Digital Producer, Arts & Culture

Home to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Media is the largest local non-profit news organization in the country. WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times serve more than 2 million people weekly across broadcast, print, and digital platforms. As a mission-driven organization, we aspire to become the essential and most trusted news source that Chicago turns to each day for understanding the people, events, and ideas that shape our community.

WBEZ is home to local and national news programming as well as a growing portfolio of popular podcasts. WBEZ serves the community with fact-based, objective news and information, and its award-winning journalists ask tough questions, dig deep for answers and expose truths that spark change and foster understanding. WBEZ is supported by more than 86,000 members, hundreds of corporate sponsors and major donors. In 2022, WBEZ received more than 20 awards for its journalism, including two prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Chicago Sun-Times is Chicago's oldest continuously published daily newspaper serving Chicago and is known for its hard-hitting investigative reporting, in-depth political coverage, timely behind-the-scenes sports analysis, and insightful entertainment and cultural coverage. Chicago Sun-Times is the winner of eight Pulitzer Prizes and countless other awards. In recent years, the Sun-Times has focused on a digital transformation to deliver its news and content to a growing digital audience. Most recently, the Sun-Times dropped the paywall on suntimes.com to expand access to its journalism, and shifted to a community-funded digital membership program supported by voluntary member donations.

Chicago Public Media believes independent journalism is essential to a well-functioning democracy and access to fact-based, objective news and information is a right of every citizen. We serve the public interest by creating diverse, compelling content that informs, inspires, and enriches. We connect diverse audiences and help them make a difference in the community, the region and the world. And, we employ 300+ staff who want to belong to an organization that inspires, supports, and challenges them to do their best work.

For more information, please see the Chicago Public Media Annual Report.

The Opportunity

Chicago Public Media is looking for an experienced Digital Producer to join its new arts and culture team at WBEZ, Chicago's NPR station. This digital producer will support WBEZ's daily arts/culture coverage to make our site the best source of arts journalism in Chicago. As part of a team of editors, reporters and producers across WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and Vocalo, this role will focus on broadcast, digital and engagement work that includes copy-editing, managing social media channels, curating the WBEZ.org arts page, and reinforcing best practices for audience engagement and search engine optimization (SEO). The role will also be the lead writer on our weekly fine arts newsletter. The position will also assume additional leadership and responsibility for production duties associated with arts digital news initiatives.

Qualifications

A minimum of 3 years of experience in broadcast, digital and/or social media
Strong writing skills for digital, broadcast, print, social media and promotional material
Proven editorial judgment
Ability to work in a fast-paced, news-driven environment
Team-oriented, collaborative approach
Audio or video editing skills with ProTools, Adobe Audition, Sony Vegas or similar programs, not required but a plus
Experience working with content management systems
Demonstrated creativity in digital and social media
Photo and video skills and experience
Experience writing newsletters preferred
Knowledge of Chicago-area news and communities preferred

Responsibilities

Help launch and produce WBEZ's new weekly arts newsletter
Edit copy, headlines and visuals for accuracy, relevance, and clarity.
Develop and reinforce SEO best practices.
Select, edit, and curate photos, audio files and other multimedia story elements.
Update homepage regularly with fresh content.
Closely monitor local and national news for breaking arts, culture, entertainment news, updates, trends, and insights
Assess content from a variety of sources (e.g., NPR, wires) to determine where and how it fits into coverage, feature placement, and social media channels.
Create posts across WBEZ social media platforms to engage audiences and extend the reach of stories.
Assist with existing social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook
Collaborate with teams that are part of an arts hub across Chicago Public Media, including WBEZ, Vocalo and Sun-Times to promote and package content to reach new audiences and deepen loyalty of existing audiences
Help create digital-first and social media-first arts content
Actively participate in arts planning, meetings and special projects
Deliver work by deadline, in a variety of formats, according to our production schedule
Work occasional evenings and weekends during breaking news or big arts events as needed