Applications Closed: We're hiring a Senior Reporter & News Director.
Senior Reporter & News Director
Description:
CHLY 101.7 FM is the broadcasting voice of Nanaimo and Vancouver Island University (VIU) students. Beginning as a student club in 1994, and gaining not-for-profit status in 1997 as the Radio Malaspina Society, CHLY was approved for a broadcast license by the CRTC in 2001. CHLY is located in Nanaimo (Snuneymuxw) a small city of 104,936 people located on Vancouver Island, next to the Salish Sea.
CHLY is currently a community based, campus-community radio station, with a small staff and over 60+ volunteers made up of Community Members from the broadcast community, and Student members from VIU’s Nanaimo Campus. CHLY offers alternative coverage of every genre and perspective, with a mandate to support niche programming, local and Canadian artists and underrepresented voices. Each week, locally produced and syndicated programs are broadcast on CHLY 101.7 FM in four different languages, with live streaming and podcasts at chly.ca.
With this one-year contract position, CHLY is seeking a motivated and dynamic reporter with a solid foundation in journalism. In this position, you will be our first paid journalist. You will produce a semi-weekly (possibly thrice weekly) one hour morning news show, as well as write a minimum of 2-3 stories/reports for our website per week. You will also take a leadership role in organizing and building the station’s News Department, by assisting in coordinating and training volunteers interested in news and journalism at CHLY 101.7FM. This job is ideal for a passionate journalist whose dream is to build their own news department.
Our staff and our volunteer base will do their best to support your efforts.
This job will ideally begin on February 15th, 2020. This project is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
The applicant will work with a small team in a non-profit broadcasting environment to:
Take a leadership role in our News Department as our Senior Reporter and News Director working as senior host and producer of our yet to be named morning news show (To air Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings pending feedback from the successful candidate);
Edit the podcast version of the morning news show;
Write scripts and outlines;
Conduct interviews;
Produce report/stories for on-air and/or our website;
Upload reports/stories/audio to LJI distribution platform;
Produce a weekly news eNewsletter to direct traffic to articles posted on the website and the podcast versions of the morning news show;
Mentor volunteers who get involved in our News Department, and Student News Collective;
Assist the Executive Director in writing guidelines, job descriptions, and frameworks for the News Department;
Delegate and schedule, when possible or necessary, duties to News Department volunteers ie: co-hosting, producing, researching, social media coordination, etc;
Proactively develop story ideas, select and research topics for broadcast and articles online with staff and volunteers;
Schedule and attend News Department meetings as necessary;
Maintain and monitor station social media accounts for newsgathering, news distribution and branding purposes;
Assist in CHLY’s semi-annual fundraising efforts. Its Spring Listener Undrive and Fall Fund Drives to help raise money for the station and the News Department;
Assist in tabling at events in the community to promote the station and the news department;
Develop a beat specialty if you don’t already have one. Read and following major developments in their specialty;
Follow pertinent persons or publications and attends related events;
Maintain data for on-going continuity of coverage and accumulation of knowledge;
Maintain contact list and interview sources;
Maintain notes, recordings and files;
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and requirements:
The ideal candidate will be motivated, creative, organized. The successful candidate will ideally have experience in broadcast journalism, as well as digital and print journalism. Past experience in a campus-community radio organization is an asset. A proven ability to work with diverse communities is a bonus.
The applicant ideally will:
Hold a university degree or college or technical diploma in Arts, Journalism, Communications, or Broadcasting (Radio or Television Arts) from an accredited educational institution;
Be a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (or similar organization);
Have 2-3 (or more) years experience in broadcast and/or print journalism;
Have a big passion for journalism, research, storytelling, language and accurate reporting;
Demonstrate expertise in original news-gathering, writing, editing for short-form and long-form reports;
Demonstrate professional oral, written, digital, and interpersonal communication skills;
Have strong on-air interviewing skills;
Have a distinct clear voice;
Have a developed network of sources who trust you;
Possess a broad knowledge of local and regional issues;
A sensitivity to difficult issues;
Demonstrate solid audio production skills (hardware and software);
Understand the use of light office equipment ie: fixing a printer jam;
Have excellent organizational and time-management skills;
Have an excellent memory for details, be able to meet daily deadlines under pressure and deal effectively with simultaneous tasks;
Be comfortable working in a team setting—leading and managing others—as well as work independently when necessary;
Have a passion and/or interest in non-profit media, and its future in Canada;
Have some serious hustle;
Have some familiarity with crowdfunding practices in a non-profit journalistic setting;
Have strong social media skills.
It would be a bonus if you had:
Awards;
Serious skills in headline writing;
Video and photography skills.
Some of the wide range issues important on the coast:
Housing affordability (spillover from costly Metro Vancouver);
Environmental (climate change, forest and ocean ecology, and its interplay with industry: forestry, fisheries and fish farming);
Homelessness and its associated influences (mental health, addictions, head injuries);
Crime related to homelessness and addictions (both property crime, and crimes upon the homeless);
Poverty (its effects on children, youth, seniors, and homelessness);
Indigenous reconciliation and resurgence (what does this look like in our broadcast community on the Salish Sea and beyond?);
Local businesses and downtowns (vitality and sustainability);
Our ageing communities (senior-friendly and senior-supportive communities);
Food security (pressure on farmland, economics, retiring farmers, Agricultural Land Reserve politics, the impact of climate change on food.
Other details:
You will report to the Executive Director of CHLY and receive direction from them;
You will work with National Coordinators of the Community Radio Fund of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.
The Program Coordinator and select station volunteers will provide on-site, hands-on training on station equipment;
You will work with volunteers as needed.
Salary, Hours, & Benefits:
Compensation: Salary $47,840 for a one year contract with a three-month-long probationary period. The contract is subject to renewal pending further funding. Your salary will be paid to you by CHLY 101.7FM through a grant from the Government of Canada.
To apply:
We ask that you provide 3-5 examples of your work. Please provide links to stories, audio, and notes detailing your work.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. CHLY 101.7FM encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates, including (but not limited to) women, people of colour, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.
Send resume with cover letter and examples of work by February 3rd, 2020, to jesse.woodward@chly.ca CC admin@chly.ca / secretary@chly.ca Subject: CHLY Personnel Committee—LJI.
