The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a creative Audio Editor to join our award-winning team covering important regional stories across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. This editor will build on our record of telling impactful and compelling stories for broadcast and podcasts that meet the highest editorial and audio-production standards. This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about local news, cares deeply about the people and communities in the Deep South, and loves the craft of audio journalism.
Location: New Orleans, LA; Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS.
Salary Range: $65,000 – $70,000 depending on experience (APPLY HERE!)
Position open until filled, first review of applications begins December 15, 2025.
The Gulf States Newsroom is a collaboration among public radio stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, along with NPR. Founded in 2020, it has established itself as a team that illuminates issues and amplifies underrepresented voices in this story-rich part of the country.
We track shifts in the region, from the building of data centers, to the challenges independent grocers have faced the last five years, and efforts to train a new generation of musicians after Hurricane Katrina. We follow up with communities to shed light on widely relevant issues like health care access in rural communities and the cost of a lifetime spent in prison.
Our work has been recognized with a number of awards, including a National Edward R. Murrow award for Investigative Reporting in the Large Market Radio category.
We’re looking for an audio editor with excellent news judgment and strong audio production skills to help maintain our high standards of audio journalism and make our work shine. We’d like someone who can identify topics of interest to people in this region, who understands how to make a story based in one community relevant to people across the area, and who can help reporters create stories with compelling sound and characters. The work needs to resonate with audiences in our three states and may also sometimes be shared with a national audience on NPR.
In addition, the audio editor will serve as lead producer and host of Gulf States Gumbo, the weekly podcast we launched last fall that packages our stories for an on-demand audience. Duties include pitching in on local editing for WWNO and WRKF and may also include helping our partner stations when needed.
The audio editor will work closely with the Gulf States Newsroom’s managing editor and reporters as part of a collegial and collaborative team. WRKF in Baton Rouge, LA, is the employer for this position, but the editor can be based at any of our partner stations: WBHM in Birmingham, WWNO in New Orleans, WRKF in Baton Rouge, or MPB in Jackson, Mississippi.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serve as the main audio editor for feature stories, newscast spots, and other audio content.
- Lead podcast efforts, including serving as the producer and host of the Gulf States Gumbo podcast.
- Help define and maintain high standards for the audio journalism we produce.
- Collaborate with reporters and editors in the Gulf States Newsroom and its partner stations to plan coverage.
- Identify opportunities for long-term and collaborative projects.
- Help distribute content in a timely manner to the partner stations and NPR.
- Assist with audio edits for WWNO/WRKF and assist as needed for MPB and WBHM.
- Work with NPR Southern Bureau Chief and additional NPR personnel to highlight the work of the news team and promote major projects.
- Cover local, regional and national breaking news as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of journalism experience, 1 year of which would preferably include editing/producing experience.
We are dedicated to training and professional development, so if you are passionate about telling these stories, please apply – even if you don’t check all the boxes outlined here.
TO APPLY
Fill out the application form here. Be sure to attach your resume and a cover letter that explains why you are interested in this position and the Gulf States Newsroom and elaborates on why you are the right person for the role. Please also include two links to stories you edited, along with a few sentences explaining the backstory of the piece and your role.
Questions about this opportunity? Email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org
EMPLOYMENT DETAILS
The audio editor will be employed by WRKF but may be based at WBHM, MPB, WWNO or WRKF.