BROADCAST JOURNALIST: ARTS & CULTURE

Post Date: November 2026

Aspen Public Radio is a 45-year-old public media organization serving the vibrant Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. We seek a sharp, curious, and team-oriented person with a passion for covering the arts. Our culture is friendly and familiar, but we are professional broadcasters with high standards.

Who We Are Looking For:

We seek an experienced broadcast journalist with a strong skill set that includes reporting, writing, producing, and anchoring. We are looking for someone who is, above all, a good reporter and a team player. We also want you to be a strong writer, have solid broadcast production skills, and be comfortable delivering live newscasts and conducting live interviews on the air. Among other duties, you will be covering a fun and interesting beat that is focused on the local arts and culture sector throughout our coverage area, including both hard and soft news related to nonprofits and arts and cultural organizations and events.

On this beat, you will cover major events throughout our coverage region, such as X Games, Aspen Gay Ski Week, Aspen IdeasFest, and the annual Food & Wine Classic; internationally renowned institutions including the Aspen Institute, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass; vibrant local arts organizations such as Carbondale Clay Center, The Performing Arts Center at Willis (TACAW), Aspen Words, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and countless other events and organizations large and small.

This broadcast journalist will join a growing team, under the direction of News Director Sage Smiley, responsible for bringing ideas forward that advance how the power of radio can be used to tell meaningful stories. You are a multitasker, able to work on in-depth stories and breaking news pieces simultaneously, and you care deeply about connecting with our unique community in a way that continually improves our public service to our community’s diverse stakeholders.

As a small station, every member of our news team is required to support evening breaking news and production duties (one day per week), weekend coverage (approx. once a month), and take substitute host shifts as needed. It is also assumed that each beat reporter will have approximately 25% of their coverage responsibilities held for general assignment.

Duties:

• Produce high-quality, accurate, and ethical reporting.
• Write and produce daily spot news and weekly features and interviews, including twice-monthly nonprofit spotlight interviews.
• Cultivate a pool of sources throughout the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.
• Produce digital content for our website and social media channels.
• Anchor morning and afternoon newscasts, as needed.
• Serve as local show producer for Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
• Participate in the production of live events.
• Maintain a local Arts & Culture event calendar in collaboration with hosts and administrative staff.
• Work with the news director and regional NPR editors to nationalize local stories.
• Participate in training and workshops to continue honing your craft and skills.
• Attend donor and station events and participate in on-air fundraising drives.

Required Qualifications:

• Solid experience in radio reporting, audio editing and production.
• Deep knowledge of the ethics and practices of journalism, including AP and NPR styles.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Strong time management skills and ability to meet deadlines on a regular basis.
• Well-practiced collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of nonprofit and arts and culture organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley.
• On-air anchoring experience (knowledge of the Morning Edition or All Things Considered clocks is also a plus)
• Understanding of the purpose and mission of public broadcasting.

To apply: 

Please send a cover letter, resume, three references, and two to three audio reporting examples to jobs@aspenpublicradio.org with “Arts and Culture Reporter” in the subject line.

Application review will begin Monday, November 23, 2026. You may address the application to News Director Sage Smiley; position open until filled. No phone calls, please.

This is a full-time salaried position reporting to the Aspen Public Radio news director, requiring

availability for day, evening, weekend, and holiday shifts. It is required that this employee be a year-round resident in the Roaring Fork Valley. Aspen Public Radio offers full-time staff benefits including 100% employer-paid health insurance, paid vacation, and a 403(b) match. Ski pass financing and rapid transit bus pass financing is available.

Salary is $65,000.

Aspen Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer.

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AUDIO AND OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
Post Date: September 2026

About the Position:

The duties of the Audio and Operations Specialist span a wide cross-section of small station life, including operations, programming, audio production, traffic, and community outreach. This position is responsible for recording and producing audio at live events, managing live broadcasts, and capturing field sounds in addition to working in the station’s studios. In addition to production duties, the Audio and Operations Specialist is one of two people responsible for managing traffic and automation logs, troubleshooting off-air problems, and providing audio technical support for staff.

About You:

We seek a sharp, hard-working, team-oriented person who enjoys working behind the scenes to keep technical infrastructure at the station running smoothly and our audio sounding great. You have a great ear for audio and are dedicated to helping others make their audio recordings and productions sound their best. You like to record, produce, and broadcast community voices and sounds. You are an excellent communicator with strong active listening skills. You enjoy collaboration and have experience working with others to support their audio recording and production. You have a high standard of service that you provide to others, and see public radio as an essential community service.

Primary Duties:

• Manage the production of audio for station promos, daily program promos, fundraising spots and testimonials, station imaging campaigns, and legal IDs
• Assist with traffic management by scheduling spots and publishing daily traffic/automation logs
• Assist with operations by managing Zetta automation system and troubleshooting automation and off-air problems
• Voice station promos, IDs, and underwriting spots
• Troubleshoot studio problems, including studio consoles, microphones, audio and automation workstations, IP codecs, and phone devices

• Field recording for special audio projects, including our Sonic ID Initiative
• Record lectures and events held around the valley by Aspen Public Radio and partner organizations, and post-produce event audio for broadcast and website

• Serve as a live sound engineer for Aspen Public Radio events as needed, including interview, panel discussion, and town hall-style events

• Coordinate and engineer live broadcasts, including sound engineering of the live feed using IP codec and support of the live hosting of these events back in the studio
• Record and produce station membership and marketing promos scripted and voiced by non-technical staff
• Other job duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements:

• Experience with audio equipment, including studio consoles, mixers, and microphones 
• Experience with audio production, preferably Adobe Audition 
• Able to work non-standard hours for live events, field recording, and to be on-call for broadcast emergencies
• Ability to stay calm, think clearly, act strategically, and prioritize tasks during live events, when on broadcast deadlines, and during off-air emergencies
• Experience supporting others in audio production or training others in audio production or other broadcast skills
• Must have adequate hearing to make audio quality determinations, adequate vision to read user-access panels on broadcast electronic components, and physical mobility and dexterity to access electronic devices and wiring in studios, server racks, and in sound booths at event sites
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or high school diploma and significant radio technical support and audio production experience

Additional Desired Skills and Attributes:

• Previous public radio experience
• Understanding of public radio programming and the sound of public radio
• Familiarity with radio automation systems and other audio/broadcast software
• Experience with live sound engineering
• Experience scripting and producing public radio station interstitial audio, including promos and imaging spots
• Knowledge of sources and best practices for legally obtaining music for public radio broadcast production
• Experience voicing scripts for audio production

How To Apply:
Please send a cover letter, resume, three references, and examples of audio you have produced to jobs@aspenpublicradio.org with “Audio and Operations Specialist” in the subject line. For the audio samples you submit, please explain in your cover letter what they are and how they illustrate your skills and experience.

Application review begins Wednesday, October 7. The position will remain open until filled. No phone calls, please. This is a full-time salaried position that reports to the Operations Manager and requires availability for day, evening, weekend, and holiday shifts.

Aspen Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer. This employee must be a year-round resident in the Roaring Fork or Colorado River Valleys within the station’s broadcast footprint. Aspen Public Radio offers full-time staff benefits, including 100% employer-paid health insurance, paid vacation, and a 403(b) match. Ski pass financing and rapid transit bus pass financing are available. Salary is $61,000-$67,000, with relocation expenses available.

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Aspen Public Radio is a vibrant community-focused radio station dedicated to providing insightful news, engaging programming, and diverse perspectives to our listeners in Aspen and the surrounding areas. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for storytelling, Aspen Public Radio serves as a trusted source of information and entertainment for our community.

When the station has openings, Aspen Public Radio posts job opportunities in a variety of publications and platforms, including but not limited to:

AIR Media
Current Magazine (Public Media Jobs)
Colorado Broadcasters Association
Greater Public
Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE)
JournalismJobs.com
LinkedIn
MediaJobBoard.com
National Educational Telecommunications Association
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Public Media Business Association
Public Media Journalists Association
Radio-Television News Directors Association
Society of Professional Journalists
The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists