The Opportunity

Join Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting! 90.5 WESA, the NPR member station in Pittsburgh, is seeking a Development & Growth reporter who will embrace and own coverage of community and economic development in Western Pennsylvania and how they are transforming the ways people live, work and travel in this vibrant region.

The successful candidate will become immersed in the evolution of the region’s built environment as well as the people, issues and economic factors that drive it. You’ll also look beyond bureaucracy and policy to find and tell the stories of people affected by development successes, mistakes and challenges.

You will cover fast-breaking news in the Pittsburgh region, with an emphasis on producing spot reports for WESA radio newscasts and its digital news platforms, as well as in-depth reports on emergent issues of significance to the region. This full-time exempt position reports to the News Director.

What you’ll need: a record of journalistic excellence, a commitment to excellence in audio and digital storytelling, and zeal for delving into complex issues and generating investigative and analytical enterprise reporting on key trends and impacts.

Public radio experience is a plus but not essential.

Essential Functions:

·         Research, report, write, and produce multimedia spots, feature and enterprise stories for WESA’s broadcast and digital platforms.

·         Meet all regular and recurring deadlines.

·         Consistently generate and pitch creative, thoughtful and original story ideas in multiple media.

·         Execute assignments from newsroom editors.

·         Mix and edit audio reports both in studio and in the field.

·         Take still photos and video in the field.

·         Advance the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals of the newsroom.

·         Use social media to break news, engage audiences and expand one’s source base.

·         Create trustworthy relationships with contacts and sources.

·         Mentor and guide early-career colleagues, and lead or steer newsroom teams to produce in-depth packages that require strategic planning and direction to ensure completion of highest-quality work.

·         Be willing and available to work during off-hours and weekends, as needed.

·         Make public appearances as opportunity arises to enhance WESA’s brand.

·         Participate in on-air and online fundraising as needed.

·         Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

·         Strong on-air and digital reporting, writing and technical skills.

·         Impeccable track record of accuracy and fairness in reporting and storytelling.

·         Ability to gather quality field audio, to edit and mix ably for use on air or digital platforms.

·         Self-motivated team player with a track record of producing daily news stories and features of interest to local audiences.

·         Sound and ethical judgment, with a commitment to balance and fairness.

·         Ability to handle multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.

·         Knowledge of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania is helpful.

·         Demonstrated ability to shoot and edit video and photos.

·         Creativity and sound judgment in social media usage.

·         Excellent communication skills.

Requirements:

·         Bachelor’s degree in journalism-related field or equivalent experience/training.

·         Three or more years of reporting in a professional broadcast newsroom environment with multimedia news content training and experience.

·         Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends, with some long days required at times.

·         Honesty and integrity in all dealings.

·         Enthusiasm for the mission of PCBC and its stations.

About Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting

Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting is a team full of passionate and fun people dedicated to our crafts as well as our communities.

We operate two local public radio stations and a local newsroom that serves the community across radio, digital and event platforms. 90.5 WESA is Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station and WESA News is an award-winning, dynamic and ambitious newsroom serving southwestern Pennsylvania over-the-air, online and through our daily newsletter, Inbox Edition. 91.3 WYEP is one of the most highly regarded non-commercial Triple-A music stations in the country and has been a cultural institution in Pittsburgh for almost 50 years. 

Our organization plays a vital role in building connections across southwestern Pennsylvania and strengthening our communities through exceptional journalism and cultural exploration and education . . . and we have a powerful broadcast network to help!

What’s it like working at PCBC?

At Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting we work hard, do great things, and have fun doing them.  Our culture is collegial, and manager’s doors (if they even have one!) are always open.  We recognize that people do their best when they can keep a good balance between their work and personal lives and embrace flexibility as an asset.

Our compensation packages are generous.  We provide competitive base salaries in a very affordable city. The minimumcompensation for the Development Growth Reporter position is $47,000, commensurate with experience and ability. Our full-time exempt employees also get access to an extensive benefits package, including a generous retirement plan (with a dollar-for-dollar match of up to 6% !), medical, dental and vision, three weeks of vacation, sick time, 10 company holidays and 8 weeks of paid new parent leave. We invest in the professional growth of our team, encouraging continuing education and participation in conferences and seminars.

We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment and are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Want to know more?

We believe a strong organization includes employees from a broad range of backgrounds, with different skills, experiences, and passions. And if you don’t meet every position qualification, but you have a story to tell, we’d still like to hear it. Please apply and tell us more about yourself. Visit our careers page to get more details and to apply.