News Director

Job Description

News Director

About Gray Media:
Gray Media, or Gray, is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, formally known as Gray Television, Inc. The company is the nation's largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second-highest-rated television station, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 43 markets totaling nearly 1.5 million Hispanic TV Households. The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Gray's additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.
About WEAU:
WEAU 13 News broadcasts to 26 counties in western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. We're an hour's drive away from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area is a growing community with great schools and health care. WEAU News embodies the phrase, ''keeping communities safe and informed.'' WEAU is truly the voice of their community and a resource to families throughout the region.
Job Summary/Description:
WEAU, a Gray Media-owned station in Eau Claire, WI, is seeking a dynamic and experienced News Director to lead our award-winning team. The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of newsroom leadership, including the development of effective processes and protocols that drive employee growth, enhance both digital and broadcast content, and support sound editorial decision-making. Our next News Director will be transformational-increasing digital and social media content, embracing investigative journalism, and celebrating creative storytelling. This role requires exceptional news judgment, strategic planning skills, and the ability to manage all aspects of content operations, including financial, technical, and human resources.
Duties/Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Manage and oversee the News Department.
• Work closely with the news team to produce high-quality, relevant, local digital/broadcast news content that sets the station apart from competitors.
• Prioritize collaboration of the News Department with Marketing and Operations
• Consistently recruit, coach, and develop talent.
• Maintain a strong connection with the corporate recruiting team while also developing your own local connections with local and regional colleges/universities
• Communicate often and have a passion for providing consistent, constructive feedback.
• Strong analytical skills, capable of processing research and ratings data to inform and refine content, coverage, and distribution strategies.
• Skillfully use social media and digital tools to research, discover, and distribute content.
• Lead a culture that owns enterprise reporting, embodies storytelling, and is nimble during breaking news.
• Interact daily with all department heads in a mutual effort to achieve station goals, extend our brand, develop long-range plans, and implement station initiatives
• Be a motivator who creates an inspiring and engaging environment.
• Perform other duties, as assigned, to drive and fulfill the mission while abiding by the values of this organization.
Qualifications/Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Mass Communications, or related field.
• 2 years of previous experience in newsroom leadership is required.
• 5 years of previous experience in digital and broadcast news content development.
If you feel you're qualified and want to work with a great group of people, go to https://gray.tv/careers#currentopenings, you may type in the job title, station call letters, or click on ''apply now'', upload your resume, cover letter, and references
(Current employees who are interested in this position can apply through the Gray-TV UltiPro self-service portal)
WEAU-TV/Gray Media is a drug-free company

Gray Media encourages all new employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus virus before the first workday.
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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-j653j1-216-73-217-10-42 in your application.