The WHUS office is in the fourth floor of the Student Union. They are currently looking for a news director. (Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus)
WHUS, the University of Connecticut’s on-campus FM radio station, is currently accepting applications for the paid position of news director for the 2018 spring semester.
According to a Daily Digest announcement from WHUS, the news director serves to “facilitate relevant stories and disburse assignments, manage the intake of news stories, work in conjunction with communications director, recruit and train new members, organize and direct the News Department meetings and report to the Executive Board.”
The current WHUS news director, Darden Livesay, a fifth-semester journalism and political science major, is studying abroad in Granada, Spain next semester and will need a replacement.
“I’ve been working hard to make sure the transition is smooth. We attacked it early,” Livesay said. “A couple weeks ago, I sat down with a couple of other board members and (we discussed) how we’re going to go about the the hiring process.”
WHUS News, according to its website, “strives to provide unbiased, well-rounded multimedia coverage of campus news, and (provide) hyper-local original reporting and full video/audio/print/photo coverage on whus.org.”
Candidates, according to Livesay, need to be able to take initiative and be open to improving their broadcast skills.
“(An ideal candidate is) somebody who is willing to step out of their comfort zone and dive into learning some new skills,” Livesay said. “You may not be great with cameras or sound editing now, but you can work on that with time. If you don’t have the discipline to do that it won’t matter. Organization and punctuality are also very important.”
WHUS’ announcement said candidates must have “strong communication and organization skills, (the) ability to juggle multiple projects, and strong analytical reading and writing skills.”
The replacement will serve as news director from Dec. 8 to April 30. Starting on Nov. 27, his successor will shadow him, gain experience and attend board meetings, Livesay said.
“When I step out on Dec. 8, that person will already come in having some experience,” Livesay said.
The deadline to apply for the position is Nov. 13. There are five people on the hiring committee. Livesay added that although many internal candidates are expected to apply, external ones will be considered too. Thus far, WHUS has received eight applicants.
Those interested in the position can apply online at https://uconn.studentemployment.ngwebsolutions.com/JobXJobDetail.aspx?JobId=8902&s=1
Luke Hajdasz is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at luke.hajdasz@uconn.edu.