News & Public Affairs Director

WAER and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communication seek a dynamic newsroom leader who can help move our dual missions forward, enlightening, entertaining and engaging the public, and providing professional development opportunities for student/volunteers. WAER’s next News Director will continue the department’s evolution into a broadcast and digital entity.

The News Director will join sound journalism with technical broadcasting skills, digital storytelling, comprehensive knowledge of content management systems for web posting, and social media experience. This individual will lead, set policy and produce content in each of these areas. This includes editing content on all platforms and participating in special public affairs, community-engagement programming.

The News Director also plays a key role in WAER’s training and development mission, including teaching writing, interviewing, digital and audio skills, and other areas to aid student development. Recruiting of volunteers is also an important task.

The WAER News Director is also a member of the station’s management team and helps set station direction, participates in fundraising, station promotion, and community and university relations. Knowledge of Public Media and related issues is helpful.

Responsibilities:

Content Production: The News Director produces daily news content, feature news reporting, and special event coverage; contributes to scheduled public affairs and community engagement programs with interviews, stories and segments; develops story and program ideas, and serves as host/anchor when needed for news magazines; edits and writes digital content for website and social media platforms; contributes to podcast development and production.
Supervision: The News Director supervises, assigns, and directs professional staff of reporters and producers, as well as extensive student volunteer staff. The person also trains, directs, and provides periodic assessment of professional staff in the department. A key component of supervision is balancing resources for the various newsroom needs: daily local news coverage, beat and feature reporting, public affairs programs, and special news coverage, for both broadcast and digital audiences.
Student Services: Helps recruit, schedule, train, supervise and assign student volunteers; Guides professional development opportunities for students; Edits daily and feature digital and broadcast content; Manages and develops systems to improve student professional development and to increase retention; Helps recruit a diverse group of student volunteers, creating a culture that is welcoming to all ethnicities, majors, gender expressions or preferences, abilities, experience levels; Fosters collaborations with Newhouse School and to highlight student work on WAER's platforms.
Management: The News Director sets editorial standards and direction, consistent with station goals and market conditions; helps, as part of the management team, to create the vision for improving existing products and innovating new, creative digital and broadcast initiatives; assists in fundraising as needed; seeks out community collaboration for news reporting and public affairs projects.
Other Position-related duties as assigned.