General Manager

Application Deadline: Saturday, Jan 15, 2022

Description

Are you looking for a position at the heart of a community where you can connect people and enrich lives as we come out of a pandemic?

Talkeetna Community Radio, Inc. (KTNA) is seeking a General Manager to lead a team of staff and volunteers to achieve KTNA’s mission to enrich and connect the communities of the upper Susitna Valley.  For people who call the Susitna Valley home, even for a weekend, KTNA is the only media organization that provides local voice and perspective because our staff and volunteers live in and care about the communities we serve.  Join this hardworking, mission-driven team and work in a collaborative atmosphere to connect with people on-air, online, and face-to-face.

The station is located in downtown Talkeetna near restaurants and shopping. Residents of the upper Susitna Valley enjoy a rural lifestyle with all the basic services yet more than 70 miles from the nearest traffic jam.  Local all-season trails, an arts council, and a history museum contribute to a high quality of life.

ABOUT KTNA

Talkeetna Community Radio (KTNA 88.9fm) provides a broad base of educational, cultural, and informative programming to enrich and connect the communities in the upper Susitna Valley in south-central Alaska. We meet that mission through radio, website (www.ktna.org), live streaming of our broadcast, social media, and podcasting. KTNA’s reach is both local through our broadcast and events, and worldwide with multiple online platforms.

KTNA presents a wide variety of programming twenty-four hours every day, drawing from National Public Radio, Alaska Public Radio Network, and other national and independent program distributors. Beyond national news and cultural programs, KTNA offers local news, educational and informative programming, music with local DJs, and emergency broadcast services. We have a dedicated corps of volunteers who produce music shows and anchor three newscasts each weekday. KTNA will celebrate 30 years on-air in 2023.

KTNA is community-supported public radio. The 2020 census counts more than 5,300 people living in the unincorporated communities of Willow, Talkeetna, and Trapper Creek.  The population swells substantially in the summer to support a vibrant tourist economy.  Residents enjoy a rural lifestyle with all the basic services, yet more than 70 miles from the nearest traffic jam. Local all-season trails, an arts council, and a history museum contribute to a high quality of life. For more information about the area, visit www.TalkeetnaChamber.org/relocating, and www.TalkeetnaMuseum.org/History-and-museum/.

KTNA approved our most recent strategic plan in 2019, with goals through 2023. Our strategic focus is to tell community stories that engage current and new listeners.  KTNA will also enhance its emergency preparedness. With greater local support from donors and businesses and with a skilled staff and a knowledgeable and representative board, we will remain the most reliable local source of information in the upper Susitna Valley.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The General Manager is the executive position of Talkeetna Community Radio, Inc. (KTNA) and leads a team of staff and volunteers to achieve KTNA’s mission to enrich and connect the communities of the upper Susitna Valley.  The General Manager (GM) ensures the financial and legal health of the corporation; ensures sufficient funds are available for station operations; and maintains the station’s broadcast equipment and facilities. The GM represents the station to the local community and seeks opportunities for collaboration with other public radio stations and local non-profits. The GM reports to a member-elected Board of Directors, prepares information necessary for their informed policy decisions, and implements the board’s policies and strategic plan.  The GM keeps KTNA up-to-date with changes and trends in technology, media, and public broadcasting as the public media industry continues to evolve.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Financial management: The GM ensures the financial and legal health of the corporation and is responsible for developing budgeting and budget tracking; oversight of bookkeeping and audits; maintenance of records; grant tracking and reporting; and financial reporting to the Board of Directors and grantors. Responsibilities include payables, receivables, and payroll.
• Personnel management: The GM guides the work of a small staff and is responsible for hiring, staff training, evaluations, benefits development, and implementing established personnel policies.
• Fundraising: The GM ensures sufficient funds are available for station operations through grant writing and reporting; maintaining relationships with granting agencies and organizations; donor development; and overseeing the work of the station’s Development Coordinator.
• Operations: The GM has overall responsibility for station programming, local program production, direction of the station’s Program Coordinator and news producers, and compliance with FCC regulations. The GM is responsible for the maintenance and operability of broadcast equipment and the maintenance of the station’s facilities (studio/office building in Talkeetna and a transmitter site in Trapper Creek). Operational needs require the GM to develop, implement, and oversee various service contracts. The GM has principal responsibility for the station’s IT infrastructure and maintaining and developing the station’s website and streaming service. The GM keeps KTNA up-to-date with changes and trends in technology, media, and public broadcasting.
• Community Outreach: The GM represents the station to the local community and is responsible for assuring KTNA is responsive to local community needs and concerns. The GM guides station outreach to members, listeners, and the community at large. The GM proactively interacts with local businesses, organizations, schools, government agencies, and institutions to articulate KTNA’s mission, policies, and strategic direction, and to build collaborative relationships.
• KTNA Board of Directors: In addition to preparing regular financial and station activity reports for the KTNA Board of Directors, the GM prepares information necessary for informed policy decisions by the board, advises the board on policy decisions, and implements the board’s approved policies and strategic plan.
• Agency and Other Networking: The GM serves as the primary communication link to other agencies and organizations involved in public broadcasting; represents KTNA’s interests to those agencies and organizations; and seeks opportunities for collaboration with other public radio stations and local non-profits.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Three to five years’ experience in radio station and/or non-profit management or equivalent combination of experience, education, and/or training in related fields;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a wide variety of people and interests; incorporate many interests and opinions into decision-making; and devise successful collaborations;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage personnel;
• Experience in non-profit financial management and ability to develop and manage a budget;
• General technical skills applicable to working with radio technology and an ability to readily learn and adapt to new media systems and technologies to meet KTNA’s mission;
• Experience with non-profit organizations (as a manager or board member);
• Strong writing, speaking, and public presentation skills necessary to represent KTNA successfully to the community, grantors, regulatory agencies, and other collaborators;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi-task and switch priorities quickly when unexpected situations or community emergencies arise.

Other Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and Experience include:

• Public broadcasting (preferred) or commercial broadcasting, including knowledge of FCC regulations;
• Fundraising, including grant writing, managing donor and/or membership programs, cultivating business support, and/or event coordination;
• Radio broadcasting, audio production, radio engineering, and/or journalism;
• Competence with computers, word-processing, spreadsheets, fundraising software, social media communications, and network management;
• Facility management (oversight of building maintenance, utilities, and work contracts);
• Lived and worked in a rural setting.

 BENEFITS 

KTNA offers generous paid leave benefits and a collaborative work environment.  We also provide professional development opportunities. KTNA values commitment to the community, diversity, integrity in all interactions, and maintaining its independence.  This is how the station achieves its mission with the community and works with its staff.

KTNA values work-life balance in its employment practices:

• 8 paid holidays
• 10 vacation days the first year, with increases with tenure
• 12 personal leave days annually
• Some flexible scheduling of work week
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Values-driven work — at KTNA, you hear your contribution daily!

SALARY AND DETAILS 

Location: KTNA office in downtown Talkeetna (smoke-free workplace), local travel required

Classification: Full-time Salaried/Exempt Position

Salary: $45,000 to $55,000 based on experience

Sign-On Benefits: Moving stipend; and

Initial memberships: Denali Arts Council, Talkeetna Historical Society & Denali Nordic Ski Club

TO APPLY

To apply, submit a letter of interest, resume, and contact information for three references to GMsearch@ktna.org.  Priority consideration will be given to applications received before January 15, 2022.  Interested parties are encouraged to contact KTNA with questions at GMsearch@ktna.org or (907) 733-1700.

For additional information about this position, please contact: