About WRKF
89.3 WRKF is public radio for Louisiana's capital city. WRKF has informed and entertained Baton Rouge as the region's independent NPR affiliate since 1980. WRKF is a non-profit organization and serves its audience with support from underwriters and donors who value original coverage of Louisiana news and politics along with national and international news coverage from NPR.
WRKF features news and talk programming along with a diverse mix of music and cultural programs like "American Routes" with Nick Spitzer, theater of the mind programs like "This American Life" with Ira Glass, and variety programs like "Wait, Wait, Don't Me" with Peter Sagal. WRKF brings the BBC World Service to Baton Rouge every night. WRKF streams at wrkf.org, through the WRKF App, and on other digital platforms.
"South Louisiana is a place rich with heritage and passionate people. The food, of course, is amazing. But so are the stories. If you’re serious about your journalism and want to make a real difference in people’s lives, this is the job for you."
— Russell Lewis, NPR Southern Bureau Chief (and former New Orleans resident).
WWNO/WRKF Regional News Director
POSITION SUMMARY:
WRKF (Baton Rouge) and WWNO (New Orleans) and are seeking a visionary News Director to help establish a new collaborative newsroom initiative. The Regional ND will oversee newsrooms in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, manage day-to-day coverage and work with reporters to develop ideas for features, daily spots, interviews, digital content, and special projects. The successful candidate will have the choice of being based in either Baton Rouge or New Orleans.
The Regional ND will lead regular newsroom meetings and make decisions about all newsroom content, including breaking news and long-term projects. They will set the coverage agenda and develop plans for executing high-value enterprise reporting and innovative new storytelling approaches and programs.
This is an exciting time to join our newsrooms, where the Regional ND will oversee a staff of about ten hosts and reporters in two different markets – and pioneer relevant new collaborative coverage. We are looking for someone who has a good sense of daily news, can manage breaking national news stories, and is also a creative visionary. Louisiana is like no other state in the nation – and we want content on WRKF and WWNO to reflect that, with distinctive local color. From our arts coverage to our history podcast, we like to have fun and sound different.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The Regional ND reports directly to the General Manager. This position supervises all newsroom staff for both stations. This position is charged with allocating newsroom resources on a daily and long-term basis to align with the mission.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Set the coverage agenda by leading daily newsroom meetings and regular long-term planning meetings with a multi-platform/multi-market focus. Allocate resources, weighing short-term needs and long-term goals. Brainstorm story ideas with newsroom staff. Identify opportunities for enterprise reporting and develop plans for execution.
- Refine and articulate our editorial mission of reporting that tells southeast Louisiana’s stories with depth, authenticity and accuracy, and that also amplifies the region’s voices and spotlights shared issues.
- Build tactical plans for executing on the editorial mission, focusing on high-value/high-impact topics. Identify platform-specific tactical goals for engaging audiences. Monitor and report on progress, and adjust plans based on results. Monitor and report on newsroom performance against metrics for audience in terms of reach, usage and impact.
- Provide hands-on editing of stories for accuracy, tone, completeness and storytelling approach. Provide critiques and daily feedback to set and emphasize standards of journalism practice. Guide ethical decision-making and maintain high ethical standards while encouraging innovation and smart risk-taking.
- Identify skills gaps and learning opportunities for the newsroom and develop training plans to address them. Identify tools and platforms essential to innovation in storytelling and audience engagement, and advocate for their deployment. Hire, onboard and train staff.
- Manage newsroom spending against budget and provide input into budget preparation and management to General Manager.
REQUIRED:
- Public media experience, reporting/producing audio-rich feature stories in the NPR style. Ability to edit others and file for NPR if needed. Excellent on-air presence.
- Solid technical and audio skills using standard broadcast studio equipment and digital audio editing software
- A minimum of two years experience managing a news staff.
- Strong news judgment and editing/producing experience across a range of reporting and storytelling genres.
- Experience leading journalists with varying experience and platform backgrounds.
- Experience in team building and leading collaborative work processes.
- An understanding of the values, sound and sensibility of public radio and enthusiasm for the station and the region.
- Strong background in and knowledge of current best practices in journalism.
- Experience building audiences, leading the integration of content across platforms.
- A strong track record of applying insights from analytics and benchmarks to content decisions on-air and online.
- An appreciation for a sense of place and the value of localism.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Click here to apply.
We offer attractive, competitive compensation and benefits including, medical, vision and dental coverage, Life and LTD, paid vacation, personal and sick time.
WRKF is an equal opportunity employer.
