WYSO Public Radio is the NPR affiliate for a 14-county region of southwest Ohio that includes Dayton and Springfield, with a potential audience of more than two million. On the air since 1958, we’re a funky, hybrid format, with independent news and music. We have been on a dynamic path of growth and change since our transition from university to community ownership in 2019.

In 2011 WYSO began training community members to make radio through an innovative engagement program called “Community Voices.” As the program grew, we created the “Center for Community Voices.” Public radio veteran Neenah Ellis was its first director. In a typical year, the Center produces 100+ feature stories that are inserted in our local broadcasts of Morning Edition and All Things Considered and are enjoyed all over the world through our website. 

The next Director of the Center for Community Voices will be a storyteller, producer, editor, and skilled, sensitive manager who thinks innovatively and works creatively and collegially with people of all ages and backgrounds. The Director will be well organized, detail oriented, and able to meet daily deadlines.

With a growing organization that’s firing on all cylinders, a new satellite studio set to open in downtown Dayton, and an upcoming move to state-of-the-art expanded headquarters in Yellow Springs, this is an exciting time to join our team.

Essential Functions

TRAINING AND ENGAGEMENT

• Create, oversee, and often teach classes offered by the Center; and leverage these classes to build authentic relationships across the community. When appropriate, hire freelance instructors and / or engage the managing editor of the Center to teach.
• Cultivate a community of freelance producers who stay connected to WYSO and pitch new ideas. Establish channels for ongoing engagement with people we have trained and create opportunities for their ongoing skills development. 
• Create community events that complement the training offered by the Center. These events will engage staff and supporters in addition to students studying at the Center. These events could range from master classes with visiting artists & journalists; to listening parties to share stories created in the Center; to panel discussions and community forums. The director prioritizes face-to-face interactions whenever possible. The director will help program community events at WYSO’s Arcade studio and eventually at WYSO’s new headquarters in Yellow Springs. 
• Create discrete training opportunities that serve both staff and freelancers. Topics could include photography, writing for the web, field recording, mixing, and interviewing techniques. 
• Establish mutually beneficial partnerships with area organizations. Examples might include: participating in podcasting classes at local universities, working tables at career fairs and arts / film festivals, partnering on events with area museums, libraries, etc. 

PODCASTING

• Internal podcasts: the director will support and often lead the creation of internally-produced podcasts. This will include greenlighting or rejecting proposals, as well as ideation and development, editing, hiring talent, and producing / hosting. The director will then interface with the news director and music director to determine when / if there is podcast content to excerpt in linear broadcasts. The director also interfaces directly with the director of development and communications on promotional plans. 
• External podcasts: on occasion, the director will shepherd externally produced podcasts into being, e.g., when a new podcast is created by someone who trained at the Center, and the content is deemed relevant / exciting for our audience. 
• The director will create and sustain a Center for Community Voices podcast that showcases work created at the Center. 

OTHER 

• Serve as an editor as needed 
• Support the managing editor of the Center as he edits / nurtures existing series (e.g., Veterans’ Voices, Dayton Youth Radio, The Bind That Ties) and plans new ones. 
• Participate in membership drives
• Work closely with the director of development and communications to promote and raise awareness of the activities of the Center through email, promos, and earned media; and contribute info and ideas for grant proposals and other funding opportunities, including sponsorships.  
• Work closely with other directors to integrate the Center into all areas of the organization
• Refine and uphold an editorial vision and journalistic and ethical standards for the types of stories the Center will share with the WYSO audience

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five years of teaching experience
• At least five years of professional media production experience, preferably in a multi-platform media environment
• Demonstrated ability to write for radio, edit audio, and mix
• Demonstrated experience managing freelance reporters / producers
• Passion for our public service mission and for growing our audience

SOFT SKILLS

• Communicates effectively and respectfully, verbally and in writing 
• Collaborates beautifully with others in a fast-paced team environment
• Comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds
• Is a champion of and fierce advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion

BENEFITS

• Include health/dental/vision insurance; paid holidays, paid vacation, and paid sick leave; 401(k) company match; HSA with annual company grant; gym membership/wellness stipend; and cell phone stipend. This is an FLSA exempt position.

About WYSO

WYSO enjoys strong support from listeners and local businesses. 80,000 listeners tune in every week, and thousands more regularly interact with our website. Contributed revenues have doubled in the last ten years. We have 23 full-time staff, numerous paid interns, and dozens of volunteer producers and hosts.

WYSO is an Equal Opportunity Employer with equity as one of our core values. We want our staff to reflect the community we serve. As such, people from all backgrounds, communities, races, religions, and expressed genders are encouraged to apply. Our website has more about our Mission, Vision, Values and our intentional steps toward diversity, equity and inclusion. 

About The Gem City

Dayton, Ohio (“The Gem City”), where once upon a time two brothers who ran a bicycle shop dreamed up powered flight, continues to be a place where good ideas grow into reality. It’s a city busy reinventing itself. This twin sense of possibility and reinvention makes it a great place to live, in our opinion. WYSO is a beloved and respected member of this community because we amplify the voices of the people, organizations, and musicians that call Dayton home. Although we’re proud to share national and international stories from NPR, the BBC and others, it’s the creation of local content that drives everything we do.