KPBS News Editor

About the role

The News Editor coaches, guides and directs a team of reporters on both daily and long-term assignments. This role manages, edits, assigns and reviews day-to-day news coverage across radio, TV and digital platforms, and coordinates coverage needs with other editors and producers.

Responsibilities

• Works with reporters to develop story ideas that cover issues of importance in the lives of audience members, including people-centered stories, lively explainers that dissect the why or how behind the news or a trend, and breaking news.
• Provide effective leadership in alignment with KPBS expectations and practices as well as SDSURF and SDSU policies.
• Coaches, guides and directs reporters and engages in regular air checks and feedback sessions.
• Ensures writing is focused, conversational, and accurate.
• Ensures that reporter beat memos are updated at least weekly.
• Ensures that coverage plans are reviewed at least twice per year.
• Encourages pitches, provides guidance to refine them, and carefully decides to move forward on the ones that best align with the KPBS news mission.
• Maintains ongoing and collaborative relationships with various KPBS department leaders and the local community.
• Contributes to daily news meetings and ensures KPBS is covering the top stories daily.
• In the absence of the News Director and/or Managing Editor, may lead meetings as assigned.
• Coaches reporters to write using a conversational style in their own voices for broadcast stories and appropriate techniques for web audiences.
• Ensures scripts appropriately complement video and audio.
• Create sound-rich stories with high standards for audio fidelity and being adept at audio editing.
• In partnership with the Senior News Producers and the Digital Editor, the News Editor prioritizes a multimedia approach to all stories for all local content.
• Assigns and edits work that periodically fall on weekends and evenings, and as news coverage requires.
• Prepares and provides written direction when out of office, including reporter assignments and news updates with applicable links to digital information.
• Serves as a back-up for other Editors.
• Makes recommendations to the Managing Editor and/or News Director on staffing and equipment.
• Maintains news planning documents, upcoming news pegs, and air/release dates of station news stories.
• Update key internal planning documents and rundowns with plans and timing for reporter stories.
• Keep the Managing Editor and/or News Director informed of errors, required story corrections, and important audience feedback.
• Executed corrections or clarifications across platforms as needed.
• May pitch stories to partners such as NPR, the PBS NewsHour and California Hub of stations.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in editing or reporting stories with impact.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current events and issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of journalistic standards and practices and the editorial/technical/logistical processes required to create multimedia content.
• Ability to be highly organized and handle competing priorities within tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated record of successfully leading, motivating and assigning a team of reporters that uphold the organization’s mission and values in driving multi-platform stories.
• Demonstrated skills of people management and mentoring.
• Demonstrated ability to work in an often fast-paced newsroom environment with dynamic deadlines and priorities.
• Ability to effectively assign and implement news agenda while ensuring KPBS’ focus remains on the most important topics of the day.
• Ability to work independently and make good decisions under deadline.
• Ability to effectively prioritize projects and coordinate a variety of tasks and deadlines on a daily basis.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively plan and delegate workflow according to current and changing needs.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize and be guided by the KPBS mission statement and strategic plan.

Requirements

• Four-years of related experience; two of which in a progressively responsible supervisory or management role.
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, or additional experience in a newsroom may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in journalism in a comparable position as an assignment editor, producer or line editor.
• Experience as a manager in a unionized environment.
• Experience in a progressively responsible leadership role, including supervision of teams of two or more.
• Broad knowledge of San Diego, regional, state, national, and international news to provide context and depth to local reporting.
• Prior experience in public media.
• Proven ability in both short-term and long-term editorial planning.
• Spanish-language fluency.
• Experience with digital audio and video editing, as well as social media production.
• Multi-media skills, including writing for the web and producing audio and video storytelling.
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional growth and development.

Benefits

Perks you'll enjoy as a member of #teamKPBS: Working on a college campus & in public media, Access to campus facilities and staff perks, weekly farmer's market, tons of eateries, community events, entertainment, etc., Hybrid schedule/ remote work flexibility options (varies by position), 24 vacation days, 1 personal day & 13 holidays off (4+ days off over winter break), Local employee discounts, Opportunity drawings to attend SDSU basketball games, local concerts and events, Discounts on local attractions (theme parks, entertainment, restaurants, memberships), Free wellness classes & programs, Staff pop-up events, Full benefits packages that are unmatched (medical, dental, vision, life), Sick leave accruals and paid leave options, On-site childcare at a discounted rate (based on availability), Opportunities for continued learning and professional development, Flexible spending account(s), Employee assistance program, Matching and voluntary retirement savings plan.