Southern California Public Radio/KPCC seeks economics reporter

Southern California Public Radio/KPCC is looking for an energetic reporter who wants to get under the hood of the economy and find stories that illuminate how the region is changing for better or worse and what forces are behind it.

How are the new presidential administration’s policies on immigration affecting the Southern California labor market? How will his promised changes to trade deals affect the nation’s busiest port system, the entry point for the vast majority of the country’s imported products? What effect does the growing Silicon Beach tech sector have on the local economy, on housing? Has foreign investment created another real estate bubble?

These are the kinds of questions this reporter will seek to answer. If that’s exciting to you, apply. But if you think that’s the wrong frame and you have a different concept for how the local economy should be covered, we welcome your ideas as well.

The reporter on this beat will also be a key member of a statewide reporting collaboration, The California Dream Project, which seeks to explore what has happened to the Golden State’s version of the American Dream: the promise that anybody can have a middle class lifestyle and that anything is possible in California. After decade of demographic, economic and cultural transition, where is the dream today?

As with all of our newsroom beats, we’re looking for a reporter who brings strong journalism fundamentals and a passion and curiosity for the beat to both daily and enterprise reporting. S/he will also look for creative approaches to engage the community in coverage. KPCC is a multi-platform newsroom and our journalists are comfortable writing, producing and delivering reports on air, online, on social media and in live events.

Position Responsibility:

• Report on business and the Southern California economy.
• In collaboration with editor, establish priorities and goals for beat.
• Pitch, report and produce regualr news stories and feature stories.
• Deliver substantive reports on the assigned subject on tight deadlines.
• Provide high quality “live”reports with newscast, talk show and host 2-ways.
• Assemble, edit and mix stories for air.
• Produce for website, social and mobile channels with writing and photography (supplying additional audio, visual material related Web resources).
• Work with news editors to generate ideas.
• Work with editors, reporters and operations staff to coordinate content.
• Develop ideas/proposals for reports and programs for own reporting and for reports by other reporters.
• Develop and cultivate sources: Utlize PIN, digital and in-person interaction to build broad source base and audience relationships.
• Assist in special programming, including in Person events.
• Operate production and studio equipment.
• Perform public outreach; speak on behalf of SCPR, and fully integrate PIN as a tool.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 5 years or more professional journalism experience.
• Experience and enthusiasm for using internet channels (including mobile and social) for newsgathering and interaction with sources, collaborators and audience members.

Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Demonstrated radio reporting, digital news and production skills.
• Skilled at developing own stories and at judging which stories to pursue and how effectively to complete assignments.
• Ability to deliver stories of the highest standard as measured by clarity, balance, creativity, originality, cogent analysis, thoroughness, effective production, eloquence and compelling delivery.
• Facility with source and beat development; subject-matter expertise.
• Ability to function as a leader in news judgment; influencer in agenda setting.
• Commitment to enacting best journalism practices.
• Ability to use sound, when available, to create scenes that engage the listener and convey the emotion of the story.
• Excellent in live reports and host two-ways.
• Fully competent in use of recording and production equipment.
• Ability to work simultaneously on short and long-term projects.
• Ability to develop stories with multiple interviews, scene changes, and strong knowledge of subject matter.
• Ability to represent SCPR News in official functions.
• Recognized internally and externally as an expert in area of coverage.
• Extraordinary ability to synthesize.
• Ability to manage complex internal and external relationships.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience in covering business/economic news.
• Fluency in Spanish preferred. Fluency in other languages desirable.
• Experience in or familiarity with public radio news.

To apply, go here.