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What does a News Director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
What does a News Director do
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News director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real news director resumes:

  • Contribute freelance stories to: NPR, AP, UPI, CBS, NBC, and ABC radio networks.
  • Implement newsroom social media strategy targeting Facebook, twitter and push alerts.
  • Secure merchandise, tickets and trips for on-air giveaways
  • Provide on-line content for the station's website and Facebook page.
  • Direct various film styles from comedy and drama fiction to documen- taries.
  • Skil in following FCC guidelines and protecting station in all other legal aspects.
  • Provide on-air talent, research and program content for FM broadcast and Internet streaming shows.
  • Hire to create a start-up news department at this ABC affiliate in a competitive news market.
  • Anchor morning drive through noon, and write news scripts for afternoon, field reporter as needed.
  • Built/Maintain relationships with record representatives in order to receive product for use on-air as well as giveaways.
  • Ensure compliance with copywriting and licensing regulations.
  • Operate the video teleconferencing equipment for video conferences.
  • Coordinate technical information with sites participating in the broadcast and video conferences.
  • Interview and produce special documentaries with respect to significant social issues.
  • Develop and disseminate playlists for all air personalities.

News director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 14% of News Directors are proficient in News Content, News Coverage, and Facebook. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Good judgment, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of News Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • News Content, 14%

    Directed all aspects of newsroom operations: staff of 31, $1.1M budget, news content, special projects.

  • News Coverage, 10%

    Centered news coverage on positive stories coming out of the community while finding investigative opportunities to improve our viewers' lives.

  • Facebook, 6%

    Created and launched GTN Viewer Voice segment allowing Facebook traffic the opportunity to voice their opinion as well as viewer call-ins.

  • Twitter, 6%

    Managed stationwebsite and Twitter account.

  • Television Station, 5%

    Developed news programming for a small independent television station in southern Virginia.

  • News Operation, 4%

    Directed a two-person news operation.

Common skills that a news director uses to do their job include "news content," "news coverage," and "facebook." You can find details on the most important news director responsibilities below.

Creativity. For certain news director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "creativity." The day-to-day duties of a news director rely on this skill, as "because a script may be interpreted in different ways, directors must decide on their approach and on how to represent the script’s ideas for the production." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what news directors do: "fostered superior audience involvement through creative strategic community alliances and targeted local breaking news coverage. "

Leadership skills. Another common skill required for news director responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of news directors all the time, as "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner." An excerpt from a real news director resume shows how this skill is central to what a news director does: "provided news leadership, coordinating up to 10 newscasts a day for broadcast on npr affiliate and college radio station. "

All news director skills

The three companies that hire the most news directors are:

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Compare different news directors

News director vs. Senior program associate

A senior program associate performs a variety of tasks for an organization, including conducting clinical documentation audits, overseeing and approving all treatment and discharge plans, and implementing process improvements. As a senior program associate, you will be responsible for assisting units in developing proposals and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders in producing materials such as reports and brochures. In addition, you will also be responsible for preparing and submitting reports on time and working closely with the finance department in developing needed financials.

If we compare the average news director annual salary with that of a senior program associate, we find that senior program associates typically earn a $1,344 lower salary than news directors make annually.Even though news directors and senior program associates are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require facebook, twitter, and community events in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a news director are more likely to require skills like "news content," "news coverage," "television station," and "news operation." On the other hand, a job as a senior program associate requires skills like "phone calls," "program management," "powerpoint," and "data collection." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, senior program associates reach higher levels of education than news directors. Senior program associates are 12.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

News director vs. Senior program officer

Senior program officers are professionals who are responsible for supervising program development while working with grant recipients to ensure effective use of the organization's resources. These officers must coordinate with the grants administrator or office manager about initial screening and prioritizing of new proposals. They must represent the organization at conferences and community meetings to develop and maintain relationships with existing and prospective partners and stakeholders. Senior program officers must also provide training and coaching that supports the professional development of program associates.

Senior program officer positions earn higher pay than news director roles. They earn a $42,935 higher salary than news directors per year.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that news director responsibilities requires skills like "news content," "news coverage," "facebook," and "twitter." But a senior program officer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "data analysis," "global health," "hr," and "technical assistance."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior program officers tend to reach higher levels of education than news directors. In fact, they're 27.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

News director vs. Program supervisor

A program supervisor is an individual who coordinates and monitors the scheduling and technical performance of company programs. Program supervisors aid in negotiating contracts and are responsible for any contractual changes. They recommend changes to the plans to improve process efficiency and develop solutions to any program problems. Program supervisors work under a manager's supervision and the role requires a bachelor's degree with relevant job experience. They are also independent at the same time and can collaborate with other staff members.

An average program supervisor eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of news directors. The difference in salaries amounts to program supervisors earning a $12,074 lower average salary than news directors.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, news directors are more likely to have skills like "news content," "news coverage," "facebook," and "twitter." But a program supervisor is more likely to have skills like "autism," "social work," "developmental disabilities," and "mental health."

Most program supervisors achieve a higher degree level compared to news directors. For example, they're 16.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

News director vs. Director of after school program

A director of after school programs oversees and directs childcare centers in communities. They take the lead in setting goals and guidelines, conducting research and analyses to identify the students' interests and needs, developing programs that provide recreational activities and academic support, supervising the recruitment and training of employees, and monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, a director of after school programs empowers staff to reach program goals and implements policies and standards to provide a safe and healthy environment for the students.

Directors of after school program average a lower salary than the annual salary of news directors. The difference is about $7,886 per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between news directors and directors of after school program, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a news director might have more use for skills like "news content," "news coverage," "facebook," and "twitter." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors of after school program require skills like "social work," "youth development," "child care," and "doh. "

The average resume of directors of after school program showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to news directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 13.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.

Types of news director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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