Program Director

Application Deadline: Friday, Aug 31, 2018

Description

TITLE:                    KPFK PROGRAM DIRECTOR

STATUS:                 REGULAR FULL TIME

LOCATION:             KPFK-PACIFICA RADIO, North Hollywood CA

August 30 2018

PACIFICA RADIO STATION KPFK SEEKS A PROGRAM DIRECTOR

KPFK-FM in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1959 as a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station. It is one of five stations of the Pacifica Network, which is a mission-driven organization dedicated to free speech, peace, social justice, and cross-cultural understanding. Broadcasting at 110,000 watts, KPFK serves much of Southern California with an eclectic mix of arts, culture, music, news and public affairs programming in both English and Spanish. The majority of KPFK’s 200+ programmers are volunteers, but the station also has paid producers and program hosts.

The Program Director must be aware of the public’s interest to create programming that captures – and keeps – the audience.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

KPFK seeks a Program Director to provide leadership and vision, who is serious about innovative, high-quality, community-based programming. The Program Director is responsible for the “sound” of the station. The Program Director is responsible and accountable for programs, the programming grid, the evaluation of programs, on-air FCC compliance, fund drive programming, special livestream shows, and working with the Music Director. The Program Director reports to the General Manager, provides a monthly report to the Local Station Board Programming Oversight Committee either in person or electronically, and is expected to increase the listenership and membership of the station through good management skills and decisions. The PD participates in weekly management team meetings with the Executive Director. The PD’s normal work week includes being physically present at the station five days per week.

Programming

* Keeps track of listenership either by ensuring that KPFK subscribes to Nielsen ratings or by assessing listenership through a combination of other metrics such as online listenership, fund drive totals, membership, etc. (See endnote 1i)

* Is expected to spend approximately 25% of her/his work time in program evaluation. Monitors programming on an ongoing basis. Formal evaluation of each program and programmer must be completed in writing bi-annually. (See endnote 2ii)

* Supervise, train and manage programmers through providing work direction, constructive performance coaching, mentorship, performance meetings, and on-going feedback, including regular air checks.

* Ensures program content complies with all necessary state and Federal laws, regulations, and requirements as well as Pacifica programming policies and requirements.

* Establishes, maintains, and reviews programming goals and services in line with Pacifica’s mission and goals.

* Maintains publication of programming schedules on the station’s web sites and in other appropriate venues and media.

Community Relations

* Represents the station and Pacifica at various public forums.

* Participates in the development of strategies and plans for on-air fundraising, in collaboration with staff.

* Participates in the evaluation and approval of all premiums offered by the station.

* Meets with donors as needed.

Internet

* Must have exceptional knowledge of social media platforms REQUIREMENTS: Demonstrated commitment to Pacifica’s Mission. Bachelor’s Degree or commensurate experience in a related field. 3 to 5 years of media management experience, preferably in public broadcasting, or related media. Candidate must be committed to a diverse workplace, possess excellent management skills and a proven ability to work collaboratively with paid and volunteer programmers/staff, and possess strong interpersonal and communications skills. Fund raising experience required. Spanish fluency a plus. Candidate should be able to lift 30 pounds and navigate stairs multiple times during each work shift.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

* Ability to work harmoniously with a large and diverse workforce, to achieve compromise among sharply differing points of view, and to motivate employees and volunteers.

* Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

* Familiarity with audience-research tools (surveys, Nielsens, etc.) SALARY: This is a full-time, exempt, and non-union position. Annual salary: $50K – $60K DOE. Excellent benefits including medical, dental, disability; vacations, sick days and holiday pay (Upon completion of introductory status). TO APPLY: Email resume, letter of interest, and salary requirement to: pdsearchcmte@kpfk.org, or mail to:

Attn: Program Director Search,
KPFK Business Office
3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West,
North Hollywood, CA 91604

DEADLINE: Open until filled. Pacifica/KPFK is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, or nationality. Principals only – no agents please.

The Program Director is expected to improve the listenership of the station. If the station does not subscribe to Nielsen ratings, the listenership shall be estimated based on the following metrics, each one given equal weight: 1) The number of online listeners tabulated by an analysis of the information available on http://stats.pacifica.org/ and/or individual downloads or online listeners tracked on individual station websites. 2) The gross revenue of the station, as improved listenership generally is reflected in improved revenue. 3) Increased membership, as improved programming builds larger audiences and results in more listener support and loyalty. ii Listenership at all 5 stations has been declining, as far as we can tell without subscribing to Nielsen ratings. Declining listenership has resulted in declining membership and income. This has been forcing stations to lengthen fund drives and resort to other measures to make ends meet. Because of this it is imperative that programming improvement be a top priority. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate programs on an individual basis. Thus, the Program Director is charged with evaluating every program using the following criteria: 1) Nielsen ratings (if available). 2) Amount of money generated by the program. 3) Amount of membership generated by the program. 4) Does the program content conform with the Pacifica Mission? 5) Willingness of the programmer to create learning opportunities for interns, including affording them some on air experience. 6) Sound quality of the program. 7) Production values of the program. 8) Does the program subject matter add diversity to our grid in terms of appeal to varied demographics and interests? 9) Does the program have a social network presence and is the programmer and/or producer promoting through social media and other outreach? 10) Input from stats.pacifica.org, Community Advisory Boards, PNB National Programming Committee and Audio Port program sharing history. 11) Amount of Volunteer participation of programmer in station operations and events. Programs should be judged based on their placement on the grid. In other words, as morning drive time has a higher potential audience it should be expected to produce more income than shows in a less advantageous time slot. The Program Director should first evaluate all programs involving paid staff. The next evaluation priority will be all programs in daytime hours during the week and on weekends

For additional information about this position, please contact: