News Director

Missouri Broadcasters Association; Kirksville (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rincon Broadcasting Group in Kirksville, MO seeks an experienced News Director to lead Tri-State Trusted across KTVO-TV and KHQA-TV, driving urgent, local journalism with strong editorial judgment.

You will build and coach a high-performing team, shape editorial strategy, and grow audience engagement across broadcast and digital platforms in a fast-paced, community-focused environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years as a newsroom manager in broadcast and digital environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications or related field preferred; or equivalent experience.
• Proven leadership experience with strong communication, delegation and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of Tri-State Trusted’s news brand across broadcast, digital, streaming and social platforms.
• Set the editorial vision and daily coverage strategy for the newsroom with a focus on urgent, impactful local journalism.
• Grow storytelling and audience engagement across platforms including broadcast, digital, mobile, OTT/streaming and social.
• Recruit, coach, mentor and retain a strong, competitive and collaborative news and production team.
• Create and implement systems and standards for communication, content planning, storytelling, editorial decisions, workflows and production.
• Use audience data, analytics and market research to guide coverage decisions and identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor content across platforms and provide regular feedback to the team.

Skills

Editorial leadership

Budget & staffing

People management

Audience analytics

Strategic thinking

Newsroom coaching

Editorial standards

Cross-platform leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Journalism or Communications

Tools

AI-assisted tools

Technology adoption

Job description

Post Date: October 5, 2026 Closing Date: December 31, 2026

Company: Rincon Broadcast Group
Company Website
Location: Kirksville
Full Time

Details

Rincon Broadcasting Group is seeking an experienced, innovative News Director to lead our regional news operation, Tri-State Trusted, which includes both KTVO-TV, the ABC and CBS affiliate in Kirksville, MO and KHQA-TV, the ABC and CBS affiliate in Quincy, IL.
The News Director will be a strategic, future-focused leader responsible for driving Tri-State Trusted’s vision across broadcast, digital, streaming, social, and other emerging platforms. The News Director will champion Tri-State Trusted’s commitment to serving the local audiences in the Kirksville and Quincy areas by putting the community first and producing journalism that empowers the people we serve. We are looking for a competitive newsroom leader with strong editorial judgment, a passion for local journalism, and the ability to build, coach and inspire high-performing teams.
The News Director must be passionate about developing talent, maintaining and growing audience trust, creating a team culture, and building a newsroom that is urgent, accurate, ethical, creative, and deeply connected to the local community.

Skills and Experience

• Lead the execution of Tri-State Trusted’s news brand across broadcast, digital, streaming, and social platforms.
• Set the editorial vision and daily coverage strategy for the newsroom, with a focus on urgent, impactful local journalism.
• Grow storytelling and audience engagement across broadcast, digital, mobile, OTT/streaming, and social media platforms.
• Recruit, coach, mentor and retain a strong, competitive and collaborative news and production team.
• Create and execute innovative systems and strong standards for communication, content planning, storytelling, editorial decisions, workflows and production.
• Use audience data, analytics, and market research to guide coverage decisions, identify growth opportunities, and improve performance across platforms.
• Consistently monitor Tri-State Trusted content across all platforms and provide regular, constructive feedback to the team.
• Champion strong writing, compelling storytelling, live coverage, breaking news execution, severe weather coverage, and enterprise journalism.
• Maintain high editorial, ethical, and legal standards.
• Lead newsroom planning for major events, elections, breaking news, severe weather, community coverage, and special projects.
• Partner with station leadership, the marketing team, the sales team, the digital team, and the production team to support station goals.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Manage the KTVO and KHQA news/production budget, staffing and schedules, and operational priorities.
• Create and implement workflow improvements, including use of technology and AI-assisted tools where appropriate, to strengthen journalism, efficiency, community commitment, and team performance.
• Provide clear strategy, direction, goals, and timelines for Tri-State Trusted’s news operation, and build systems to ensure those goals are met.
• 4+ years as a newsroom manager in a broadcast and digital environment
• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communications or related field preferred; or equivalent experience
• Proven record of leadership
• Strong communication, delegation and problem-solving skills
• Strategic thinking
• Clear Driving Record

Additional Information

KTVO, KHQA and Rincon Broadcasting is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital, veteran, or disability status.
Rincon Broadcasting Group is an innovative media company serving our communities through breaking news, impactful investigative reporting and innovative multi-screen marketing services.