News Director
- Job Title
- News Director
- Job ID
- 27664257
- Location
- Dallas, TX 75201
- Other Location
- Description
-
News Director
KERA, the public broadcasting organization for North Texas is hiring a News Editor to define the daily news agenda with passion, creativity, urgency and immediacy. This person will lead a team and set the tone for our newsroom’s priorities each day and play a key role in developing and executing initiatives to grow, diversify and engage our audiences across platforms.
WHO WE ARE:
KERA reaches more than 2 million people weekly through KERA TV, KERA News, KXT and Art&Seek. For more than 60 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a destination for trusted educational programming and initiatives, community engagement and lifelong learning.
As we seek to recognize and reflect the increasing diversity among our audiences, we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives to consider employment opportunities at KERA.
SUMMARY OF THE ROLE:
KERA News is seeking a News Director to supervise its daily news coverage. The director, based in Dallas, will assign and edit daily radio and digital stories; supervise reporters, producers and newscasters; organize, track and distribute daily story budgets; coordinate with statewide and national outlets; and produce stories and interviews for air.
This job requires a seasoned editor who’s equally comfortable planning and executing short and long-term reporting on radio, digital and social media platforms. The News Director will be a leader who can confidently and smoothly work with reporters, producers and hosts, someone with the creative spark and passion for storytelling to craft coverage in a way that stands out on the media landscape. Organizational, project-management, training and communications skills are crucial. This editor will demonstrate best practices in editing, ethics and diversity.
The News Director reports to the Executive Editor, and is an FLSA classified exempt position, not eligible for overtime.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:- Plan, organize and edit the daily radio and digital reports of KERA News.
- Manage the staff of KERA’s newscast unit, including newscasters, reporters and producers
- Coordinate coverage for daily news delivery across all platforms, including after-hours, weekends and holidays
- Serve as the station’s point person on breaking news coverage according to KERA’s breaking news plan
- Inspire, train and edit reporters, producers and newscasters — from newcomers to veterans
- Generate creative, audience-centered story ideas and develop them on multiple media platforms
- Work collaboratively with KERA’s local, statewide and national partners, including Fort Worth Report, The Dallas Morning News, The Texas Newsroom and NPR, with a special focus on breaking news
- Build and coordinate collaborative news projects with other news outlets, inside and outside public media
- Work closely with other departments across KERA, including audience development, revenue and digital
- Write quickly, accurately and creatively for radio and digital platforms
- Create and maintain an active, innovative social media presence
- Report and produce audio stories and interviews as needed for air, and text and multimedia stories for KERA’s digital platforms
- Other duties as assigned by the Executive Editor
As a KERA employee:- Participate in on-air and online fundraising as needed
- Be an active participant in KERA’s work towards equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.
- Work in a manner that is consistent with KERA’s mission, vision and values; and maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures
- Comply with KERA’s COVID policies.
- Perform additional duties as assigned.
This list of job duties is not exhaustive and is subject to regular reviews and updates.
WHO YOU ARE:
We believe a strong organization includes employees from a range of backgrounds, with different skills, experiences and passions. If you do not meet every position qualification but have some of these skills and feel you could be the right candidate for the job, we would like to hear from you. Please apply and tell us more about yourself.
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, media or related field.
- 5-10+ years of news experience, at least 2 years in a position involving editing and supervision.
- Strong leadership skills and ability to guide and inspire everyone from an intern to a rookie reporter to an experienced veteran.
- Ability to juggle multiple projects/priorities, often on deadline.
- Knowledge of/experience in audio production and editing.
- Flexibility and speed, with wide-ranging interests and a distinctive writing “voice.”
- Experience writing for digital platforms, with active Twitter and Facebook presence.
- Sound news judgment and ability to organize, generate and edit factual, error-free copy quickly in breaking news situations.
- Strong content editing/proofreading skills, including knowledge of AP style.
- Strategic thinking, with the ability to work with others to put together detailed, yet easy-to-understand plans.
- Passionate and enthusiastic about journalism, and emerging news opportunities in North Texas.
- A passion for diversity, and proven ability to connect with and maintain relationships with diverse communities and staff.
BONUS IF YOU BRING:- A proven record of editing public radio pieces.
- Experience leading collaborative news projects.
- Experience with sophisticated multimedia storytelling using Storify, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
- Deep knowledge of Texas people, cultures, issues and geography, as well as national and international issues and events.
- Bilingual (Spanish preferred)
SALARY RANGE
$80,000 - $90,000, dependent on experience
BENEFITS- Generous vacation, sick, personal time and holidays
- Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance
- Flexible scheduling and hybrid work environment
- 403b plan with KERA-match after 1 year
- Culture focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
- Robust employee assistance program
LOCATION:
KERA is returning to work from the pandemic. We expect that this position will work out of our office 75% of the time.
HOW TO APPLY:- Complete the application on KERA’s employment page.
- Please include a cover letter indicating why you’re excited about joining the KERA team
KERA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
KERA believes that diversity is important to our success. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.
