News Director

Wtvo-Tv/WQRF-Tv; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) with match

Life Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Job summary

Wtvo-Tv/WQRF-Tv in Rockford, IL seeks a News Director to lead the News Department across broadcast, digital, and streaming platforms. You will set direction for daily coverage, manage staff, and drive a digital-first strategy to grow audiences.

The role requires 5+ years in news production with leadership experience, strong budgeting, and excellent communication. This on-site position offers a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Fluency in English.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Minimum five years in news programming production, with at least two in leadership.
• Experience guiding and motivating subordinates and setting performance standards.
• Ability to set long-range objectives and implement strategies.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop others.
• Experience preparing and maintaining departmental budgets.
• Proficiency with computers and standard office equipment.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize tasks and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Strong listening and team collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the News Department across broadcast, digital, social, website, and streaming platforms.
• Provide strategic direction for daily news coverage and major events.
• Drive a digital-first content strategy and audience growth.
• Review and critique content to improve quality and storytelling.
• Plan staffing, training, and performance evaluations; oversee hiring decisions.
• Collaborate with station leadership to achieve company goals and initiatives.
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality content across all channels.

Skills

Leadership

English Fluency

Budgeting

Deadline Management

Communication

Coaching/Mentoring

Multitasking

Team Collaboration

Education

Broadcast Journalism degree or related field

Tools

Office Equipment

Job description

Rockford, Illinois

Looking for a place where you can build a successful career and enjoy an active lifestyle? Rockford offers the perfect blend of opportunity, affordability, and adventure.

Located just 90 minutes from Chicago and within easy reach of Milwaukee and Madison, Rockford combines the energy of a growing city with the comfort of a welcoming community. Set along the scenic Rock River and surrounded by beautiful parks, forests, and outdoor recreation, the region offers endless opportunities to explore.

Whether you're hiking and biking miles of scenic trails, kayaking along the river, visiting world class gardens and museums, enjoying live entertainment, or discovering local restaurants and breweries, there's always something new to experience. Rockford delivers the amenities of a larger metro area while maintaining a lower cost of living and an exceptional quality of life.

The Rockford Region is a community on the rise, offering room to grow professionally while enjoying more time for what matters most. It is a place where careers thrive, families put down roots, and adventure is never far away.

Come see why more people are choosing to call Rockford home. Your next opportunity starts here.

It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they are doing! Our brand is Your Home Team. And we live it every day with the most tenured news team, Eyewitness News!

We offer more news and locally produced programming than any other station in the market as well as unmatched digital delivery on https://www.mystateline.com/.

The News Director leads and supervises all aspects of news, digital, weather, and sports content across all platforms.

• Leads, motivates, and develops the News Department, including content creation for broadcast, digital, social media, website, and streaming platforms.
• Provides strategic direction for daily news coverage, breaking news, investigative reporting, special projects, and major event coverage across all distribution channels.
• Drives a digital first content strategy with a strong focus on audience growth, engagement, and streaming.
• Demonstrates a proven track record of successful digital execution and innovation.
• Plans and manages departmental staffing, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.
• Makes decisions regarding hiring, employee development, promotion, and termination.
• Reviews and critiques newscasts and digital content daily to improve quality, storytelling, and overall presentation.
• Assigns projects and ensures deadlines and strategic objectives are met.
• Develops and executes strategies to achieve audience growth and ratings goals.
• Evaluates operational and technology needs to ensure the production of high quality content.
• Collaborates with station leadership to establish and achieve company goals and initiatives.
• Performs 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.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Minimum five years’ experience in news programming production, with at least two 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.
• Proficiency with computers, telephones, copiers, scanners, fax machines and other office equipment.
• 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.

COMPENSATION RANGE - $85K - $95K annualized

Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes, but not limited to, medical (with multiple plan options), dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, a 401(k) with company matching contributions, life insurance, Paid Parental Leave and more.

Interested candidates should apply on our website: mystateline.com/About Us/Work for Us

Nexstar Broadcasting is an equal opportunity employer

#IL-Onsite