Sports Director

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. helps people thrive in their local communities by providing the trusted local news and services that matter most. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA reaches more than 100 million people monthly across the web, mobile apps, streaming, and linear television. Together, we are building a sustainable future for local news.

KFSM-TV, a TEGNA CBS affiliate in Fayetteville, AR, is searching for a creative, enterprising Sports Director to lead the station's sports product across every platform. Arkansas is Razorback country, and SEC sports drive the conversation here, but Friday nights matter just as much. High school sports are a major emphasis for 5NEWS, and the right person will treat a Friday night in Greenwood with the same care as a Saturday in Fayetteville. This is a job for a storyteller who breaks news rather than recaps it, and who understands that today's sports audience finds you on their phone first. You will set the editorial vision for our sports coverage, host a daily streaming show, and build a following that travels with you wherever the story is.

Current driver's license and ability to operate a news-gathering vehicle to and from various locations is required.

Responsibilities:
•    Set the editorial direction for the station's sports coverage across broadcast, streaming, digital and social.
•    Host and help produce a daily streaming sports show.
•    Cover the Arkansas Razorbacks, including games, practices, news conferences, recruiting and the stories behind the program.
•    Lead year-round high school sports coverage.
•    Break news through cultivated sources, social listening and independent enterprise reporting.
•    Develop story ideas and shoot, write, edit and voice your own content.
•    Create mobile-first and vertical video built for the platform it lives on.
•    Write and post daily to the website, the app and all social platforms.
•    Build and maintain an active, credible personal social media presence that reflects the 5NEWS brand.
•    Work with news managers and producers to integrate sports into daily newscasts and coordinate highlight coverage on busy game nights.
•    Represent the station in the community and maintain strong relationships with coaches, athletic directors and sports information staff.
•    Perform other duties as assigned by the News Director.

Requirements:
•    Minimum 1-3 years of sports reporting and anchoring experience.
•    Journalism or Communications degree preferred.
•    Strong on-camera presence and the ability to write in an exciting, authentic and accurate voice.
•    Proficiency shooting and editing with current field and nonlinear editing tools.
•    Demonstrated social media following and a portfolio of original mobile and vertical content.
•    Proven ability to develop sources and break stories.
•    Exceptional organization and the ability to manage overlapping seasons, a daily show and breaking news at the same time.
•    Sound editorial judgment and a firm grasp of the tenets of professional journalism.
•    Willingness to work nights, weekends and holidays, with a schedule that follows the sports calendar.
•    Ability to lift and carry field equipment.

Benefits: 

TEGNA offers comprehensive benefits designed to safeguard the physical, mental and financial health of our employees and their families. TEGNA offers two medical plan options for full and part-time employees through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, as well as access to dental and eye care coverage; fertility, surrogacy and adoption assistance; disability and life insurance.

Our 401(k) program offers full, part-time and temporary employees the opportunity to contribute 1% - 80% of their pay on a pre-tax basis to TEGNA’s 401(k). Contributions made up to the first 4% of pay are eligible for a 100% match from the company and are 100% vested from day one.

Regardless of participation in TEGNA medical plans, ALL employees and their eligible family members receive nine free virtual doctor’s appointments with a physician through Teladoc, and 12 free annual therapy sessions with a licensed clinician through Spring Health.

TEGNA offers a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit as well as nine paid holidays per year. 

* Some jobs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and thus some or all of the benefits described herein may not apply. For example, some newsroom bargaining unit employees receive health and retirement benefits under plans administered by the union.

EEO statement:

TEGNA Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. We value and consider applications from all qualified candidates without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, disability, medical condition, enrollment in college or vocational school, political affiliation, military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. TEGNA will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law. If you are in need of an accommodation in order to submit your application, please email [email protected] 

Recruiting Fraud Alert:

To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are important to us. Only TEGNA Recruiters or Hiring Managers will reach out to you regarding consideration of your application or background.  Communications with TEGNA employees will either come from a TEGNA email address with a domain of tegna.com or one of our affiliate station domains.  

Recruiters or Hiring Managers will never request payments, ask for financial account information or sensitive information such as social security numbers.