Make our daily show a must-listen.

WPLN’s daily show, This Is Nashville, serves the Middle Tennessee region with insightful and engaging conversations on a wide range of topics, plus in-depth original reporting and the latest on the day's top news. As the senior producer, you'll be responsible for building relationships with key sources to support our multimedia producers in finding the perfect guests for the week’s shows.

This is not your typical talk show. We strive to hear the voices of all Middle Tennesseans, not just the talking heads spouting opinions or dull experts speaking in dulcet tones. People who didn't already listen to NPR have come to love This Is Nashville and the ways the show advances the conversations and debates happening in neighborhoods, homes and workplaces through authenticity, levity and most importantly, creativity.

This position leads the production team with a staff of three multimedia producers, a technical director and contract contributors. The Senior Producer will work side by side with the host of This Is Nashville, Khalil Ekulona, in shaping and executing the vision and future of the program and will report to Nashville Public Radio’s COO. You'll also have access to the talent and creativity of our music discovery station, WNXP, and you can expand on the newsroom's community engagement partnerships, including a regular collaboration with Nashville Noticias. Knowledge of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is a plus, but not a requirement.

This is an ideal job for someone with a reporting or show-producing background, and/or possesses a knack for creating innovative ideas that are so outside of the box, the box doesn’t exist. Are you someone who can do the following?

• Creatively determine who are the best people in the moment to answer the pressing questions
• Build relationships with people in all communities, especially minority communities and others typically underrepresented in public media (e.g. rural communities)
• Assess source diversity of show guests and help maintain a guest list that reflects all Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans
• Plan long-term with an upcoming events calendar and prepare shows on these timely topics
• Be bold, professional and confident with all manner of guests and smoothly handle all logistical details

What would you be doing?

Here are the job responsibilities for the senior producer of This Is Nashville:

• Work 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with nights and weekends as necessary.
• Produce at least 1 live show per week
• Produce sound-rich features and scenes
• Work with host to coordinate with and manage freelancers and interns
• When producing an episode, identify, book and ensure that the guest(s) is prepared technically to be interviewed — either live or recorded
• Prepare the host and others for the show with background, research and context.
• Edit the host’s script to time and on deadline for air, as needed
• Prepare the audio or outtakes for any on-demand audio or web use
• Adapt segments and features for use across digital platforms: In addition to the radio show, your work will live on our website and on social media.
• Help develop a production schedule for special projects and recurring segments
• Spend time reporting out in the field, building and maintaining new source relationships with underrepresented communities
• Help foster a positive workplace culture, in the building and out

What is This Is Nashville?

This Is Nashville is the flagship daily show from WPLN News and Nashville Public Radio. Since our launch in March 2022, we have interviewed hundreds of people on wide-ranging topics, from Nashville nightlife to domestic violence. Our show is a journey into the identity of Nashville, and a lot of our work dives into our history and its significance to the city we know today.

We’ve taken listeners out into the field with us on a quest to find the purple martins, a night out at one of few remaining lesbian bars in the country, a celebration in Promise Land, Tennessee, and a hike to find a rare and extremely valuable ‘miracle plant.’

WPLN News is the newsroom of Nashville Public Radio, a community-licensed, nonprofit news outlet that strives to cover our region with context, courage and respect. Within the newsroom, our collaborative and diverse team works together to help every journalist realize their potential on the job, while also giving them space to live a full life outside of it. We strive to perform at the highest level: In recent years, our newsroom has received a Peabody, a National Murrow Award and a Pulitzer finalist nod, as well as the Daniel Schorr Prize for the best public media journalist under 35.

Physical Demands

The employee in this position is frequently standing, walking, or sitting; using hands to finger, handle, or feel; reaching with hands and arms, and talking or hearing.

Lifts Weight or Exerts Force Work Environment

The employee in this position may regularly lift up to 20 pounds.

Vision

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Salary Information

$72,000

About Nashville Public Radio

Nashville Public Radio serves Middle Tennessee by providing trusted in-depth news, engaging music, and unique cultural programs on 90.3 FM WPLN News, WNXP, Nashville Classical Radio, and our various digital platforms. For more than 60 years, listeners have turned to this community supported service for programming that inspires conversation and curiosity, educates, and entertains. Our values are:

• To operate the station at the highest level of professional standards and integrity.
• To be responsive to our listeners, members, supporters, and public.
• To exhibit mutual respect for our peers and audience.
• To value the member and community support that our station receives.
• To work together in an environment that encourages participation and sharing of the decisions that affect the station and our listeners.

Nashville Public Radio is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our hiring. Nashville Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

Nashville Public Radio offers a generous benefit package including medical, vision, dental, and a robust Employee Assistance Program inclusive of six free sessions of counseling each year and basic legal assistance. Long-term disability and life insurance are provided at no cost to employees. We also have up to 40 days of paid parental or medical leave, inclusive for adoptive and/or foster parents.

In addition to these benefits, employees receive vacation and sick leave, access to a 401(k) plan with employer matching, and 13 paid holidays, 2 of which are floating to employee preference.

The job profile is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, and/or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice