News Director

WYSO Public Radio is the NPR affiliate for a 14-county region in southwest Ohio, including Dayton and Springfield. We are on a dynamic path of growth and change, having recently transitioned from university to community ownership. On the air since 1958, we’re a funky, hybrid format, with independent news and music; and our professional staff collaborates with community members to make over 40 hours of local content every week.

We are seeking a News Director to join our team.

Overview

The News Director will be a visionary journalist and skilled manager who will lead our newsroom team of seven full-time staff, which includes four full-time Reporters, a Digital Content Editor, a Morning Edition Host, and an All Things Considered Host; a large network of freelance reporters and editors; and a changing roster of talented paid interns from universities across our region.

With a team that’s firing on all cylinders, a new satellite studio set to open in downtown Dayton later in 2022, and a move to state-of-the-art expanded headquarters in Yellow Springs in 2023, this is an exciting time to join our team.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of the News Department including staffing, scheduling, editing, training, story development, idea generation, and assignments for enterprise reporting, news collaborations, and online reporting/news delivery.
• Supervise newsroom staff and assign news coverage; supervise all editorial decisions related to news coverage; serve as a mentor for newsroom staff to ensure they build capacity and competency. 
• Edit news stories before they are aired or posted online for clear, factual, concise, and fair reporting that adheres to the highest journalistic standards.
• Work with WYSO reporters/producers to help shape their stories, guiding their reporting from pitch to air, and ensuring editorial quality throughout the process. Nurture reporter/producers' talents to help them flourish and grow as journalists and producers.
• Write news stories for online audiences and be familiar with current and emerging digital/online technologies.
• Train paid interns in journalism, reporting, interviewing, and editing standards.
• Serve on WYSO’s Programming Committee, working collaboratively with the music department and the Center for Community Voices
• Manage relationships, contracts, assignments, and deliverables of our freelance contractors (editors and producers).
• Develop an annual budget for the newsroom.
• Represent WYSO by attending station events and actively participating in station fundraising, both on and off the air. 
• Pitch local news stories with national appeal / influence to NPR.
• Participate fully in WYSO’s ongoing DEI trainings and initiatives, and ensure that the values of equity and inclusion inform the work of the newsroom. 

Qualifications

• Minimum five to eight years of full-time professional experience in journalism with increasing responsibilities — preferably in a multiplatform news environment.
• Minimum five years professional experience managing people. 
• Deep knowledge of public media news programming ethics, standards, and values.
• Passion for public radio and our public service mission. 
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with strong interpersonal skills.
• Understand and uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness, and ethics in reporting. 
• Be a fast, clear, and capable writer who is familiar with AP style.
• Knowledge of on-air and online techniques/procedures, protocols, and standards.
• Experience in broadcast production, web content, news writing, and editing.
• Detail-oriented, able to meet daily deadlines under potentially stressful conditions and deal effectively with multiple competing tasks.
• Ability to supervise and develop employees, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

Salary and Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Benefits include health/dental/vision insurance after a qualifying period that is required by our provider; paid holidays, paid vacation, and paid sick leave; 401(k) company match; HSA with annual company grant; gym membership/wellness stipend; and cell phone stipend. This is an exempt position.

About WYSO

WYSO enjoys strong support from listeners and local businesses. Over 80,000 listeners tune in every week, and thousands more regularly interact with our website. Contributed revenues have doubled in the last ten years. We have more than 20 full-time staff, numerous paid interns, dozens of volunteer producers and hosts…and these numbers will continue to grow.

WYSO is an Equal Opportunity Employer with diversity as one of our core values. We want our staff to reflect the community we serve. As such, people from all backgrounds, communities, races, religions, and expressed genders are encouraged to apply. Learn more about the steps we are taking to be a more inclusive organization here.

About The Gem City

Dayton, Ohio (“The Gem City”), where once upon a time two brothers who ran a bicycle shop dreamed up powered flight, continues to be a place where good ideas grow into reality. It’s a city busy reinventing itself. This twin sense of possibility and reinvention makes it a great place to live. WYSO is a beloved and respected member of this community because we amplify the voices of the people, organizations, and musicians that call Dayton home. Although we’re proud to share national and international stories from NPR, the BBC and others, it’s the creation of local content that drives everything we do.

Please submit a cover letter and resume (including contact information for three references familiar with your work as a manager) to the Director of Finance and Administration at aboulet@wyso.org.  Review of applications will begin immediately.