About the position
- This is an exceptional position offering many attractive opportunities:
- The latitude to report news and tell stories across a variety of formats from
- newscast items to multi-media features.
- A diverse range of topics to cover and draw stories from, including agriculture
- and agribusiness, energy production and distribution, water use and
- conservation, climate change and adaptation, immigration and community
- adjustment, rural life and community development, and regional history and
- A rural region (beat) that has important and engaging stories to tell, as evident by
- stories from this position garnering one national and six regional Edward R.
- Murrow awards along with four first and two second place Public Media
- Journalists Association awards in 2022 and 2023. Moreover, these awards
- spanned the categories of hard news, enterprise reporting, sports features,
- excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, excellence in writing, audio
- scripting, use of sound, and photojournalism.
- Wide distribution of the content produced beyond HPPR’s own broadcast
- channels and digital platforms, including statewide distribution by the Kansas
- News Service and pick-up by public and commercial radio and TV stations,
- newspapers, and digital-only news sites across Kansas and surrounding areas.
- Stories have also been featured nationally on Morning Edition, All Things
- Considered, Here & Now and Science Friday.
- A work setting that combines being part of a statewide newsroom and receiving
- day-to-day directions and editorial support from its leadership and belonging to a
- regional public media organization with a small, collaborative staff that is highly
- dedicated to providing public media services that address the needs, interests
- and wellbeing of the High Plains region.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, produce and edit Western Kansas news and feature stories for
- broadcast and digital distribution
- Provide coverage of newsworthy events from Western Kansas, including
- newscast items and rotating production of state-wide newscast
- Build the audience for Western Kansas news and feature stories through social
- media posting
- Develop an understanding of major existing and emerging issues and
- developments across Western Kansas to add depth and insight to current and
- future reporting
- Provide guidance and back-up for HPPR staff curating and posting regional news
- stories from a variety of sources on hppr.org
- Collaborate with HPPR staff to further develop and expand HPPR’s overall
- regional content
- Participate in on-air and other membership development and fundraising
- activities
- Serve as an HPPR spokesperson and representative at community events
Preferred qualifications, experience and aptitudes:
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field
- At least two years’ work in journalism
- Audience-focused curiosity, critical thinking, ethics and empathy in identifying
- and developing stories
- Sharp writing and story construction skills across multiple platforms
- Strong audio gathering and production skills
- Solid photo/video shooting and production skills
- Effective use of social media to increase audience reach and engagement
- Experience versioning and blogging news and feature stories as they develop
- Proficiency and comfort working with virtual collaboration tools (e.g., Google
- shared drives/docs/sheets and Zoom)
- Dexterity for working both independently and collaboratively
- Capability to work against deadlines and balance daily tasks with longer term
- projects
- Ability to travel throughout the region and work flexible hours as necessary
- Fluency in Spanish
- Knowledge of western Kansas and/or rural regions
Reporting relationships: The Managing Editor of the Kansas News Service for news
and features reporting, HPPR’s Program Director for overall regional content
development and station operations, and HPPR’s Executive Director for strategic
guidance.
Location: Garden City, Kansas (location in another Western Kansas community is also
possible)
Compensation range: $40,000 – $48,000
Materials to submit: letter of interest, resume, work samples/links, and professional references
Where to submit: director@hppr.org
Application deadline: Open until filled; applications reviewed as received
For further details click here.