Senior Producer – Talk Show

KCUR seeks a highly curious and informed visionary with extraordinary people skills to lead the production team for Up to Date, our signature public affairs talk show. An hour-long, weekday program hosted by veteran Kansas City journalist and executive producer Steve Kraske, Up to Date is a place for probing and provocative yet always civil conversations about the issues, people and events making news, shaping public policy and influencing the social and cultural fabric of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, the Midwest and the nation.

The senior producer will lead the current team of three associate and assistant producers and an intern, guiding the formulation of program ideas and concepts; researching topics; finding, screening and booking guests; writing and editing web posts and podcasts; assisting with live production of the daily broadcast and overseeing the program’s social media presence. Integral to KCUR’s overall news operation, Up to Date draws on the resources of reporters and editors in the newsroom as well as our regional collaborators in the Midwest Newsroom, the Kansas News Service, Harvest Public Media, with additional support from our audience-development and podcasting teams.

Our new colleague must have a passionate belief in potential for respectful conversation to empower our audiences to meet the challenges of our time, an enthusiasm for innovation within the talk-show format, the ability to remain calm during the demands of live radio production and to work on diverse projects daily in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment, and a commitment to the mission of public media and to our values of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the production of a live weekday radio talk show, convening and leading daily and weekly editorial meetings; planning, researching, booking and scripting segments; and ensuring the host is fully prepared with background research and interview questions.
• Manage the Up to Date team, guiding the host to successful conversations and supervising associate and assistant producers and an intern.
• Attend daily meeting of KCUR editors. Collaborate with editors in the KCUR newsroom, including its community engagement team, the Kansas News Service, the Midwest Newsroom and Harvest Public Media in KCUR’s overall news and feature coverage.
• Collaborate with KCUR’s digital strategists to ensure a high-quality online experience for Up to Date audiences. Contribute to, and oversee other Up to Date producers’ creation of, show-related content to KCUR’s website via its content management system, including audio, text and photos.
• Research and pitch show topics during weekly production meeting.
• Contact, screen, and book guests.
• Contribute to, and oversee other producers’ creation of, audio and text billboards and promos for the show.
• Participate in fund-raising and community engagement activities, on air and off.
• Other duties as assigned.

This position reports to the Director of Content-Journalism.

A Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

• Experience in the production of a public media talk show.
• At least five years of work experience in a radio, news or public media organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven ability to successfully manage people of differing skills and backgrounds.
• Willingness to occasionally work outside of regular business hours.
• Expert news judgment and familiarity with journalism ethics.
• Enthusiasm for the role of public media in a changing journalism environment and a commitment to our values of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• Experience operating a variety of broadcast equipment including audio boards, digital editing systems (e.g. Adobe Audition), content management systems and other media production equipment.
• Experience producing content for digital and social platforms.
• Familiarity with Associated Press style.

Salary

Position salary range starts at $50,000, offer to be based on experience, education, and internal equity

KCUR 89.3 is the NPR affiliate in Kansas City and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Please apply online at UMKC’s website: https://info.umkc.edu/hr/careers/ Select “Staff Position,” then “View Jobs,” then “View All Jobs.” This posting will remain open until filled. Review of applications to begin on December 5th.