Sports Reporter / Anchor
El Paso-Denver. El Paso-Tucson.
Not direct flights, but where two of our recent sports directors have landed jobs after honing their skills at KVIA – they both came here as weekend sportscasters, worked hard, learned and got the top job. One followed the Broncos to the Super Bowl, the other is a sports director. We get you ready for these jobs.
KVIA is a first-place ABC affiliate in the sunny Southwest. We seek an experienced, articulate sports anchor/reporter who knows how to sniff out and tell a great story and can multitask during stressful situations.
The position is open now, but I`m willing to wait until the end of the football season for the right candidate.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We have a strong internal candidate for sports director, but you can apply for the position.
The weekend sports anchor/reporter position is a sports/news hybrid. During the sleepy summer months, you will be expected to report to the newsroom on weekdays to cover general assignment news. Naturally, we`d lean towards assigning you sports-related topics, but that will not be the case every time unless you convince news management of the importance of the sports story you are pitching. You will fill-in for the sports director when he is off.
To qualify for the position, you need the skills typically acquired after a couple of years in the business, and the knowledge of journalistic principles typically found in someone with a bachelor’s degree. It is demanding. It is stressful. It is exhilarating.
You should expect a full multimedia experience: you’ll have to pick up a camera and shoot, edit, interact with our Twitter/Facebook followers plus be responsible for the sports section at www.kvia.com .
And here’s the best (or worst) part: the general manager, the managing editor, the news operations manager and our main anchor are all former sportscasters (see a pattern?). The general manager is a sports nut and still shoots sideline video at college football games. Expect constant critique, oversight and very demanding standards. I`m a casual sports spectator. We believe sports is often news – so if you can sell your stories to both ends of the spectrum, you’re a winner.
Sports is always a first thought here, never an afterthought like it is at so many stations. We cover two NCAA Division I universities -UTEP and NMSU- and we don’t hesitate to lead our newscasts with sports when something big is going on. We often follow local teams to regional meets, the NCAA tournament and a bowl game if either college can produce a winner. El Paso has a brand new Triple-A baseball team and new stadium (have you heard of the El Paso Chihuahuas? They`ve made national news). The sports scene here is vibrant.
El Paso is the 19th largest city in the country. We host the annual Sun Bowl each December. We also cover about 40 high schools and produce the Borderland Blitz, a 30-minute Friday night high school football show. This really is a premium job for a mid-market station.
Because we invest so many resources in sports, we want a serious commitment that you will stay a minimum of three years with us.
The ability to speak Spanish is not a requirement, but it could give you an edge in story development since it`s the primary language of many of the people you would be covering.
Please send a link of your work, along with a resume, salary requirement (this is really important because it shows you`ve researched the market) and a cover letter that tells me why I should pick you over everyone else. My address is andkvia@yahoo.com.
Please use “SPORTS JOB“ on the subject line.
Good luck!
Brenda De Anda-Swann
News Director
KVIA-TV
