News Director, WVIK

About Augustana College:

Augustana College is seeking qualified candidates for the position of  News Director of WVIK. 

About WVIK: WVIK is the most listened-to public radio station in the Quad Cities area, broadcasting to over 40,000 listeners each month with thousands engaging online and on the WVIK App.

WVIK offers audiences in its 75-mile listening radius access to a wide variety of music, including classical and jazz selections, all curated by beloved local hosts. WVIK's award-winning newsroom is the only local radio news department in the Quad Cities. WVIK also produces a variety of podcasts that explore arts, culture and entertainment in the region. In addition to these services, WVIK maintains translators in Dubuque, Iowa, (95.9 FM) and Moline, Illinois (105.7 FM).

WVIK also serves Quad Citizens with visual impairments or other difficulties reading via Augustana Public Radio Information Service (APRIS). More than a hundred volunteers visit the WVIK studios every month to record readings of local papers and periodicals, which are then broadcast on sub-band radios and streamed online. WVIK is also designated a lead station for disaster response communications by numerous local and regional disaster response teams, a critical community service given WVIK's listening area is situated along the Mississippi River.

Committed to maintaining its position as an indispensable community organization for years to come, WVIK expanded its news and classical programming. WVIK by creating a 24/7 news and information station on 90.3 FM while also having a 24/7 classical music station dedicated to supporting local arts and culture on its HD2 and 105.7 FM translator. As part of this ongoing expansion, WVIK is upgrading its production tools and processes and is building an innovative and energetic team dedicated to serving the community both over the air and digitally.

About Augustana College:  Augustana College is a selective liberal arts and sciences college of 2,400 students, including 18 percent first-generation college students, 22 percent Pell Grant students, 23 percent students of color, and 13 percent international students.  Our beautifully wooded and largely residential campus is located in Rock Island, IL, a diverse Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities metropolitan area along the Mississippi River with 400,000 residents about three hours west of Chicago.

Strengthening our diverse and inclusive community is central to the college's mission and strategic plan. We seek applicants with an interest in fostering rigorous, inclusive, and high-impact work environments.

Employees at Augustana enjoy an excellent benefits package including medical, retirement, generous paid time off, tuition benefits for employees and their family members, and much more.

Employees at Augustana enjoy an excellent benefit package including medical, retirement, generous paid time off, tuition benefits for employees and their family members, and much more.

Job Description:

Position Title:  News Director

Reports To:  General Manager of WVIK

Salary Grade: 750

Overview: The News Director leads and manages the planning, production, and presentation
of news on-air and online, including social media sites, and through the use of new and
emerging technologies. The News Director trains, supervises, and evaluates the news
department's professional staff, interns, and student workers to ensure adherence to industry
best practices. The News Director works in cooperation with the General Manager to establish
and monitor editorial policy and ethical, artistic, and technical standards for news
programming. The News Director also participates in public events, participates in on-air and in
person fundraising events, and generally works with WVIK staff to support the station's mission.

Job Duties:

• As News Director, this person directs and coordinates all activities of the WVIK Newsroom by providing editorial oversight, assigning or approving stories, writing news copy, coordinating special coverage, monitoring news developments on a continual basis, and adhering to the highest journalistic and ethical standards. They also manage news department staff, including full and part-time employees, independent contractors, reporters, hosts, and students.
• Leads regular news staff meetings to generate plans for short and long form coverage. They will plan daily and long-range news coverage on all platforms.
• Originates and approves news story ideas and projects, and communicates these ideas and projects across the organization. Creates and maintains plans for coverage crises and breaking news, working with other station departments as needed.
• Recruits and manages news interns in coordination with General Manager and Augustana College.
• Works with the General Manager to create news department budget; manages newsroom budget throughout the year. Runs the newsroom in a professional, collegial manner. Actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with all departments, including Development, Community Engagement, and Music Director, on multi-station and multi-platform stories and initiatives.
• Gathers, reports, generates, and contributes to news and public affairs content. Works with General Manager and other relevant staff to solicit community input on news coverage priorities. Represents the WVIK Newsroom as required at board meetings and station-sponsored events outside of station. This may include candidate forums and tables at fairs and festivals.
• Works with students, interns, and entry-level employees to develop technical skills and maintain journalistic integrity.
• Regularly participates in on-air fundraising and assists with grant writing/reporting as needed.
• This person will need to host either Morning Edition or All Things Considered on a regular or occasional basis. As such, they should be capable of preparing materials for multiple hourly breaks that include local news, station information and promos, weather, community calendar items, and corporate sponsors.

Requirements:

Education: A four-year degree in journalism, or equivalent, is a minimum requirement. Full-time professional experience in journalism, preferably radio news including radio hosting experience.

Skills & Abilities:  

• Familiarity with public radio news standards and values.
• A broad knowledge of local and regional issues would be a benefit.
• Demonstrated proficiency in electronic news gathering and audio editing, news writing, and broadcast production strongly desired.
• Must possess effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Preferred office skills include online research, word processing, and spreadsheet use, and operation of light office equipment.
• Must have excellent memory for details, be able to meet daily deadlines under stressful conditions, and deal effectively and pleasantly with multiple tasks simultaneously.
• A passion for the core values of WVIK and its news and cultural mission.

Physical Requirements:  Must be able to lift  25 pounds on a frequent basis. The ability to speak and read clearly in the English language. Also required is the ability to listen, write, climb stairs, bend, stoop, and stand for intermittently long periods of time.  Must possess or be able to acquire a valid driver's license. Must be able to work in a variety of environments for  long periods of time including radio studios and production rooms, out of doors under a variety of conditions, drive a motor vehicle, carry and manipulate broadcast recording equipment, use computers, basic office software, and standard broadcast equipment. As news events frequently occur on an unscheduled basis, the News Director must sometimes work outside of normal business hours and, at times, for long periods of time. As fill in Morning Edition host, their work could occasionally start before 5 AM.

Special Requirements:  As key personnel representing the Station & College to the community, this position requires excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to relate to a diverse audience, and the ability and willingness to model the mission and high standard of behavior of Augustana College and WVIK.  All prospective employees must pass a criminal background check.

Note:  This job description is subject to change and is not designed to be a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required by the employee. 

Additional Information:

Augustana College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Augustana College provides equal opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, and any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Application Instructions:

Interested applicants should provide a resume, cover letter and salary requirements.  Review of applications will begin immediately.