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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BROADCAST JOURNALIST: CLIMATE DESK
Post Date: July 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 climate and environmental issues. Our culture is friendly and familiar, but we are professional broadcasters with high standards.
Who We Are Looking For:
We are seeking to hire an experienced broadcast journalist with a strong skill set that includes reporting, writing, producing, and hosting. 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 critical beat that is focused on local climate and environmental issues throughout our coverage area as the Climate Desk reporter at Aspen Public Radio.
On this beat, you will focus on topics such as human impacts on climate change and ecosystems, environmental policies at the local, state, and regional level, renewable energy, the local oil and gas industry, food systems, agriculture, and the effects of pollution on local water resources, including impacts to the Colorado River Basin. Aspen Public Radio also values solution-based journalism and will expect this reporter to investigate solutions and innovations to mitigate climate change, while questioning local industries and their environmental impact.
This broadcast journalist will join a growing team, under the direction of News Director Halle Zander, to advance meaningful stories on air and online. You are a multitasker, able to work on in-depth stories and daily pieces simultaneously, and you care deeply about connecting with our unique community in ways that improve the public service we provide to our community’s diverse stakeholders.
As a small station, every member of our news team is required to support evening production duties (one day per week), weekend coverage (approx. once a month), take substitute host shifts as needed, and participate in breaking news coverage. 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 spot news, features, and interviews
- Cultivate a pool of sources throughout the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys
- Produce digital content for our website and social media channels
- Serve as a substitute host on Morning Edition and All Things Considered as needed
- Serve as the Morning Edition producer on duty one night per week
- Participate in the production of live events
- Maintain and cultivate relationships with people and organizations pertaining to your beat
- 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, and on-air anchoring
- 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:
- Prior climate reporting experience
- Environmental Studies
- Understanding of the purpose and mission of public broadcasting
To apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, three (3) references, and three (3) audio reporting examples to jobs@aspenpublicradio.org with “Climate Desk Reporter” in the subject line.
Application review will begin July 22, 2026. Position open until filled; you may address the application to News Director Halle Zander. 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, with relocation expenses available.
Aspen Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer.
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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