News Director Job at Texas Association of Broadcasters in Weslaco

KRGV-TV, the ABC affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, is seeking a News Director to lead Channel 5 News to new heights as the Valley’s most watched News Station.

Mobile Video Tapes, Inc, (dba KRGV-TV) is looking for a passionate journalist who is team-oriented and has the skills to manage the largest newsroom in South Texas. The News Director will set the editorial standard, develop the news strategy, and maintain the highest quality and accuracy across all newscasts. The News Director will have a plan to not only grow linear newscast audiences but also grow Channel 5’s multiplatform connection to our community.

As a Department Head with KRGV, the News Director will manage the news team, develop budgets and work to achieve ratings goals. The News Director will set and maintain the journalistic, legal, and ethical standards for the news operations. Located in Weslaco, Texas, along the US-Mexico border, news decisions will include covering immigration issues impacting the border, Texas, and the nation. The News Director will oversee a management team that includes an Assistant News Director and two Executive Producers.

KRGV has been owned by the Manship family located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since 1964. KRGV has much of the latest news gathering technology including a large suite of Live U’s. In addition, KRGV has a full staff of Photographers enhancing our news coverage.

This position is Full Time

Job description and qualifications:

• Manage all aspects of the News Department
• Plan and manage staffing and training for the News Department.
• Oversee the recruitment, hiring, evaluation, training, promotion and termination of employees.
• Create and implement an overall strategy for news coverage, story selection, angles and presentation for the station and its digital platforms.
• Critique newscasts to correct errors, improve coverage and provide mentoring feedback to news staff.
• Provide guidance and support to the newsroom, create a culture of improvement and high quality journalism.
• Work with other departments to coordinate news content on different platforms with other managers.
• Assign projects to staff and verify that deadlines are being met.
• Monitor audience feedback and ratings to understand preference and content accordingly.
• Determine programming goals and evaluate equipment needs to produce quality programming.
• Keep up with current events, trends, breaking news and other elements of journalism
• Respond to coverage questions.
• Work with other senior station leaders to establish and reach station goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.
• Fluency in English. Spanish not required but a plus.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Minimum eight years’ experience in news production, with at least three years’ experience in a leadership role.
• Experience guiding, directing and motivating subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Experience establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Ability to identify the developmental needs of others and to coach, mentor or otherwise help others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Experience preparing and maintaining departmental budgets.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize assignments and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to effectively listen to fully understand employee needs and communicate with a team to shape a solution.
• Knowledge and use of digital content and social media.

KRGV (ABC) is located in the warm and beautiful Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. (Harlingen – Weslaco – Brownsville – McAllen, Texas DMA #80) Privately owned by the Manship family since 1964, KRGV offers its employees excellent benefits and use of state-of-the-art technologies. Channel 5 News is a hard news brand that drives market leading ratings in a fast growing area with significant breaking news.

KRGV-TV does not discriminate in its employment and personnel practices because of a person’s race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. The Federal Communications Commission specifically prohibits discriminatory employment practices.

Informing you and your organization of the above employment opportunity is an affirmative action on our part to actively seek qualified minorities and women for our staff vacancies. Through your assistance we want to ensure that our employment opportunities are made known to members of minority groups and to women.

KRGV-TV is a drug-free and smoke-free workplace.

If you are qualified for the above vacancy send resume to Elizabeth Gaona, Director of Human Resources, KRGV-TV, P.O. Box 5, Weslaco, Texas 78599 or email to egaona@krgv.com.