News Director

Job Description

WQAD, the TEGNA-owned ABC affiliate in the Quad Cities is seeking an innovative, passionate news director with experience leading teams and growing talent.

The Quad Cities is nestled on both sides of the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois featuring world-class museums, universities, four season outdoor activities for the whole family, along with excellent primary and secondary school systems. Plus, a low cost of living. It also hosts a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic, each July that raises more money for charity than most other tournaments, proving the friendliness connection and pride of its Quad Citizens.

At WQAD, we have our eyes firmly fixed on the future, always looking for new ways to engage, educate and inform our audiences. We are looking for a leader who embraces creative storytelling and investigative journalism as key components of newscasts, as well as digital, streaming and social platforms.

The News Director oversees all content operations and is a leader in the strategic vision for station growth. The ideal candidate has excellent news judgment and strong management skills to own the big story each day.

Most importantly, this news director should be a motivator who fosters an inspiring and inclusive culture.

WQAD and TEGNA are re-imagining local news in the digital age – thinking big and being bold to deliver content to our audience on multiple platforms. The ideal news director can deliver impactful journalism and develop a digital-first road map in line with the strategic vision of our company.
Our editorial mission Statement:

WQAD produces accurate, relevant content across multiple platforms, empowering people to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. WQAD encourages our journalists to pursue their purpose, find and tell truths, listen, and amplify diverse voices, and filter out disinformation to create understanding, accountability, enlightenment, and empathy.

Responsibilities: In this role, you will:
• Strategically lead, inspire, and manage the news department.
• Oversee on-air (and digital) news content.
• Work closely with the news team to produce high-quality, relevant, local content that sets the station apart from competitors.
• Prioritize collaboration between television and digital content teams, along with marketing, to create original programming and breaking news coverage for all platforms.
• Foster, encourage and reward out-of-the-box thinking that leads to differentiation and success.
• Emphasize the importance of solid research to build credibility.
• Use consumer analytics to determine content.
• Skillfully use social media and digital tools to research, discover and distribute content.
• Lead a culture that owns enterprise reporting and breaking news across all content platforms. 
• Inspire and coach superior, unique and engaging storytelling.
• Interact daily with all department heads in a mutual effort to achieve station goals and extend our brand.
• Perform other duties, as assigned, to drive and fulfill the mission while abiding by the values of this organization

Job Requirements:

Requirements: Here's what you need:
• Bachelor's degree and news leadership experience.
• 5-10 years of content experience, including generation of original content, and 2-3 years managing other journalists.
• Successful innovative leadership, along with staff and product development skills. 
• Top notch communication skills are an absolute must.
• Solid journalistic judgement and a news philosophy that emphasizes accurate, fair and unique local content, along with community engagement. 
• Understanding of the tenets of professional journalism.
• Skills in producing engaging, content-driven newscasts and digital content.
• Strong social media skills, including an active news hound presence on Twitter and Facebook. 
• Organizational skills and the ability to work under time pressure deadlines.
• Ability to calmly handle live, breaking news situations and changing events.

Work Environment: Office

Physical Demands: Sedentary work

Travel: Rarely: less than 10%

Work Environment Set: Office: normally performed in a typical interior/office environment

Physical Demands Set: Sedentary work: Involves sitting most of the time; walking, lifting, bending, standing, etc.

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc
(NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities
Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions
With 63 television stations in 51 U.S
markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide
TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network and Quest
TEGNA Marketing Solutions (TMS) offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA's OTT advertising service
For more information, visit

www.TEGNA.com
.

Jessica Mullins #JM1

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d9nw04-18-218-184-214-42 in your application.