Careers At WURD

Position Description 

Title: PROGRAM AND NEWS DIRECTOR 

Reports To: General Manager 

Position Summary: The Program and News Director is responsible for ensuring that the quality of the programming and news content at WURD Radio is consistent with the goals and strategic direction established by the Board of Directors as embodied by the President/CEO. This includes managing the day-to-day quality, content and sound of the radio station. The Program and News Director is a member of the Company’s executive team responsible for helping the Company achieve its overall station goals. 

The person who is seeking this position is an energetic leader interested in moving the needle at a high-performing, independently owned radio station with robust digital platforms. The Program and News Director will be a change agent who is passionate about traditional media and their ability to adapt to and thrive in a 21st-century, digital-first environment. This leader will strike a balance between caring for and cultivating WURD’s traditional audience while driving content and coverage that exposes WURD to new listeners, readers, and viewers. 

Specific Job Duties:

• Work with executive staff and programming staff (i.e. hosts, producers, interns) to establish programs, create and develop content on the station that is aligned with the strategic vision, ensuring high-quality productions and live broadcasts that center the listener experience during weekdays, weekends, and overnights
• Manage on-air talent, producers and other programming staff including necessary hiring, establishing weekly work schedules and providing feedback regarding show performance and production 
• Lead the development of a process to translate on-air interviews and conversations into content optimized for social media platforms, incorporating audio, video, and graphic elements
• Develop deep working relationships with WURD on-air talent and show producers to consistently connect discussions to topical and timely trends, current issues and breaking news on a local, regional, national and international level
• Work with producers and hosts to secure and build relationships with high-profile on-air guests and their booking teams; coach producers and hosts to prepare for and conduct in-depth, deeply researched interviews 
• Assemble teams and implement processes and technology to build a news operation that responds to short-notice opportunities like press conferences or breaking news in the community
• Enhance the overall news content of the station by producing news segments that air during WURD’s daily shows
• Identify opportunities to develop special programming that focus on the news developments affecting the WURD audience
• Lead weekly programming meetings
• Oversee daily checks of program logs for accuracy to comply with FCC Rules and Regulations and solve for inconsistencies and inaccurate entries 
• Keeping on-air discussion fresh by developing policies to manager the volume and diversity of callers to the station
• Work closely with General Manager to ensure that content from WURD verticals – ecoWURD and Lively-HOOD – is integrated into all WURD content platforms (on air, digital, video, social)
• Ensure that written agreements are signed for all hosts and work with Sales Department to ensure brokered show host contracts are executed
• Maintain a roster of guest hosts and contributors; arrange substitute hosts or pre-recorded programming as necessary when host absences occur
• Attend all WURD signature and other events 
• Other related duties as mutually agreed upon 

Qualifications: 

Must have at least 5-7 years prior experience in the news media industry, preferably radio with experience producing in the news and/or talk radio formats. The role requires a keen understanding of multi-channel, multi-platform, and multimedia news dissemination. Understanding of and practical experience in audio and video editing is a plus. Must have strong organizational and management skills and excellent oral, interpersonal and written communication skills.

To apply to this position, please email your resume to talent@url-media.com and use the subject line “WURD Program and News Director.”