Reporter
Iowa Public Radio is looking for a person with great news judgement, a strong sense of curiosity, and a knack for enterprising reporting to be our next western Iowa reporter in Sioux City. You’ll file newscast and feature-length stories for IPR, covering an area that is primarily centered on the counties surrounding Sioux City, but can include a larger part of western Iowa. You’ll also occasionally be asked to join one of our talk shows or news magazines to talk about a story you’re working on.
This is still a relatively new beat for IPR, and in the last three years we’ve aired stories on severe flooding along the Missouri River, the pandemic’s effect on rural school districts and communities, the loss of retail options in rural Iowa, and the region’s Latino and Native American communities. If your favorite kind of reporting doesn’t come from news conferences or a daybook, this could be the job for you.
You’ll join a great team of reporters in four cities covering everything from state government, to agriculture, health, Latino affairs…and every four years a bunch of people who want to be president.
You’ll be the only IPR reporter in this part of the state, so self-motivation and an ability to work well on your own is essential.
We’ve got a strong relationship with NPR: We’ve been part of the political and state government reporting partnerships, and we’re part of NPR’s new Midwest Newsroom, which will focus on enterprise and investigative reporting.
Sioux City is Iowa’s fourth-largest city, and the largest in the northwestern part of the state. It’s along the Missouri River at the northern end of Iowa’s Loess Hills region, a unique landscape of prairie, steep hills and bluffs. Downtown Sioux City is seeing a number of historic renovation projects, as well as investing in more recreation amenities along the riverfront. And, if you’re in the mood for a road trip, Omaha is 90 minutes away, while Des Moines is a three-hour drive.
ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE:
- $39,403 - $47,403
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Two years of experience in a professional journalism environment, including internships;
- Experience working in multimedia platforms, including photographs, video and web platforms; and
- Experience operating a variety of broadcast equipment including audio boards, digital editing systems (e.g. Adobe Audition), field recording units, and other production equipment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- One year full-time experience as a public radio reporter, anchor, producer, or host; and
- Firm foundation in journalism ethics, news gathering, and reporting techniques.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please submit application materials to iprrecruiting@iowapublicradio.org. Inquiries may be sent to iprrecruiting@iowapublicradio.org or 515-725-1707.
For full consideration, applications must include the following:
- A detailed resume.
- A narrative carefully detailing how your experience compares to the job duties and qualifications listed for this position. The narrative should not exceed two pages.
- Sample(s) of your work including:
- Writing samples that include spot news and a news-oriented feature.
- Demo containing one newscast-length story (spot), and one feature-length report (3:00-5:00) that you have edited and produced. If you have one, we’d love to hear a sample of a two-way you did with a program host, or an interview you’ve conducted for a podcast or other audio production. Please upload the demo to Soundcloud or another hosting site and send IPR the links.
- Online content you have produced (please send links). Online content can be a web build-out of a radio story or news content that was designed to be web-only. Please do not send stories you have produced with the help of a national network.
- Names and contact information, including email addresses, for three work references, including at least one supervisory reference.
Applications must be received by 5pm CDT on Monday, August 9, 2021. Employment is contingent upon the successful outcome of a background check.
Iowa Public Radio is an Equal Opportunity Employer.