DIRECTOR OF LIVE LISTENING, WBUR Program

Position Overview: The Director of Live Listening plays a pivotalleadership role responsible for expanding audiences and revenue throughWBUR?s live listening experiences. With an audience-first approach, theDirector leads strategic initiatives aligned with WBUR?s priorities ofeditorial excellence, engagement growth, and fiscal sustainability.Working closely with senior leadership?including the Chief ContentOfficer, Executive Editor for News, Managing Producer for Local News,and Executive Producers?the role supports WBUR?s stature as Boston?spremier news source by elevating local and national journalism andexpanding national program carriage. Key Responsibilities: Programmingand Format Strategy ? Manage and optimize the formatics of WBUR?s liveand recorded breaks to maximize live news airtime and deliver acompelling daily radio experience. ? Analyze story lengths, promotions,audience engagement tactics and break structures to enhance programming.? Lead regular cross-departmental coordination meetings to ensureprogramming and audience messaging are managed with consistency andcollaboration. ? Drive operational improvements by updating stationprocedures in partnership with Programming, News, Traffic, Engineeringand related teams. Audience Growth and Data Analysis ? Design andimplement experiments to boost audience discovery, engagement andretention. ? Leverage listening data and audience research, includingsurveys to refine strategies for linear and emerging platforms such asWBUR?s mobile app. ? Analyze market trends and audience metrics toprovide actionable insights guiding scheduling and programmingdecisions. Presentation and Branding ? Develop a comprehensive ?Sound +Style? guide to define WBUR?s local identity, aesthetic, and on-airpersonality. ? Promote a modern, conversational writing style for alllive-read copy to strengthen listener connection. ? Collaborate withMembership and Development teams to optimize news-driven messaging andbreaks during fundraising, balancing audience experience and revenueefforts. Cross-Platform Coordination ? Partner with teams across programproduction, podcasting, digital, live events and video to align audiencegrowth strategies across WBUR?s platform channels. ? Recommend newworkflows that showcase WBUR?s enterprise journalism and signaturecontent. ? Guide audience journeys to live listening experiences tomaximize overall engagement, impact and connection. Leadership andPartnership Development ? Serve as a strategic thought partner tostation leadership, driving innovation and audience growth. ? Overseesyndication efforts and manage the Syndication team to grow nationalprogram carriage and station relations. ? Represent WBUR in programmingpartnerships by cultivating relationships with distribution partners andindustry networks. ? Identify and pursue new opportunities to expandWBUR?s presence and influence. Additional Responsibilities: ? Ensureprogramming aligns with WBUR?s mission, audience needs and public radiostandards. ? Coordinate with editorial, marketing, membership, productand engineering teams to support programming goals. ? Manage budgetsrelated to programming, content acquisition, and other operationalcosts. ? Ensure compliance with FCC guidelines and reportingrequirements. ? Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion withinprogramming and community initiatives. ? Lead innovation initiatives,adapting programming to evolving platforms and audience trends. ?Represent WBUR at industry events and public forums. ? Mentor on-airtalent and production staff through regular aircheck and feedbacksessions. ? Oversee program scheduling, including local, syndicated andspecial coverage. ? Evaluate and improve te

Created: 2026-03-07