Join Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting! 90.5 WESA, the NPR member station in Pittsburgh, is seeking a Development & Growth reporter who will embrace and own coverage of community and economic development in Western Pennsylvania and how they are transforming the ways people live, work and travel in this vibrant region.
The successful candidate will become immersed in the evolution of the region’s built environment as well as the people, issues and economic factors that drive it. You’ll also look beyond bureaucracy and policy to find and tell the stories of people affected by development successes, mistakes and challenges.
You will cover fast-breaking news in the Pittsburgh region, with an emphasis on producing spot reports for WESA radio newscasts and its digital news platforms, as well as in-depth reports on emergent issues of significance to the region. This full-time exempt position reports to the News Director.
What you’ll need: a record of journalistic excellence, a commitment to excellence in audio and digital storytelling, and zeal for delving into complex issues and generating investigative and analytical enterprise reporting on key trends and impacts.
Public radio experience is a plus but not essential.
Essential Functions:
- Research, report, write, and produce multimedia spots, feature and enterprise stories for WESA’s broadcast and digital platforms.
- Meet all regular and recurring deadlines.
- Consistently generate and pitch creative, thoughtful and original story ideas in multiple media.
- Execute assignments from newsroom editors.
- Mix and edit audio reports both in studio and in the field.
- Take still photos and video in the field.
- Advance the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals of the newsroom.
- Use social media to break news, engage audiences and expand one’s source base.
- Create trustworthy relationships with contacts and sources.
- Mentor and guide early-career colleagues, and lead or steer newsroom teams to produce in-depth packages that require strategic planning and direction to ensure completion of highest-quality work.
- Be willing and available to work during off-hours and weekends, as needed.
- Make public appearances as opportunity arises to enhance WESA’s brand.
- Participate in on-air and online fundraising as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Strong on-air and digital reporting, writing and technical skills.
- Impeccable track record of accuracy and fairness in reporting and storytelling.
- Ability to gather quality field audio, to edit and mix ably for use on air or digital platforms.
- Self-motivated team player with a track record of producing daily news stories and features of interest to local audiences.
- Sound and ethical judgment, with a commitment to balance and fairness.
- Ability to handle multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
- Knowledge of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania is helpful.
- Demonstrated ability to shoot and edit video and photos.
- Creativity and sound judgment in social media usage.
- Excellent communication skills.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism-related field or equivalent experience/training.
- Three or more years of reporting in a professional broadcast newsroom environment with multimedia news content training and experience.
- Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends, with some long days required at times.
- Honesty and integrity in all dealings.
- Enthusiasm for the mission of PCBC and its stations.
To apply, go here.
Chris RoushChris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.