Career Center

News Director

Position Number: S-3158
Type of Recruitment: External

Position Summary:
The News Director is the leader of WCMU's newsroom, overseeing news staff and news output on radio and digital platforms. WCMU covers 48 of Michigan's 83 counties, and we report on a wide range of issues, including local and state government, education, climate and the environment, the economy and more. Primary functions of this position include:

News Strategy: Sets strategic priorities and goals for our news department, including topics and beats, distribution platform, and geographic coverage priorities. Develops and implements coverage plans for WCMU's daily news programs.

Editor: Assigns and edits reporters on a daily basis, from spots and breaking news to features and series. Ensures all WCMU news content is accurate, engaging, ethical, and produced to the highest standards of professional journalism.

Newsroom Leader: Possesses strong leadership skills, including the ability to lead an effective team by teaching, training, and developing the skills of newsroom journalists, including students and interns. The news director must effectively communicate, be an active listener, be committed to cultivating and advancing diversity and inclusion, develop and manage partnerships and achieve data-driven results.

Community Engagement: Works with station leadership on developing and executing regular, meaningful and engaging ways to hear from our listeners, viewers and readers about issues of concern. Leads live broadcasts and coverage of breaking news events, and assist with the production of community events such as town hall meetings, community forums, listening sessions etc.

Required Qualifications:
Bachelors degree in broadcasting, journalism or related field, or 4 years equivalent combination of broadcast news experience and education.
Demonstrated advanced broadcast and digital copy writing, editing, and reporting skills.
Four years of professional experience in reporting situations, field news gathering and/or remote recording situations.
Ability to operate radio equipment, including knowledge of non-linear digital editing systems.
Advanced announcing skills.
Demonstrated ability to maintain positive interpersonal relationships, i.e., faculty, students, visitors, partners, co-workers and/or supervisors.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and project a positive image.
Ability to perform the essential functions and requirements of the job, with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:
Understanding of the purpose and mission of public broadcasting.
Six years of successful, peer recognized experience in on-air and field recording/news gathering, with increasing responsibilities.
Advanced capabilities in digital multi-track editing.
Demonstrated ability to successfully produce digital-first content.
Demonstrated ability to successfully develop program segments and concepts.
Demonstrated ability to successfully formulate interview segments and questions.
Extensive experience as local host of NPR news magazines.
Experience in television news gathering and presentation.
Regular filing of stories with NPR news magazines.
Content collaboration experience.

Duties & Responsibilities:
Coaches and mentors an award-winning team of broadcast journalists, encouraging professional development.
Switches seamlessly between editing radio and web copy on a daily basis, ensuring that advice is consistent among reporters while maintaining standards of ethics as well as journalistic and technical quality.
Provides constructive, clear edits with 'writing for the ear' top of mind for radio stories; prioritize a conversational tone for radio copy; and give feedback on all stories in a timely fashion before broadcast or digital publication.
Creates, maintains, and executes coverage plans for routine, developing and breaking news situations, including providing story assignments and direction to staff reporters.
Maintains reporting skills through occasional reporting, as time permits.
Takes initiative and demonstrate leadership on special reporting series and projects, from idea to execution with a collaborative vision.
Develops and oversee the editorial focus of the newsroom in collaboration with the news team and station leadership.
Develops (with station leadership) and oversees the execution of a content distribution strategy that includes broadcast, digital, podcast, and social media.
Strategizes with partners including NPR, the Michigan Public Radio Network, Harvest Public Media, and others to pursue collaborative projects and stories with a wider reach.
Attends station events, regularly participate in on-air membership drives, and support grant writing/reporting as needed.
Serves as substitute host of Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and other programs as needed.
Operates radio station equipment as needed, including studio and field equipment.
Compiles, manages, and files required FCC and CPB reports, including quarterly Issues/programs lists.
Develops, oversees, and executes WCMUs academic internship program, and develop and maintain relationships with program partners.
Serves as a liaison with contacts from Central Michigan University departments, local and state government officials, and various constituencies.
Participates in professional development opportunities.

Supervision Exercised:
None.

Employee Group: Public Broadcasting - Salary
Staff Pay Level: 4
Pay Range: $50,000 - $60,000
Division: Government and External Relations
Department: Public Broadcasting
Position Status: Regular
Position End Date:
Employment Status: Full Time
FTE: 1.0
Position Type: 12 month
Weekly Work Schedule: M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; evenings & weekends as required.
Location: Mount Pleasant, MI
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes

About the Department:


About CMU:
Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 mens and womens Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. Its part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the states largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions - Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more - are within easy reach of the citys central location in Michigans Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

CMU Leadership Standards:
Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

Message to Applicants:
Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering a broadly diverse and inclusive campus that respects all social identities, experiences, and perspectives. In an effort to further this initiative, we are especially interested in candidates who will advance and promote an inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our university community.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit recommendation letters and work sample.

If there is another document you wish to include that is not required, please utilize Other Document (1).

Position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials before Sunday, November 5, 2023.



To apply, visit https://www.jobs.cmich.edu/postings/39284

CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/OCRIE).
If you wish to see 'EEO is the Law' posters, please click here.
CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMUs Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Educations Assistant Secretary, or both.
CMUs Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:
Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu







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