businesses. West Point Lake offers an incredible haven for fishing, kayaking, boating, camping and more.
Just thirty minutes down the road on the Chattahoochee River, the Valley-Times News serves Chambers County as well as West Point, Georgia. The newspaper office is located in Lanett, which is referred to as the “Gateway to Alabama” and is one of the most picturesque spots along the river. This area serves as an industrial and economic hub of the region.
Both newspapers are owned by Boone Newsmedia, Inc., a privately held, family-owned newspaper company with a long tradition of journalistic excellence in the communities it serves. Excellent benefits, a fast-moving work atmosphere, and a tradition of letting local leaders create the pathway to success.
If you are looking for a place to put down roots and grow your career, this gem of an opportunity is for you. Drop your resume to BNI Senior Vice President Catherine Hadaway at catherine.hadaway@boonenewsmedia.com and BNI President and CEO Steve Stewart at steve.stewart@boonenewsmedia.com to apply.
Job Description:
Our publisher is a “player-coach” who is responsible for the overall success of the operation, including all aspects of publishing a newspaper: advertising and sales; newsroom and editorial; bookkeeping, payroll, AP and collections; circulation & distribution; customer service; and paying civic rent. An excellent publisher candidate is a leader who can recruit and encourage his or her team in each of these departments.
Must reside in: Troup County, GA or Chambers County, AL
Specific responsibilities as it relates to the newsroom include:
- Recruit and retain an excellent staff that is successful in meeting our goals and minimum standards, producing local content that is relevant, interesting and informative. Be responsible for each staff member’s growth and development.
- Personally write news stories weekly.
- Be available to our readers to address their questions, suggestions. Be responsive to readers who suggest story ideas.
- Lead weekly newsroom meetings.
- Ensure the newsroom maintains at least a two-week news budget for print and online editions, planning further ahead as practical.
- Lead the necessary “culture change” in our newsroom as we embrace the 24-hour news cycle and the integration of online and print products to serve readers.
- Ensure newsroom is publishing content that compels people in the community to purchase subscriptions, whether online or in print.
- Building and implementing minimum standards for team and individual productivity.
- Develop an Opinion page with reader-driven content: local guest columns, letters, polls, other forms of opinion. Ensure a minimum of four unsigned editorials are published per week that are constructively focused on opportunities and successes in the community and how the issues affect people who live here (two in LaGrange and two in Valley).
- Create and refine a beat structure that ensures relevant topics in our readership area are covered regularly and thoroughly. Where possible, match reporters with their interests and strengths. Prioritize enterprise, depth and investigative reporting. Tell readers something they don’t already know.
- Manage coordination of content for special editions, emphasizing local (both staff and submitted) material over outside filler. Ensure content is something advertising department can sell.
- Develop niche products that serve our customers and help the newspaper meet its profitability goals, including niche email newsletters.
- Build digital readership through enhanced content, including but not limited to daily, off-cycle news updates and multimedia (video and audio) journalism. Establish our websites, in tandem with our print edition, as the source for online news and information for Dallas & Marengo Counties and the surrounding areas.
- Ensure the newsroom maintains a system of regular publication of public records, including but not limited to land transfers; felony and non-traffic misdemeanor arrests; and civil and criminal court dispositions.
- Carefully manage newsroom overtime. Limit to extraordinary situations when important news must be covered late in a pay period.
Specific revenue responsibilities include:
- Assisting salespeople and sales manager as they:
- Create prospect lists and manage their own calendar of appointments.
- Meet with local business owners and marketing decision-makers, discuss their advertising needs and business goals.
- Prepare and present customized campaigns for clients and secure signed contracts on newspaper, magazine, digital or a combo advertising solution.
- Build creative for advertisements.
- Service active accounts, helping clients achieve maximum results. Ensure all regular customers are “touched” at least 1x per month.
- Meet and/or exceed monthly overall revenue and digital goals.
- Ensure timely and accurate publication of sold advertising through careful order entry. Ensure correct billing.
- Bill customers and assist in collecting delinquent balances as or if needed.
- Exceed budgeted profit and other financial goals. Manage goals to exceed overall revenue budgets for all salespeople. If we are behind, come up with a sales promotion or campaign to get to the goal.
- Manage your calendar to spend adequate time in the market.
- Go on four-legged sales calls on a weekly basis. Meet and get to know all of our clients and their marketing needs.
- Spend time training marketing consultants on all aspects of consultative selling and product knowledge so they can be successful when in the field on their own.
- Personally sell, making calls on your own, to help build up territories that have experienced attrition or territories that have more opportunity than our marketing consultants are getting to.
- Fill in for salespeople when they are on vacation or sick or a territory is open.
- If a territory is open, manage locating candidates, hiring and training.
- Manage the creation of marketing kits and sales flyers. Ensure salespeople have the tools they need to be successful when they meet with clients.
- Daily responsibilities: Check in with reps on some form of call sheet – Check progress to monthly goal, digital goal, special section and magazine goals as well as VIP/frequency goal
- Weekly responsibilities: Lead weekly sales meeting; Complete revenue and expense forecast. Check on overall revenue progress to budget. Check sales rep progress to goal using Brainworks commission report or Brainworks CRM. Check Brainworks CRM comparative reports per rep, ensure all accounts have been called on.
- Monthly responsibilities: Calculate commissions and hold meetings with sales reps to cover commissions, any needed improvements, prospecting, etc. Check 30-60-90 promotion plan, make any needed updates or set upcoming deadlines
- Quarterly responsibilities: Quarterly check-up analysis – includes checking to ensure goals are in line. Ensure overall and digital goals are in Brainworks CRM.
Specific responsibilities as it relates to overall management include:
- Serving as a leader in the building to all employees. Assist in managing schedules, vacation & sick time, etc.
- Direct Advertising and Circulation team so LaGrange and Valley reach and exceed budgeted revenue goals.
- Watch expenses. Help organize operations to produce 25 percent pre-fee EBITDA margin or better. This means aligning expenses to meet this objective.
- Oversee the collections effort. Personally make collection calls as needed.
- Support customer service efforts in the front office.
- Assist in coordinating with LaGrange and Valley drivers and carriers on the delivery of our newspapers and specialty products.
- Ensure the buildings and storefronts are in nice condition.
- Be a point person for leaders in the community. Regularly attend community events and meetings. Converse with leaders and become ingrained in the Troup and Chambers Counties communities.
- Pay our “civic rent.” Join and regularly attend local Rotary Club meetings. Join other community and civic groups that fit your interests and those of the newspaper.