Assistant News Director - Kold

Gray Media • Tucson, AZ

2d • Onsite

About The Position

13 News is looking for a thoughtful, energetic, and experienced newsroom leader to serve as Assistant News Director. This role is ideal for someone who loves local journalism, enjoys developing people, and knows how to help a newsroom do its best work. The Assistant News Director will help lead daily coverage across broadcast, streaming, digital, and social platforms while coaching and growing our team.

Requirements

• Significant experience as an Executive Producer, Assistant News Director, News Director, Managing Editor, Senior Producer, or similar newsroom leadership role.
• A strong background in producing, leading, coaching, and mentoring producers and executive producers.
• Your “show doctor” skills: A proven record of strong newscast production, editorial decision-making, innovation, and audience-focused coverage.
• Experience leading breaking news, severe weather, and major event coverage across broadcast and digital platforms.
• Excellent news judgment, strong writing and storytelling skills, and a solid understanding of journalism ethics and newsroom standards.
• The ability to teach best practices in writing, producing, showcasing, story selection, urgency, and multi-platform coverage.
• A steady, clear communication style, especially during breaking news or high-pressure situations.
• Strong people skills and a genuine desire to help producers, reporters, anchors, and photographers grow.
• The ability to motivate a team, set clear expectations, and hold people accountable respectfully and productively.
• A good understanding of digital platforms, streaming, social media, audience engagement, and digital-first content strategy.
• Familiarity with newsroom tools and workflows, including rundown systems such as ENPS, digital CMS platforms, live production basics, field workflows, and modern video formats.
• An understanding of the First Alert brand and how weather, safety, and breaking news can serve audiences across every platform.
• Minimum of 5 years of newsroom leadership experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or a related field preferred
• Valid driver’s license and clean driving record required

Responsibilities

• Help guide the newsroom’s daily editorial coverage across broadcast, streaming, digital, and social platforms.
• Support, coach, and develop producers, EPs, anchors, reporters, photographers, and other newsroom team members.
• Work closely with producers and EPs to strengthen rundowns, improve writing, elevate showcasing, and create newscasts that are urgent, clear, and compelling.
• Review scripts, rundowns, and digital content with a focus on accuracy, fairness, clarity, tone, and viewer impact.
• Lead or help lead editorial meetings that encourage strong ideas, thoughtful discussion, and a clear plan for the day.
• Help direct breaking news, severe weather, and major event coverage across all platforms.
• Champion the station’s First Alert brand by making sure weather and safety coverage is timely, useful, and trusted by viewers.
• Partner with the digital content manager to make sure important news reaches audiences quickly and effectively wherever they are.
• Encourage platform-specific storytelling so content is created thoughtfully for TV, streaming, web, mobile, and social audiences.
• Work with the assignment manager to develop story ideas, plan future coverage, and anticipate newsroom needs.
• Help prepare the team for elections, severe weather, community events, special coverage, and enterprise reporting opportunities.
• Maintain strong newsroom standards while creating an environment where people feel supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow.
• Communicate clearly and calmly during busy, high-pressure moments.
• Collaborate with news leadership and other departments on newscast style, coverage plans, audience growth, and station priorities.
• Help build a newsroom culture that values teamwork, urgency, accountability, creativity, and kindness.
• Identify, encourage, and develop future newsroom leaders.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics.
• Compliance with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.
• Prohibition of any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level