"Rural Communities Reporter"

Job Details

Salary:
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category: Academic Staff

Employment Type: Regular

Job Profile: Reporter

Job Summary:

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is seeking an ambitious reporter to tell stories of the state's rural communities for a cross-platform collaboration with PBS Wisconsin. This position is based in Wausau, and will be focused on bridging information gaps and amplifying rural perspectives. That can mean everything from investigating gaps in access to health care and tracking the consequences of population decline to profiling innovative businesses and community-led solutions to rural challenges. This reporter will cover daily news including breaking regional news of statewide interest, and will also report in-depth features for radio and digital audiences. A gifted collaborator, this reporter will work together with a team that includes reporters and editors from both WPR and PBS Wisconsin. In addition to radio and text stories, this reporter will work with digital teams to create short-form vertical videos and other digitally tailored content for newsletters and social media channels.

WPR's on-air and online services each reach nearly half a million people every month. This reporter will serve those audiences with daily stories, feature reports and appearances on our statewide talk shows.

This position is Ongoing/Renewable.

This full-time, 40-hour-a-week position is headquartered in Wausau and reports to the Managing Editor of News. Because the news is dynamic, the position will include occasional evenings and weekend on-call shifts. This position is hybrid and can include in-person and work-from-home hours. The final schedule can be discussed in the offer stage, but fully remote candidates will not be accepted.

Remote work requires an approved flexible work arrangement (FWA). A FWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions. Information about UW-Madison Driver Authorization can be found at: http://businessservices.wisc.edu/managing-risk/driver-authorization-and-insurance/driver-authorization/

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Applies editorial judgment and maintains industry standards of journalistic ethics and excellence
• Contributes content including interviewing sources, writing stories/reports, and completing other necessary production tasks to create news/public affairs reports
• Collaborates with digital content teams on both long-term and short-term multimedia projects
• Stays abreast of developments in assigned areas, maintains contacts on continued stories to ensure follow-up, and researches topic areas to provide in-depth reports

Department:

UWMSN, WPM, WPR, News Network Newsroom

WPR’s news department seeks to empower Wisconsin’s communities through rigorous reporting that provides context, holds public officials accountable, and sheds clarifying light on complex topics. Our goal is to deliver news that keeps the audience abreast of the most significant news of the day, provides unique and insightful information and represents Wisconsin's diverse communities.

PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio are part of Wisconsin Public Media. The person in this position will be required to comply with the Wisconsin Public Media Code of Ethics, in addition to the UW-Madison code of ethics.

#WPR

Compensation:

Expected salary range for this position is in the mid to high 50s. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see: http://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications:

• Excellent communication skills including newswriting.
• Demonstrated history of enterprising reporting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of newsgathering and reporting techniques.
• Ability to work in both independent and collaborative settings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience writing and producing radio stories.
• Knowledge and understanding of Wisconsin and its rural communities.
• Experience working in public media.

Education:

A Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of professional reporting experience is preferred OR 5 years of professional reporting experience.

How to Apply:

Click the "Apply" button to start the application process. Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field.

The following must be received for your application to be complete:
1) Resume
2) A cover letter describing how your experience relates to the listed required and preferred job qualifications.
3) A single document with three samples or links to three samples of daily news stories produced for broadcast and/or web. Samples should not have shared bylines. If stories were produced in both radio and text/digital versions, include links to both.

Since this position is responsible for writing compelling news stories, close attention to detail is required. The writing sample material will be assessed for clear and engaging news writing, demonstration of sourcing and reporting skill as well as spelling and grammar.

Failure to follow these application instructions will result in applications receiving less competitive consideration.

We are eager to learn more about how your experience may align with this position. Please submit a cover letter referring to your related work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background. Please keep in mind your cover letter and/or resume should address your experience and how it relates to the position qualifications. The application reviews will be relying on written application materials to determine who may advance to the first round of interviews.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

Finalists will be asked to provide a list of at least three professional references with titles, emails, and phone numbers (including at least one supervisory reference). Note that references will not be contacted without your prior knowledge.