Program Director
WFAE, the NPR station in Charlotte, is an award-winning multiplatform newsroom (radio, digital, podcasts, live events) committed to providing high-quality local news and engagement that meets the needs of our diverse community. Our mission is to deliver journalism that informs, engages and inspires. Our vision is to help create a more knowledgeable and engaged community grounded in our shared humanity.
This is an exciting time in WFAE’s history. We’ve doubled the size of our newsroom over the last five years, and in that time, we’ve seen record growth in our audience and revenue numbers. We are a relatively small, innovative team of journalists and business professionals who are committed to not only providing our community with news and information about the Charlotte region and beyond but also being a bridge to convene people for courageous conversations, training opportunities or just to have a good time.
Overview:
WFAE, the NPR station in Charlotte, is seeking an experienced program director to lead programming for WFAE 90.7 FM and our HD 2 and HD 3 channels. The program director will ensure that our show lineup offers a compelling mix of topics anchored by diverse hosts to appeal to the needs and interests of our increasingly diverse community. The program director will report to the chief content officer and will work alongside the news director to deliver timely and relevant local news and special programming for our audience.
The program director is responsible for shaping the sound of WFAE by ensuring that announcing, forward promoting, break structure, liners and promos reflect broadcast best practices. The program director will help refine WFAE’s approach to morning, afternoon and evening coverage to match or exceed NPR quality while remaining distinctly local. In addition, the program director will work with other WFAE leaders to achieve audience growth, community engagement and revenue goals.
WFAE is an innovative, multiplatform newsroom and, as such, we are looking for candidates who want to help redefine how we serve, reach and connect with audiences through broadcast, online, and on-demand platforms as well as in person. At WFAE, collaboration is not just an ideal, it is required at every level of our work. Internally, we work collaboratively to achieve goals. Externally, we collaborate with partners to expand the work and impact of WFAE, and we collaborate with the community to better understand and tell their stories.
We are eager to speak to candidates who are creative, possess a can-do attitude, and who value and champion diversity, inclusivity and equity in their own approach to leading teams and serving the community. This job is based in Charlotte, N.C. Occasional evening and weekend work is required.
Responsibilities:
• Work with the chief content officer to shape programming strategy and stationality
• Oversee the work of our Charlotte Talks, our award-winning local talk show
• Recruit, retain and coach a diverse team of producers and hosts
• Research and report on key audience metrics, and adjust programming and audience development strategy based on those and mission-driven goals
• Work closely with the membership team to support fundraising goals
• Work with underwriting and membership to implement sponsorship, fundraising and promotional messaging in a way that doesn’t disrupt the quality of the audience experience
• Develop a plan for training on-air hosts, announcers and reporters
• Stay abreast of media innovations, emerging technology and audience trends
• Work with program vendors to screen and give feedback on program development and to determine which programs are a fit for WFAE’s programming strategy
• Works with news director to create and file required FCC, CPB reports
This role could be a fit if:
• You have experience building, motivating and leading programming, news or operations teams
• You are skilled at working with broadcast and content management systems, and traffic management, audio editing and analytics tools
• You are familiar with FCC and CPB guidelines and are committed to upholding them
• You are committed to listening to and engaging with the community to ensure our offerings align with their needs
• You have the ability to thrive in a rapidly changing, high-pressure environment
• If you are confident that you can meet the goals of this job and have most but not all of the skills listed, we encourage you to still apply
Organizational impact:
• 425% growth in digital audience over the last five years
• 71% increase in membership revenue over the last five years
• 50% growth in corporate sponsorship over the last five years
• WFAE offers a generous benefits package and competitive compensation
Across WFAE, we strive to:
• Exemplify the highest levels of integrity and public trust
• Serve as a national and industry model of journalistic excellence
• Be doggedly committed to telling great stories and serving the public
• Succeed through teamwork, respect and collaboration
• Include diverse people, voices, thoughts and perspectives at every level of our work
• Value and reward creativity, curiosity and humor
• Be bold and take risks in service to journalism and our mission
• Enter every room with a spirit of generosity and gratitude
