Assistant News Director

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) helps people thrive in their local communities by providing the trusted local news and services that matter most. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets TEGNA reaches more than100 million people monthly across the web mobile apps streaming and linear television. Together we are building a sustainable future for local news.

WCSH & WLBZ the TEGNA-owned NBC Stations in Maine are looking for an Assistant News Director to guide our team of content creators in story discovery and presentation across all platforms.

The right person has experience at:

• Urgently responding to breaking news and calmly managing the inevitable chaos while driving coverage to every platform.
• Managing the daily story development process from digging to pitch to multi-platform execution.
• Teaching new journalists how to work a beat developing local contacts and finding stories no one else has.
• Training new producers to our brand for broadcast/stream newscasts.
• Overseeing story distribution in all forms across all platforms.
• Managing newsroom responsibilities for station projects including outreach.

The ideal candidate is an experienced journalist who understands how to maintain a healthy newsroom culture. Has the aptitude to identify and pursue stories that are urgent impactful and newsworthy. And the ability to solve problems creatively train a motivated team and guide a multi-platform newsrooms content.

Role Summary

As the Assistant News Director you will lead the Story Desk (SD) a unified desk that replaces and unifies the legacy assignment and digital desks. The SD model ensures a single streamlined workflow for planning producing and curating stories across platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily coverage decisions and reporter assignments to be competitive across platforms with the goal to own the big story daily
• Determine the best format for each story how it should be presented on different platforms and a reasonable timeline for delivery of those elements
• Look ahead and plan coverage or upcoming news cycles
• Lead regular story check-ins throughout the day
• Maximize audience insights to aid in content choices and improve audience reach
• Ensure competitive engaging and impactful content for all platforms including digital platforms: website mobile app and streaming
• Plan coverage of stories that matter most to the community using editorial judgment and social listening
• With the Story Desk Editors provide editorial support for MSJs producers and photojournalists including reviewing scripts videos and content for accuracy grammar AP style digital best practices fairness and ethical considerations
• Lead and communicate newsroom coverage during breaking news ensuring accuracy urgency and balance
• Uphold TEGNAs journalistic standards and values across all platforms

What Youll Bring

• Bachelors degree in journalism communications or at least 5 years of journalism experience in a local newsroom digital production or related role
• Superior news judgment and the ability to make fast sound editorial decisions under pressure
• Proven record of success managing breaking news
• Experience managing a team of journalists
• Demonstrated knowledge regarding content desk operations
• Experience helping transform and manage news-gathering systems
• Impeccable organizational skills with a keen eye for detail
• Demonstrated success as both a team leader and a team player
• Effective communication skills
• Familiarity with the market a plus

Why TEGNA

TEGNA is reimagining local journalism for the newsroom of the future. With 64 stations across 51 markets we deliver trusted fact-based news that informs engages and empowers communities. Our values Demand the Truth Work Smarter Debate Fearlessly Listen Carefully and Zero-Base Every Process guide everything we do.

By joining Call Letters you will be part of a company that demands the truth works smarter and tells impactful stories that serve our communities every day.

Benefits:

TEGNA offers comprehensive benefits designed to safeguard the physical mental and financial health of our employees and their families. TEGNA offers two medical plan options for full and part-time employees through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas as well as access to dental and eye care coverage; fertility surrogacy and adoption assistance; disability and life insurance.

Our 401(k) program offers full part-time and temporary employees the opportunity to contribute 1% - 80% of their pay on a pre-tax basis to TEGNAs 401(k). Contributions made up to the first 4% of pay are eligible for a 100% match from the company and are 100% vested from day one.

Regardless of participation in TEGNA medical plans ALL employees and their eligible family members receive nine free virtual doctors appointments with a physician through Teladoc and 12 free annual therapy sessions with a licensed clinician through Spring Health.

TEGNA offers a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit as well as nine paid holidays per year.

* Some jobs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and thus some or all of the benefits described herein may not apply. For example some newsroom bargaining unit employees receive health and retirement benefits under plans administered by the union.

EEO statement:

TEGNA Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer. We areproud to be an equal opportunity employer hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. We value and consider applications from all qualified candidates without regard to actual or perceived race color religion national origin sex gender age marital status personal appearance sexual orientation gender identity or expression family responsibilities disability medical condition enrollment in college or vocational school political affiliation military or veteran status citizenship status genetic information or any other basis protected by federal state or local law. TEGNA will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilitiesin accordance with applicable law. If you are in need of an accommodation in order to submit your application please email

Recruiting Fraud Alert:

To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are important to us. Only TEGNA Recruiters or Hiring Managers will reach out to you regarding consideration of your application or background. Communications with TEGNA employees will either come from a TEGNA email address with a domain of or one of our affiliate station domains.

Recruiters or Hiring Managers will never request payments ask for financial account information or sensitive information such as social security numbers.