Senior Producer, Newscast

NPR • Columbia, WA

21d • Onsite

About The Position

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR . This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR. Do you want to distill NPR’s compelling news and storytelling down to its essence? Come join NPR’s Newscast Unit, where we produce the best of NPR in five minutes. Newscasts are NPR’s most listened to news product, with 22 million weekly radio listeners and millions more on podcasts, smart speakers and other platforms. The ideal candidate should have a background in audio news journalism, line producing and broadcast leadership. This person can stack newscasts, spot a developing story, evaluate pitches, and step in to edit and mix spots on a tight deadline. The morning Senior Producer is a unit leader -- working with Korva Coleman, Dave Mattingly and the broadcast and video teams to play a pivotal role in shaping the Newscast Unit’s weekday morning rundowns and sound on multiple platforms. This candidate should have familiarity with NPR’s on-air and on-demand news coverage, a genuine curiosity about news and a passion for a wide variety of topics. This is a union represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA .

Requirements

• 8+ years network broadcast producing experience focusing on news.
• Proficiency in basic and advanced principles of news audio production.
• Demonstrated editorial judgment, writing and editing experience required.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the news landscape.
• Familiarity with a range of subjects such as politics, world news, business, science and the arts.
• Advanced planning skills and the ability to work under pressure at a fast pace.
• Experience maintaining high journalistic standards under deadline pressure, including standards of objectivity, balance and fairness.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and mentor others on your team, demonstrating at all times respect for the diverse constituencies at NPR, within the public radio system and in our audience.

Nice To Haves

• Expertise in producing under breaking news conditions.
• Daily news leadership experience.
• Digital audio editing proficiency is a must.
• Experience with MTE and Nexus preferred. A vast majority of work in our unit is done on these platforms.

Responsibilities

• Shapes the newscasts during Morning Edition hours.
• Stacks a newscast every half hour in coordination with anchors and team.
• Manages the flow of news and assignments and supervises preparation of news copy, spots and tape for newscasters.
• Works in coordination with Morning Edition show producers to avoid redundancy.
• Coordinates with NPR desks, NPR member stations, freelance reporters, and other contributors to ensure expeditious coverage of breaking and long-term news stories.
• Accepts or declines story pitches and is the first point of contact for all member stations seeking to file for Newscast.
• Jointly responsible with the anchors for the proper execution of all newscasts, including collaborating with IT, Operations and Engineering staff to support technical production standards.
• Actively pitches new stories and sees them through to the end of the process, with an eye to audience relevance.
• Works proactively with video, digital and engagement teams to make sure show content is engaging audiences across all platforms.
• Organizes and disseminates information to coordinate both daily and future coverage across shifts.

Benefits

• NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents.
• Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options.
• Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being.
• Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees