Executive Director of Media Operations and General Manager

KUT and KUTX
Austin, TEXAS

POSITION: Executive Director of Media Operations and General Manager of KUT 90.5 FM and KUTX 98.9 FM,

Moody College of Communication

REPORTS TO: Jay M. Bernhardt, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Dean, Moody College of Communication

 

INSTITUTION: The University of Texas at Austin

https://www.utexas.edu

 

LOCATION: Austin, TX

The University of Texas at Austin and its Moody College of Communication invite nominations and applications for the position of Executive Director of Media Operations and General Manager of KUT/KUTX, Austin’s premier public radio enterprise. Established in 1958, KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station, perennially ranks among the top five in per-capita listening nationally among NPR news stations. It’s sister station, KUTX 98.9, was established in 2013 and ranks second among NPR music stations nationally. KUT, as the combined organization is known, is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to and wholly-owned by the University of Texas at Austin, operating as a service of its top-ranked Moody College of Communication.

Reporting to the Dean of Moody College, the Executive Director is fully responsible for all aspects of the stations’ vision, operations, and financing. S/he will have the opportunity to build on the current, significant strengths of a nationally recognized public media organization, pursuing innovation while remaining appropriately true to its distinctive heritage and community commitment.

 

KUT / KUTX: AUSTIN PUBLIC RADIO

The history of KUT is a story of public radio innovation in the U.S. In 1921, a radio station was established to conduct experimental work in radio communication for UT Austin’s Physics department. Eventually, the expense of operating the station became too great for the department and the University decided to discontinue it in 1927.

The catalyst for the rebirth of radio at the University was Robert Schenkkan, who joined UT Austin in 1955. Under Schenkkan’s leadership, supported by funding from both the University and the Austin community, KUT-FM made its on air debut in 1958. It eventually went on to become a founding member of National Public Radio (NPR) in 1971, and carried the first-ever broadcast of All Things Considered in May of that year. In 1979, KUT carried the inaugural broadcast of Morning Edition, which has since become one of public radio’s most honored programs.

 

After assembling a team of journalists led by veteran newswoman Emily Donahue, KUT’s then Director, Stewart Vanderwilt, helped to launch its first news department in 2002, as well as the Texas Standard, a one-hour daily news program produced in collaboration with stations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and across the state. With a full-time, dedicated news staff, KUT 90.5 is committed to using the highest journalistic standards to shed light on Central Texas' civic challenges and opportunities. To date, the KUT newsroom has earned more than 250 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence, including 25 regional and two national Edward R. Murrow awards, seven National Headliners awards, and 11 New York Festival awards. Among those are a 2009 Grand Award from the National Headliners Awards and a 2011 Grand Award at the New York Festivals.

 

In 2012, Moody College opened the Belo Center for New Media, in which Vanderwilt helped to oversee the opening of the new KUT Public Media Studios, a highly visible and interactive broadcast and production center, resulting from a $9.8 million capital campaign. KUT’s new home includes an 80-seat performance space for musical artists, a smaller studio for solo artists, talk and music studios, edit rooms, and offices. In 2013, KUT launched its sister station, KUTX, a 24-hour music service known as the Austin Music Experience. Funded by a two-year $750,000 grant from CPB, the Texas Station Collaborative (TSC) was launched in 2015 as a unique and innovative partnership between KUT, KERA in North Texas, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio, and Houston Public Media to maximize the local journalism and production resources of the participating public stations in order to more efficiently produce Texas-focused stories for national news programs. The TSC continues to serve as a model for future statewide collaborations throughout the public media system.

 

Vanderwilt also established the KUT / KUTX Advisory Board, which has since grown and continues to provide counsel in support of public radio service to its nearly 400,000 listeners each week. In addition to its broadcast service, KUT distributes its programming globally via www.kut.org and www.kutx.org, and mobile apps. KUT and its Advisory Board also support the University’s broader mission to educate and foster a more civil society. More information about the Advisory Board can be found here.

Administratively separate from KUT, Texas Student Media (TSM), an umbrella organization composed of several student-produced media properties, has in recent years become part of the portfolio of KUT’s Executive Director via the reporting relationship of TSM’s Director. TSM includes: The Daily Texan newspaper; the humor magazine Texas Travesty; the Cactus yearbook; KVRX 91.7 FM; Texas Student Television (TSTV), and the alternative news site Burntx.com. TSM also runs Longhorn Life, a staff-run and student-staffed lifestyle insert and relies on a team of student and professional advertising salespeople.

 

KUT Public Media operates as a self-supporting unit within the Moody College of Communication and benefits from substantial in-kind support from the College and the University of the Texas. The stations have a track record of positive financial results fueled by nearly 30,000 annual donors, robust sponsorship, and major gifts. Today, KUT is one of the best-performing public radio stations in the country and routinely has the largest per-capita public radio listening audience among the largest 200 cities in the nation.

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MEDIA OPERATIONS & GENERAL MANAGER OF KUT

The Moody College of Communication and the University of Texas at Austin seek a visionary leader to serve as the Executive Director for Media Operations and General Manager of KUT and KUTX. S/he will ensure the station’s commitment to civic engagement and public service, both locally and nationally, by reinforcing KUT’s commitment to authenticity, craft, context and the unique power of the human voice in all its forms through intelligent explorations in local music, lifestyle, and culture reflective of the Austin experience. The Texas Standard, the Texas Station Collaborative, and KUT’s local coverage collectively make up one of the most well-respected public media news organizations in the country, and as such, the Executive Director will maintain the highest journalistic standards and editorial integrity to reinforce KUT’s commitment to being the news of record for Central Texas.

Reporting directly to Dean Jay Bernhardt of the Moody College, the Executive Director will also:

 Develop and execute a strategic plan that positions KUT's public media properties and content to take advantage of technology disruption and changing audience habits in the broadcast and digital mediums.

 

 Provide collaborative strategic leadership and support to the operation of the KUT / KUTX media enterprises, including oversight for the Cactus Cafe, KUT.org and KUTX.org

 

 Collaborate with KUT senior leadership to maintain departmental fiscal accountability and revenue performance.

 

 Increase engagement with and donations from the KUT community of listeners, members and donors, using live events, personal outreach, social media, and other digital communications. Along with the Associate General Manager for Development & Marketing, support and actively participate in fundraising and other revenue generating activities.

 

 Maintain KUT’s market position and quality of programming by developing new and innovative ways to generate revenue from its growing audience of listeners outside of Austin, e.g. creating new products/services to monetize. Expand and enhance KUT’s reputation internationally by marrying local content with globally delivered media platforms.

 

 Support the historical community service mission of KUT Public Media with an eye towards diverse programming and relevant community engagement.

 

 Embody and sustain KUT’s culture of collaboration and appreciation of individuality and difference engendered in its programming, which strives to deepen understanding and connect people; support the University’s mission to educate and foster a more civil society.

 

 Uphold the University’s commitment to diversity and equity by ensuring that KUT is an inclusive environment in which staff and students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to excel within the standards established by its Diversity Statement and within the standards of the University of Texas at Austin.

 

 Ensure that KUT remains vibrant and competitive within the space of public broadcasting, while also engaging Moody College students, faculty, and staff in programmatic and operational activities that enhance the College’s curriculum and advance its academic mission.

 

 Serve as a member of the Moody College of Communication leadership team and participate in college and university initiatives while upholding UT Austin’s university administrative policies; review current practices for each functional area and implement changes where necessary to improve efficiency and effectiveness; review policies, procedures, and programs and make recommendations to revise, discontinue, or create.

 

 Provide collaborative professional advice and support as needed to the operation of Texas Student Media, including direct supervision of its Director.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will be a creative, innovative leader with excellent communication and collaboration skills and a passion for public media. S/he will, at a minimum, have a bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of experience in media leadership and management. While a background in public radio is preferred, candidates with executive experience in broadcast and other media, are also invited to apply.

Qualified candidates for this position will also have:

A firm commitment to collaborative and participatory leadership and demonstrated experience in fostering collaboration and building consensus amongst diverse colleagues

A track record of developing successful partnerships with industry and community organizations

A history of generating external financial support and/or managing externally funded programs as well as developing plans to secure future funding

A high standard for individual and enterprise performance

 The ability to illustrate his/her success with diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in current or previous initiatives

 Prior leadership experience in academia and/or with student media is preferred, but not required

 

THE MOODY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION

The University of Texas at Austin has sustained academic work and professional training in broadcasting since 1921. By the 1930s, what was probably the first television broadcast in Texas originated on UT Austin’s campus, leading it to launch the first degree program in broadcasting in 1939. Licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the University of Texas at Austin in 1958, KUT continues to operate as a public and community service of the Moody College of Communication. These early activities, expanded into television and film, resulted in the formation of Moody’s Department of Radio-Television-Film.

Established in 1965, with departmental roots reaching back to 1899, Moody College is one of the largest and most comprehensive communication colleges in the country. The College was officially named the Moody College of Communication in 2013, following a historic and transformational $50 million gift from the Moody Foundation. Combined with the College’s previous endowments, the Moody Foundation gift created the largest endowment for the study of communication at any public university in the nation.

Moody College is comprised of five departments/schools: Advertising and Public Relations; Communication Sciences and Disorders; Communication Studies; Journalism; and Radio-Television-Film (RTF). Moody faculty include nationally recognized teachers and scholars who conduct leading-edge research and are renowned for their accomplishments. Each of the College’s programs ranks highly in various publications and creative works, often within the top 10 programs in its respective field, setting standards for the entire communications industry.

 

Moody maintains deep connections to the various industries it represents through its diverse faculty, strong alumni base, and industry partnerships. Its newest building, the Belo Center for New Media, opened in 2012 and builds on these strengths, while also promoting new models for communication research and education for the 21st century.

In 2015, Moody completed a total renovation of the CMA and CMB buildings of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center. These projects greatly expanded the resources available to RTF students and faculty, including new equipment checkout facilities, a dedicated animation classroom, multiple teaching and production studios and editing suites, and a 6,300 square-foot soundstage.

 

The CMB Building contains more than 25,000 square-feet of studio space for film and television production work, including Austin’s public television station KLRU and the studio for Texas Newswatch, the student-produced television news program. RTF has 5 dedicated film & HD TV production studios, covering a total of 12,000 square feet, which include HD projection & cinema-grade surround sound. It also houses RTF’s 18 HD video editing suites, including the MFA post production suites.

 

The CMA Building is home to RTF’s faculty offices as well as the faculty for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Department of Communication Studies. The building features state-of-the-art classrooms, ranging from 15-seat seminar rooms to a 200-seat auditorium, in addition to the RTF Media Library and the Digital Media Labs, designed for the highest caliber of digital content creation and media post production.

 

 

Dean Jay Bernhardt was appointed the sixth Dean of the Moody College of Communication in March 2016, after serving as the College’s Interim Dean since August 2015. Dr. Bernhardt is a health communication scholar and practitioner, having been recruited to the College with a joint appointment in the Department of Communication Studies and the Stan Richard School of Advertising and Public Relations. Before joining UT Austin, Dr. Bernhardt served as the director of the National Center for Health Marketing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he oversaw media operations and production, creative services, strategic partnerships, health communication science, public facing campaigns and services, and digital media. He also previously served as a professor, department chair, and founding director of the Center for Digital Health and Wellness at the University of Florida. He was previously on the faculty at the University of Georgia and Emory University, and completed his doctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

Since his appointment as Dean, Dr. Bernhardt has supported comprehensive curriculum reviews and substantial attention to new opportunities in communication and media education and launched a new four-year undergraduate Honors Program and interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Leadership. He has also built an effective and efficient Dean’s Office, and begun or enhanced Moody’s collaborations with other areas of the University including the College of Natural Sciences, the Cockrell School of Engineering, the School of Pharmacy, the McCombs School of Business, and the Dell School of Medicine. As of Spring 2018, the Moody College of Communication had about 4,325 undergraduate students and 460 graduate students. The College attracts top students and provides opportunities to conduct relevant research in a challenging, yet collaborative hands-on environment. Degrees offered span undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. levels.

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest and most distinguished public universities in the United States. As the flagship school of the University of Texas System, UT Austin is the largest of its nine academic universities and six health institutions statewide. Founded in 1883, the University has grown to a 431-acre main campus with 18 colleges and schools, more than 51,000 students, and 3,000 teaching faculty.

UT Austin is one of the country’s top 20 public universities according to U.S. News & World Report, with

over 15 undergraduate programs and 40 graduate programs ranked in the top 10 of their fields nationally.

The University awards more than 8,700 bachelor’s degrees annually in more than 170 fields of study and 119 majors. The University has one of the most diverse student populations in the country and is a national leader in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded to minority students.

Established in 1910, UT Austin’s Graduate School enrolls nearly 8,200 graduate and 2,000 professional students in more than 100 fields of study. It has become a national leader in graduate degrees awarded and one of the largest graduate schools in the nation, awarding about 900 doctoral and 3,000 master's degrees each year through its 223 graduate degree programs, of which more than 40 ranked in the top 10 nationally.

 

In January 2016, UT Austin President, Gregory Fenves launched Project 2021, a five-year, University-wide endeavor to develop next-generation undergraduate programs through data- driven innovation. Informed by the compilation and analysis of data on student learning and the effectiveness of new teaching methods and supported by a new infrastructure established to coordinate such efforts with partners across campus, Project 2021 assists academic departments to modernize their undergraduate degree plans though curriculum redesign, technology integration, and the creation of new pathways towards academic achievement for UT Austin’s undergraduates to explore. Similarly, through the use of predictive analytics to ensure undergraduate students are receiving the support they need, UT Austin’s four-year graduation rate has climbed 14% since 2013.

 

AUSTIN, TX

Named “Best Place to Live” by U.S. News & World Report in 2017, Austin’s top spot was likely supported by its analogous #2 ranking on the “Best Performing Cities” report last year, up two places from 2015, according to the Milken Institute. Austin's rise is attributed the vast amount of new companies that have formed here in recent years, with small businesses growing by nearly 10% in recent years, the highest in the nation by a big margin. Ranked fourth in the country by Forbes in future job growth, projected to increase by 4% this year, and with an unemployment rate of just 3.2%, Austin’s momentum is likely to continue.

 

Not only is the Texan capital home to the flagship institution of the UT System, Austin also serves as the headquarters of Whole Foods Market and Dell (in nearby Round Rock). Nicknamed “Silicon Hills”, Austin is among the top areas for venture capital investment in the country. With a number of Fortune 500 companies establishing major operations and campuses in Austin, including Amazon, Apple, Cisco, eBay, Google, IBM, Intel, and Oracle, the city has become known as a hub for technology.

Austinites, include a diverse mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high- tech workers, blue-collar workers, and a vibrant LGBT community. As the “Live Music Capital of the World", the city hosts several of the largest music festivals in the country, including Austin City Limits and South by Southwest (SXSW), with more than 2,000 performers playing on over 100 stages every March. The event has grown into a 10-day festival celebrating film, music and digital media. The Moody College always has a significant presence at SXSW. Click here to see how Moody faculty, students, staff and alumni were involved in the latest festival.

 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The University of Texas at Austin and the Moody College of Communication have engaged Opus Partners (www.opuspartners.net) to support the recruitment of this position. Craig Smith, Partner, and Jennifer Rumain, Senior Associate, are managing the search. Applicants are invited to email a PDF containing a brief letter describing their interest and qualifications and a resume to jennifer.rumain@opuspartners.net. Nominations, recommendations, expressions of interest, and inquiries should be sent to the same address.

Applications received by September 15th, 2018 will receive full consideration. UT policy requires that a background check be conducted on the selected candidate. All possible discretion will be exercised to maintain the privacy of applicants through the search process.

 

KUT is committed to fostering a work culture that constantly explores the full diversity of human experience and has set a strategic objective to extend its audience reach, use and diversity, and give voice to the changing characteristics of our community. KUT’s full diversity statement can be found here.

The University of Texas at Austin is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.  The University of Texas at Austin is a tobacco-free campus; for more information visit http://www.utexas.edu/tobaccofree/.