Akron Reporter

WKSU
Kent, OH

Akron has 24 neighborhoods, each with their own distinct stories.  They are stories about economic successes and struggles, about educational challenges and triumphs, of a generational shift from an industrial past to a high-tech future, and of diversity and segregation.  We want a reporter who can embed themselves in Akron and find and tell these important stories getting overlooked by other media.

This is an opportunity to change reporting about cities.

We are looking to shake up the paradigm for how a city is covered. Traditionally, the driver in providing coverage has been to focus on city hall, and to concentrate on the centers of corporate power.  The Akron reporter will upend this model.  We believe that each of Akron’s neighborhoods has important stories to share, stories that will connect with residents in other parts of Akron, with people across our broadcast region of Northeast Ohio, and speak to a national audience.

Why Akron? 

Geographically, politically and culturally, Akron is an anchor for Northeast Ohio. Everything that happens here informs the region around it. Akron is historically significant and demographically diverse.  It’s a metropolitan area that’s evolving and in the process of transformation.  Akron faces challenges, some unique, others common to many American cities. However, there’s also a lot going for Akron, from its transformation to a center for  health and science, technology and innovation.  It’s a city with a strong corporate base, deep philanthropic support and a real dedication to civic engagement.

We are looking for an innovative multimedia journalist who can help tell the stories of Akron. We want someone who is curious, and draws on their creativity and imagination, while sharing the wonders of discovery in reporting a story.  This reporter will be responsible for developing contacts and pitching ideas, producing sound-rich long-form features, quickly, to be used during Morning Edition, Here and Now and All Things Considered. S/he will produce distinct and complementary content for the station’s website and post to the station’s social media platforms. The reporter will also be expected to produce shorter stories to be used in newscasts.  This position requires someone who’s a top interviewer and writer, who works efficiently, embraces technology, is skilled at recording audio, taking photos, shooting video, and producing their own material.  The best candidate is always enthusiastic about learning more about the topics they cover and growing in the craft of reporting.

The preferred candidate will be able to serve as a fill-in local host for NPR’s news magazines.  S/he will be an integral part of WKSU’s on-air fundraising and s/he will represent WKSU in the communities we serve.

WKSU has a tradition of award-winning journalism and a legacy stretching back more than 65 years.  We are Ohio’s largest FM radio station; with five transmitters and two translators, we cover 22 counties in Northeast Ohio, including Akron, Canton and Cleveland and have a potential audience of three million listeners.  Be the next member of our team!

For more information and to apply go to:  http://jobslist.kent.edu/cw/en-us/job/495947/akron-reporter