Regional News Director, KMGH, KOAA, KKTV, KKCO & KJCT

Job description

Regional News Director, KMGH, KOAA, KKTV, KKCO & KJCT Are you a transformational news leader ready to shape the future of local journalism across Colorado? The E.W. Scripps Company is seeking a Regional News Director to lead one of the most important news regions in our company. Based in Denver at KMGH, our ABC affiliate serving Colorado's largest market, this leader will serve as News Director for KMGH while providing strategic leadership and oversight across KOAA (Colorado Springs/Pueblo), KKTV (Colorado Springs), KKCO (Grand Junction), and KJCT (Grand Junction). This is a unique opportunity for an accomplished newsroom executive to influence journalism, content strategy, audience growth, and newsroom performance across multiple markets while leading a high-performing newsroom in Denver. We are looking for a collaborative, innovative leader who understands how to build strong newsroom cultures, elevate storytelling, develop talent, and leverage the collective strength of multiple stations to better serve audiences across Colorado. The ideal candidate combines a passion for exceptional local journalism with the strategic vision, leadership skills, and business acumen necessary to guide news operations in a rapidly evolving media landscape. WHAT YOU'LL DO Create and implement strategic plans for audience growth, journalism excellence, and newsroom operations at KMGH. Communicate a compelling and inspiring vision for the newsroom that aligns with company strategy and content priorities. Develop and execute measurable strategies to grow audiences across broadcast, streaming, digital, and social platforms. Analyze and respond to trends affecting the industry, audience behaviors, competitive landscape, and local news environment. Oversee newsroom staffing and personnel decisions. Develop and manage the annual newsroom budget in accordance with station and company guidelines. Build and maintain key community relationships that strengthen KMGH's reputation and impact. Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, journalistic standards, and company policies. Collaborate with station leadership to achieve overall station and organizational goals. Lead and develop newsroom leaders and staff through coaching, feedback, accountability, and performance management. Partner with station, regional, and corporate leadership to strengthen newsroom performance and align journalistic priorities across KMGH, KOAA, KKTV, KKCO, and KJCT. Identify and lead regional coverage opportunities that leverage the collective strengths, talent, expertise, and resources of Colorado stations. Establish clear performance expectations for market News Directors and provide coaching, mentorship, feedback, and accountability through a dotted-line leadership structure. Evaluate content and journalism across assigned stations to ensure alignment with enterprise content strategy, audience priorities, journalistic standards, and company objectives. Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across markets to promote best practices and innovation. Partner with station and regional leaders to support workforce planning, resource allocation, and organizational effectiveness across the region. Identify opportunities for shared coverage, breaking news collaboration, investigative initiatives, enterprise reporting, and special projects. Use audience, performance, and operational data to identify opportunities, address challenges, and improve results across markets. Support organizational change and the adoption of emerging technologies, workflows, and content strategies that strengthen local journalism. Perform other duties as assigned. WHAT YOU'LL NEED Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, or a related field preferred. 10+ years of progressive news management experience, preferably including leadership of large newsroom operations preferred. Experience leading multiple teams, markets, stations, or geographically dispersed organizations preferred. Demonstrated success driving audience growth and newsroom performance across multiple platforms. Proven experience leading change, developing talent, and building strong newsroom cultures. WHAT YOU'LL BRING A deep commitment to quality local journalism, ethical decision-making, and serving local communities. Demonstrated success developing and executing content strategies that drive audience growth and engagement. Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate enterprise goals into actionable newsroom plans. Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of empowering teams, establishing accountability, and producing results. Ability to influence and collaborate across organizational boundaries and multiple markets. Strong understanding of audience analytics, content performance metrics, and data-driven decision making. Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Knowledge of newsroom technology, digital publishing platforms, streaming products, and emerging media trends. Ability to adapt resources, workflows, and talent strategies to meet changing audience expectations and business needs. Strong understanding of journalistic ethics, editorial judgment, and applicable laws affecting news operations. LOCATION This position is based in Denver, Colorado, at KMGH-TV. The successful candidate will serve as News Director for KMGH while providing regional leadership for KOAA, KKTV, KKCO, and KJCT. Regular travel throughout Colorado will be expected to support station partnerships, coaching, collaboration, and regional initiatives. WHERE YOU'LL LIVE, WORK AND PLAY Denver offers an unbeatable combination of professional opportunity, cultural vibrancy, and outdoor adventure. With more than 300 days of sunshine each year, residents enjoy easy access to the Rocky Mountains, world-class skiing, hiking, biking, and countless outdoor activities. As Colorado's largest city, Denver features a thriving downtown, outstanding restaurants, professional sports teams, a vibrant arts and entertainment scene, and a strong economy. From Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Denver Art Museum to weekend adventures in Vail, Aspen, or Breckenridge, Denver provides an exceptional quality of life and is consistently recognized as one of the nation's best places to live and work. #LI-SM2 #LI-Onsite COMPENSATION RANGE: Annual Salary: $220,000.00 - $240,000.00 Pursuant to state and local salary transparency laws, the salary range posted is specific to candidates who will perform this work in Colorado. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: A career path to grow your professional experiences Full medical, dental and vision benefits, as well as certain other health and wellness benefits Retirement savings plan with company match Other key company benefits include disability accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, life insurance, AD&D, ID protection, pet discount program, and employee assistance program. More details about timing and conditions of benefits eligibility and other plan terms and conditions will be provided upon hire. If you are a current Scripps employee, please do not apply on this site. Please access our internal career site at Worklife > My Info > View Open Positions at Scripps. SCRIPPS’ COMMITMENT TO A CULTURE THAT CREATES CONNECTION: At Scripps, we are committed to a culture that reflects the audiences and communities we serve. We are intentional about creating an environment where employees, our audiences and other stakeholders feel valued and inspired to reach their full potential and create connections. To successfully deliver on this commitment, we must understand and reflect the values and perspectives those around us embody. That process begins by looking inward to build and celebrate a respectful workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging and connection. By continuing to cultivate an environment where all employees have a fair chance to succeed, are included, valued, and seen, we will strengthen the connections that drive positive business impact and align with our core purpose. ABOUT SCRIPPS: The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of more than 60 stations in 40+ markets. Scripps reaches households across the U.S. with national news outlet Scripps News and popular entertainment brands ION, ION Plus, ION Mystery, Bounce, Grit and Laff. Scripps is the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach of up to 100% of TV households. Founded in 1878, Scripps is the steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and its longtime motto is: “Give light and the people will find their own way.” As an equal employment opportunity employer, The E.W. Scripps Company and its affiliates do not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, color, religion, age, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, citizenship or national origin, and military membership or veteran status, or on any other basis which would be in violation of any applicable federal, state or local law. Furthermore, the company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship for the company.