Host

Chicago Public Media Inc; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 92,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicago Public Media is seeking an experienced Host to guide listeners through a dynamic mix of interviews and conversations across politics, immigration, health, education, business and arts and culture.

You will lead live broadcasts, edit and present news reports or interviews with journalistic rigor, while engaging audiences on social media and at events. Collaboration with cross‑functional teams is essential, and familiarity with Chicago matters is a plus.

Qualifications

• Significant experience hosting for radio, TV, podcasts, or comparable platforms, ideally live in a large market.
• Experience conducting unscripted or lightly scripted interviews with poise under pressure, including during live breaking news.
• Hands-on experience in a production team booking, prepping, scripting, editing, and preparing broadcasts or podcasts.
• Ability to collaborate with teams across Chicago Public Media on broadcasts, podcasts, events, and social media.
• Curiosity to stay informed on a wide range of topics across current events and culture.
• Journalism experience in a broadcast or digital newsroom is desired.
• Experience with digital editing and audio editing is a plus.
• Familiarity with the Chicago region is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Host a high-profile live daily talk show.
• Create, prepare and present news reports, program segments, and interviews with high editorial craft.
• Maintain a public persona to interact with audiences through non-broadcast platforms, including social media and events.
• These duties may be updated by the company as needed.
• Perform on any or all platforms as required.

Skills

Radio host experience

Live interview skills

Unscripted interview experience

Team collaboration

Digital/audio editing familiarity

Broad topic knowledge

Journalism in broadcast/digital

Ability to handle live breaking news

Familiarity with Chicago region

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, humanities or related field

Tools

Audio editing tools

Job description

Chicago Public Media is one of the nation’s largest local nonprofit news organizations. Home to WBEZ 91.5FM, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Vocalo. Chicago Public Media reaches more than 3.3 million people weekly across broadcast, print, and digital platforms. As a mission-driven organization, we aspire to be the most trusted news source Chicagoans turn to for understanding the people, events, and ideas shaping our community.

Chicago Public Media is a 100% community-funded newsroom powered by nearly 97,000 members whose support makes our journalism possible. This sustained community investment helped drive nationally recognized work in 2025, including 29 awards from esteemed organizations, including the Public Media Journalists Association, the Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the National Association of Black Journalists.

We believe independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy and that access to objective, fact-based news is a right for every citizen. We serve the public interest by creating diverse content that informs and enriches our community, supported by a dedicated staff of approximately 250 professionals.

For more information, please see the Chicago Public Media Annual Report .

The Opportunity

The Host is an experienced journalist responsible for guiding listeners through a dynamic mix of interviews and compelling conversations. The Host is a talented interviewer who can serve as a steady, trusted presence for audiences across a wide range of topics including politics, immigration, health, education, business and arts and culture. Hosts may perform work on any or all platforms.

Duties & Responsibilities

(These include but are not limited to the following. The Company reserves the right to add to, delete, change, or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.)

• Host a high-profile live daily talk show.
• Create, prepare and present news reports, program segments and/or live on-air or recorded and edited interviews with the highest level of distinction in performance, journalistic rigor and editorial craft.
• Maintain a public persona to interact with audiences through non-broadcast platforms, including social media, station events and content partner events.

The Opportunity

The Host is an experienced journalist responsible for guiding listeners through a dynamic mix of interviews and compelling conversations. The Host is a talented interviewer who can serve as a steady, trusted presence for audiences across a wide range of topics including politics, immigration, health, education, business and arts and culture. Hosts may perform work on any or all platforms.

Duties & Responsibilities

(These include but are not limited to the following. The Company reserves the right to add to, delete, change, or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.)

• Host a high-profile live daily talk show.
• Create, prepare and present news reports, program segments and/or live on-air or recorded and edited interviews with the highest level of distinction in performance, journalistic rigor and editorial craft.
• Maintain a public persona to interact with audiences through non-broadcast platforms, including social media, station events and content partner events.

Minimum Skills & Qualifications

Skills and Knowledge:

• Must have significant experience hosting for radio, TV, podcasts, or comparable platforms. Ideally live (rather than recorded) and ideally in a large market.
• Experience conducting unscripted or lightly scripted interviews and discussions with skill and poise under pressure, including during live breaking news.
• Hands‑on experience working as part of a production team that collaborates to book, prep, script, edit and prepare broadcasts, podcasts or other news‑driven content.
• Ability to collaborate with teams across Chicago Public Media on broadcasts, podcasts, special programming, events, social media, pledge drives and more.
• Capacity and curiosity to stay informed on a wide range of topics across current events and culture.
• Journalism experience in a broadcast or digital newsroom environment is desired.
• Experience with digital editing and audio editing is a plus.
• Familiarity with the Chicago region is a plus.

Education (preferred but not required): Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, humanities or related field.

Compensation

The expected pay range for this position is $91,555 - $140,000 perANNUM.

Chicago Public Media provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographical location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

This position is represented by SAG-AFTRA.

The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and may change periodically to meet the needs of Chicago Public Media (CPM). The information contained in this job description is not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.

Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team.

Working at Chicago Public Media

At Chicago Public Media, we care deeply about our employees as we know attracting, developing, and growing talent is key to our success and enhancing our impact.

Our culture is one where collaboration, diversity of ideas, and innovation are encouraged. We value colleagues who will enhance our culture by bringing new ideas, divergent experiences, and talents to our dynamic workplace.

At Chicago Public Media we believe dedication to a great workplace includes supporting our employees and their families. As a result, we provide a broad and generous benefits package for employees at hire and in the years to come.

Our benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan. Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team.

The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and are not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Chicago Public Media’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.