WYSU-FM, a premier public radio station and vital community institution, seeks a visionary, strategic, and innovative leader. This pivotal role champions the station's operational excellence, financial sustainability, and regional impact. Oversees all facets of station operations, including programming, engineering, underwriting, fundraising, marketing, and compliance, while fostering a collaborative environment for professional staff and student broadcasters. Balances a rich tradition of National Public Radio (NPR) news and classical music with emerging digital media landscapes, serves as the primary face and voice of WYSU-FM within the university, across the community, and on the national public broadcasting stage.
Oversees operations as applicable to the assigned area, including supervision of staff and implementation and administration of all programs and/or services. Plans, develops, and implements organizational initiatives with significant operational scope and complexity. Works under general direction and develops guidelines and processes in accordance with policies and procedures for lower-level employees. Interprets and develops regulations, policies, etc. for the guidance of other employees or the public. Supervision from above the director-level may be received in the form of memos, staff conferences, or other periodic communications.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and Community Engagement
Primary Liaison: Serves as the principal representative to the public, university administration, licensee Board of Trustees, WYSU Advisory Board, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and other community and national media organizations.
Donor and Foundation Cultivation: Collaborates dynamically with University Relations and the YSU Foundation on major donor stewardship, planned giving, and endowment growth.
Station Advocacy: Represents the station within national and state broadcasting entities to maintain WYSU’s prominent standing in the public media ecosystem.
Financial and Revenue Development
Comprehensive Resource Management: Develops and administers an annual budget composed of multiple funding streams, including university allocations, federal/state grants, and listener contributions.
Fundraising Strategy: Directs public radio fundraising strategies (direct mail, digital campaigns, major gifts) and takes an active leadership role in on-air pledge drives.
Underwriting Expansion: Partners with underwriting personnel to cultivate, secure, and maintain corporate sponsorships and foundational support.
Grant Management: Seeks out, drafts, and secures federal, state, and local grant applications, ensuring rigorous compliance with all funding requirements.
Content, Programming and Innovation
Content Strategy: Drives programming development based on continuous analysis of audience demographics, media consumption habits, and cultural trends.
Audience Growth: Collaborates with marketing personnel to design and execute promotional strategies that expand listening audiences across broadcast and digital platforms.
Media Evolution: Monitors industry trends, emerging technologies, and the competitive audio landscape to guide technical transitions and service development (e.g., podcasting, HD radio, digital streaming).
Operational and Personnel Excellence
Team Leadership: Supervises, mentors, and evaluates professional station staff; fosters professional development, manages workflows, establishes strategic timelines, and resolves personnel grievances.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensures absolute compliance with all government and licensee regulations, including maintaining FCC-mandated public inspection files, broadcasting regulations, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules.
Strategic Planning: Utilizes industry data, audience metrics, and financial reporting to author regular strategic plans, board reports, and operational updates.
Creative and Collaborative Functions
On-Air Presence: Connects directly with the audience by hosting classical music programming or acting as a local host for network news programs as operational needs or special programming dictate.
Mentorship: Assists in cultivating the next generation of media professionals by supporting student training and integrations with university academic programs.
Other Functions and Responsibilities: Assists with training new hires.
Performs other duties as assigned and/or required that are within the level of responsibility for this classification at the discretion of the supervisor.
Equipment Operated: Computer and all other standard office equipment.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday. Due to the nature of public media leadership and community engagement, occasional evening and weekend hours are required for donor events, pledge drives, and station representations.
Primary Location: Youngstown
Supervision Exercised: Supervision is exercised over staff and student employees.
Reports to: Associate Vice President, University Relations
Required Certifications, Training, and/or Licensures: None
Sponsorship and/or Work Authorization Status: This position is not eligible for sponsorship.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of: FCC broadcasting rules, public file maintenance, and federal EEO compliance; public radio fundraising principles, corporate underwriting, and audience engagement strategies; strategic planning process; policy administration; process improvement; supervisory techniques; university policies and procedures*; office practices and procedures; department/division goals and objectives*; department/division policies and procedures*; workplace safety practices and procedures*; English grammar and spelling; records management; office management; project management.
Skill in: use of modern studio engineering concepts, digital audio distribution, streaming platforms, and broadcast automation systems; written, oral, and interpersonal communication; use of office equipment; typing, data entry; computer operation; use of computer software and other applicable programs*.
Ability to: learn and navigate university policies, procedures, and workplace safety guidelines*; build consensus among diverse stakeholders, from university executives to community listeners; manage complex, multi-source budgets and execute long-term strategic plans; deal with problems involving several variables within familiar context; compile and prepare reports; use proper research methods to gather data; understand a variety of written and/or verbal communications; prepare accurate documentation; maintain records according to established procedures; train or instruct others; move quickly and effectively from one task to another; work independently and in a team environment; develop and maintain effective working relationships.
(*) Developed after employment.
Minimum Qualifications: At least a bachelor's degree in communication, media, journalism, business administration, or other related field and two years professional experience in broadcasting, media, communications, or another related industry OR an associate’s degree and four years of professional experience in broadcasting, media, communications, or another related industry OR at least six years professional experience in broadcasting, media, communications, or another related industry.
Preferred Qualifications: A master’s degree in a relevant field. Demonstrated management or leadership experience in a media, communications, or another related organizational setting. Direct experience in public broadcasting operations, CPB guidelines, and/or public media fundraising structures. A demonstrated appreciation for, or knowledge of, all music genres and public affairs programming. Documented experience administering and adhering to FCC regulations in a professional setting.
Physical Requirements: In accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor physical demands strength ratings, this position will perform sedentary work.
Sedentary: work involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs may be defined as Sedentary when walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other Sedentary criteria aremet.
