Reporter

Job Description Summary

The Reporter/Host reports and produces daily news for listeners across North Carolina’s High Country (and serves as an on-air voice for WFDD including hosting, newscast duties, and on-air fundraising as needed.) The role requires daily pitching, strong source development, and the ability to file nearly air-ready newscast stories and regular feature reports. Based in the High Country, the Reporter/Host works closely with editors, contributes to digital platforms, and maintains regular connection with the Winston-Salem newsroom.

Essential Functions:

• Develop and maintain sources across the High Country, including community members, public officials, organizations, and subject-matter experts.
• Stay informed about events and issues in the coverage area by monitoring meetings, public documents, press releases, social media, and community conversations, and by knowing the key players involved.
• Pitch multiple story ideas each workday that are timely, relevant, and aligned with WFDD's mission and editorial priorities.
• Report, write, and voice daily news content (including readers, spots, and voicers) for newscasts, submitting scripts that are structurally sound, fact-checked, and nearly ready for air with only light editing needed.
• Produce feature stories on a regular basis (generally weekly) that provide depth, accountability, and context on important issues in the region.
• Conduct interviews and gather audio in the field and remotely, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and adherence to WFDD's editorial and quality standards.
• Meet multiple concurrent deadlines, often working on several stories at once while adjusting to breaking or developing news.
• Host, anchor and provide live updates as needed, including anchoring newscasts, doing live or recorded two-ways, and filling in for other on-air roles as assigned.
• Work collaboratively with editors and colleagues, responding to feedback, participating in editorial discussions, and following newsroom processes for pitching, drafting, editing, and filing stories.
• Maintain regular in-person connection with the newsroom by attending staff meetings in Winston-Salem every two weeks and working from the Winston-Salem newsroom at least once per week.
• Represent WFDD professionally in the community, including at public events, meetings, or forums related to coverage.
• Contribute to digital and social platforms as needed, including writing web versions of stories and providing audio, photos, video and basic metadata.

Other Functions:

• Undertakes special projects and assignments as required.
• Participate in station fundraising and special projects as assigned, including on-air pitching or other station initiatives.
• Collaborates with other departments that support the Content Division.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• A four-year degree or equivalent is required and at least three years of full-time professional experience in journalism or equivalent experience. Radio experience is highly preferred.
• Must have experience in news gathering, writing, editing and radio and web production for short-form and long-form reports.
• Demonstrated ability to work within a live broadcast environment.
• A demonstrated ability to present/share their reporting in a live context (radio, podcast, social media)
• Displays knowledge of and adherence to high ethical and audio/work standards.
• Possesses effective communication and interpersonal skills. Must have excellent grammar and spelling skills.
• Must be able to meet daily deadlines under pressure and deal effectively with simultaneous tasks.
• Ability to travel, as required.
• Valid driver’s license with good driving record. Must be insurable.
• Skills required also include online research, word processing, digital editing, basic photography, and operation of light office equipment. Must show experience in posting information to a content management system for website publishing and posting to social media sites.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Familiarity with public radio news programming.
• Possesses broad knowledge of local and regional issues — and/or depth of knowledge in beat specialty.
• A track record of network story contributions.
• Ability to learn quickly and be flexible.
• Ability to work well both independently and in a small group.
• Ability to lift light equipment (approximately 5-10 pounds).
• Ability to always present and display professional demeanor.
• Ability to meet the requirements of the University’s automobile insurance, including valid driver’s license.

Accountabilities:

•  Responsible for own work.

Physical Requirements:

• Sedentary work primarily involves sitting/standing; communicating with others to exchange information; repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers; and assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned.

Environmental Conditions:

• No environmental conditions

This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.

Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.