employment

Employment Opportunities at KSER

Job Posting:  KSER Foundation News & Public Affairs Director
Deadline for Applications:  Until Filled

Summary
The KSER Foundation is a community-owned non-profit organization which operates two non-commercial public radio stations. KSER-FM has been on the air since 1991.  Our second station, KXIR, began broadcasting in 2013.   Our studios are located in Everett, WA.

Summary of Position
The KSER Foundation News & Public Affairs Director oversees production and on-air anchoring of radio news and public affairs programs; takes the lead role in planning and assigning coverage for new stories; and covers and prepares news stories for broadcast. This position supervises one news host and multiple station volunteers who volunteer public affairs producers.

The successful candidate will have a background that includes reporting, newscast producing and on-air hosting. Previous supervisory and leadership experience is preferred. Solid editing skills and editorial judgement is required, as is the organizational ability to anticipate and manage workflow, coordinate staff and freelance reporters, and train and work with volunteers and interns.

The News and Public Affairs Director is part of the KSER Leadership Team and plays a key role in defining and maintaining ethical, editorial, artistic, and technical standards for all news and public affairs programming. The News Director also collaborates with the Program Director and General Manager on news programming decisions and news operations. This position is also responsible for managing news content distribution on the station’s website and other platforms.

Qualifications
•    A Bachelor’s degree is preferred
•    A degree in Journalism, Communications, or a related field is preferred
•    Five years of radio experience in news reporting and hosting is preferred, preferably in a multi-platform news environment
•    Experience in public radio is preferred
•    Supervisory experience is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
•    History of initiative reporting on a wide range of topics
•    Superior writing, communication and interpersonal skills
•    Efficient production capabilities
•    Interviewing skills, both live and recorded, are important
•    An understanding of public and community radio's mission
•    Ability to work within a live program environment
•    Must have excellent memory for details, be able to meet daily deadlines under potentially stressful conditions and deal effectively with multiple competing tasks
•    Experience in broadcast automation is important.  ENCO automation experience preferred.

Responsibilities
•    Direct the gathering and production of news and public affairs content on-air and online
•    Direct the activities of staff and volunteers to develop story ideas and topics, track issues and events, and schedule time for interviewing, writing and editing
•    Oversee training for current and new volunteers.
•    Serve as primary editor for news material and reporter submissions
•    Host daily on-air shift; anchor newscasts and special programming as needed
•    Adhere to deadlines and make timely and effective decisions in situations requiring prompt attention
•    Serve as the primary leader during crisis response
•    Perform personnel management duties by helping to set goals and monitor the performance of news staff and volunteers
•    Work closely with engineering staff and volunteers to ensure the maintenance of equipment and equipment needs
•    Maintain information systems vital to news planning, news gathering, news production, and news presentation
•    Manage preparation of quarterly FCC-required issues and programs report
•    Seek opportunities to promote public contact to help ascertain public needs, build community engagement and bolster station success
•    Participate in station events and fundraising activities as appropriate
•    Participate in the development and management of annual operating budgets and provide fiscal input to the unit
•    Support the office functions by completing all other duties and special projects as assigned

Position Type:  Full-time, Exempt
Compensation: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience

To Apply for this Position
Please submit a cover letter and resume to Tom Clendening via email at tom@KSER.org or send via regular mail to:

Tom Clendening
KSER Foundation
2623 Wetmore Ave.
Everett, WA 98201

The KSER Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The KSER Foundation prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, religion, sex, color, ancestry or national origin, age, political opinion, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, occupation, source of income, gender identity or expression, physical appearance, familial status, or physical or mental disability of otherwise qualified individuals.

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Chief Engineer

The KSER Foundation is seeking a broadcast chief engineer. This is a part-time contract position, ideal for a qualified broadcast engineer who is looking for additional work, or a retired engineer looking for limited contract work.

Our current chief engineer is retiring after more than a decade of service to our non-profit organization.

The KSER Foundation operates two non-commercial public radio stations: 90.7 KSER-FM and 89.9 KXIR-FM.  Our studios are located in downtown Everett, with transmitters located in Lake Stevens and Freeland.

General Description: To oversee and maintain the technical operation of KSER and KXIR studios, transmitters and all broadcast equipment operating at optimum levels.

Qualifications

• Broadcast engineering and electronic experience necessary.  IT skills helpful.
• Ability to work with, communicate and assist a diverse group of volunteers.
• Experience in installation, modification, maintenance and repair of broadcasting equipment, including but not limited to: CD players, digital audio equipment, computer hardware and software, audio mixers, microphones and telephone systems.
• Driver’s license and vehicle for travel to transmitter sites.
• Ability to improvise and achieve results with materials and resources on-hand.
• Computer skills.
• Maintain signal and audio quality.
• Act as Chief Operator in maintaining FCC logs and required documentation.
• Maintain broadcasting equipment in good working order, including studio equipment and system phones and transmitters.
• Coordinate with staff for the station’s audio equipment and studio needs, including purchasing and soliciting bids.
• Guaranteed 24-hour emergency engineering support for the station, either in person or by delegation to qualified engineering volunteers and contract engineers.
• Other duties as assigned.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter by email to jobs@kser.org

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KSER is always looking for volunteers in a variety of areas.

How to volunteer: Send cover letter and resume by email to Tom@KSER.org