Assignment Manager

40/29, the ABC affiliate in Rogers, Arkansas, is looking for an Assignment Manager to lead the assignment desk and coordinate a continuous flow of information to all platforms. You will be aggressive in breaking news and severe weather coverage. The Assignment Manager will provide direction to news staff in the formulation and implementation of story ideas, and exercise editorial control. Candidate will be able to develop, maintain and utilize outside contacts as sources and take a proactive approach to current issues in the market. You will report to the News Director.

Responsibilities

• Listen to police scanners which cover dozens of agencies throughout the market. 
• Respond aggressively to breaking news and severe weather.
• Develop stories and update them by maintaining contact with sources, including police and government agencies.
• Organizer day planner with information from press releases, emails, phone calls, viewer tips and staff story ideas. Take initiative and decide which stories would yield compelling content. 
• Plan coverage of major events including scheduling of staff.
• Assist producers, digital editors, reporters and photographers with gathering of information and content. 
• Keep track of crews in the field and maintain communication with them.
• Write news stories for newscasts and website, post to social media platforms and send push alerts.
• Must perform administrative duties including performance reviews, training and providing critical feedback.
• In-person attendance is required. 

Requirements

• Experience listening to police scanners.
• Must be able to multi-task while communicating with crews, producers and news managers. 
• Familiar with newsgathering technology and terminology.  
• Experience with digital platforms, especially social media. You will monitor multiple social media accounts to gather content and communicate with news makers.
• Advanced knowledge of digital platforms, especially social media.
• Must be highly organized, able to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Must be able to foster and maintain professional working relationships with newsmakers.
• Must be able to gather information from multiple sources and send quickly to news staff.  
• Must have a sense of urgency and be able to thrive in a high-pressure breaking news and weather environment.
• Be able to remain calm and level-headed during breaking news situations.
• Must have excellent communication skills.
• Willing to work a variety of shifts including weekends and nights.
• Related military experience will be considered.

Values in Action

At Hearst Television we tell stories every day. Stories about people of all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and identities. That's why, behind the scenes, we believe in being an organization as diverse and varied as the audience we reach, ensuring that the content we create is more compassionate, and more representative of the communities we serve.

Benefits

Hearst's benefit programs are modern, flexible and designed to focus on you. As a Hearst employee, you and your spouse or partner or dependents would have access to the following benefits.

• Medical | Dental | Vision
• 401(k) matching
• Emotional Wellness Support
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• LGBTQ+ Health Services
• Additional benefits to meet your and your family's needs