Description
Kansas Public Radio (KPR), a public media organization licensed by the University of Kansas and serving Eastern and East Central Kansas, is in search of a Program Director. The KPR Program Director is responsible for supervising and coordinating the station’s eclectic on-air programming that includes local and NPR news, classical, jazz and folk music, community programming and more. The Program Director leads a team of local hosts and stays on top of listener and media trends to ensure the station’s relevance in a changing media landscape. Duties include supervising on-air talent, scheduling program times and air shifts, producing on-air content for campaigns, and filling in for program hosts and producers as needed. In addition, the Program Director produces local programming, serves as a senior staff member, corresponds with listeners regarding station programming and represents Kansas Public Radio at station events.
Requirements
Duties and Responsibilities
50% - Oversees station production, operations, and on-air staff, analyzing and interpreting audience data, and working with management to make programming decisions in response to audience analysis. Sets and manages annual departmental budget and approves expenses. Determines program selection and acquisition, and supervises news, music and entertainment programming on Kansas Public Radio. Directs announcers and producers concerning content and presentation by conducting regular air checks, providing consistent feedback, hiring all announcers and producers and conducting annual review of programming staff members. Collaborates with the Director and other staff on programming and the future of the station.
30% - Develops, produces and hosts original programming for Kansas Public Radio. Records corporate sponsorship scripts for spots that air during news magazines.
10% - Schedules program broadcast times and air shifts, and fills in for program hosts and producers as needed.
10% - Serves as producer for the on-air portion of Kansas Public Radio fundraising drives. Attends Kansas Public Radio staff and advisory board meetings, and represents Kansas Public Radio at station events. Other appropriate duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in broadcasting, or a related field, and five years of experience in non-commercial broadcast, OR a high school diploma and 8 years of experience in non-commercial broadcast.
- Previous experience as a producer of radio programming.
- Experience operating studio consoles and managing local and network programming.
- Knowledge of public radio and audience research.
- Previous experience training and coaching on-air talent.
- Strong announcing skills and knowledge of FCC regulations.
- Available after regular business hours to help address station emergencies and occasional severe weather coverage.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supervising on-air talent.
- Previous experience as a public radio program director.
- Demonstrable working knowledge of classical music. Knowledge of jazz or folk music is also desirable.
- Understanding of public media journalism standards.
This is a hybrid position, with the ability to work remotely occasionally and the expectation that the person in this position will work at the station for most of the work week.
