Jobs at WLOY

Ever wondered what we do here? Or what the heck a Production Manager was? Well, here you go. Some short, but sweet, details on various jobs at the station. Whether you are looking to apply (current students only please!) or just learn more, here is the skinny on what we do as a team and individually. This is not the end-all list of positions but it is our general overall staffing design. Some years we have more than one in each position and some years no one… welcome to college radio 🙂

WLOY requires a basic level of experience to participate in any Board position.  This experience can include, but is not limited to, being an active DJ on the air for a minimum of 1 semester, radio-specific coursework in the Communications department, previous service in a support position to a Board member, training in the production and/or on air studios of WLOY, knowledge of various musical formats, basic computer programming operations for broadcasting, etc…  In each case, individual review may be required with both the previous position-holding student and the Operations Manager for approval of an applicant.

GENERAL MANAGER: The General Manager is the primary face of WLOY. This person must be able to deal with not only management of the staff and Board, but also with crisis decisions. They must be able to handle Father Linnane and a disgruntled listener with equal skill and decorum. This is the final decision maker for the student management team and reports directly and only to the Operations Manager. The position often entails picking up the slack of all areas of the station (either personally or via delegation) and the potential of extra hours. It requires organization and planning as well as vision and creativity to help direct the future of WLOY.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: The Program Director is responsible for the sound of WLOY, every day and night.  They must develop and maintain the DJ schedules and operate the station automation programming as well as coordinate with the Music staff to ensure the latest material is available for our program.  The PD manages a team including Music Director, Sports Director, News Director, Music Librarians, Chief Announcer and Community Programs Directors.

MUSIC DIRECTOR: The Music Director is WLOY’s liaison to all of the record labels and media providers for the station.  This position entails constant contact with outside vendors of music, bands, representatives and managers to ensure a steady flow of new material into WLOY.  The position includes a support staff that must be managed carefully, and a weekly requirement of reporting WLOY playlists in multiple genres to major media.  Co-music directors are used when possible to ensure a diversity in music selection and to expand opportunities to review new artists and local artists.

BUSINESS MANAGER: The Business Manager is responsible for bringing revenue into the station and managing inventory.  This includes the development of underwriting packages, targets and a support staff.  The station sells underwriting support time on the broadcast, Channel 111 and the website.  Underwriting is NOT advertising and has specific rules which must be followed.  The position requires good phone and presentation skills as well as the ability to manage a staff and customers.

PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR: WLOY requires constant promotion in order to maintain visibility.  This includes giveaways in dorms, on air and more.  The Promotions Director must manage a large staff and be prepared to constantly develop new approaches to grabbing the attention of the campus and community with events.  This is NOT confined to the campus and will involve dealing with media suppliers, businesses and other community organizations.  Several off campus events per semester will be involved.  It will also included communication and coordination on campus with various departments and is time critical.  The Promotions Manager co-manages a team of students including PR, Promotions, Digital Content, Graphics, etc…

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR: The Public Relations Director is the face of WLOY in the community and on campus.  The PR director will be responsible for constant communications with campus and community organizations and regional media.  A weekly news release is expected by fax and/or email.  The PR director is expected to pave the way for Business and Promotions to reach into new areas, whether the local Chamber of Commerce or a campus organization.  The person must be prepared to make public presentations, maintain excellent contact records and be able to handle emergency PR situations as they arise.  The PR Director co-manages a team of students including PR, Promotions, Digital Content, Graphics, etc…

DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT DEVELOPER: The Digital Media Content Developer is responsible for the development, maintenance and growth of WLOY’s various content sites and social media.  This includes the WLOY website, social media, and the Channel 111 visual presentation.  This may entail additional support staff and their management.  It will require weekly, if not daily, updates of the various locations in response to events and various departments.  The various Board officers will be providing specific content to the DMCDs as well for regular updates of the sites.

TECHNOLOGY MANAGER: The Technology Manager will have responsibility for the support, development and growth of the computer-based infrastructure at WLOY and its external components.  This will predominantly entail supervision of streaming systems, servers and web sites.  A strong background in servers is critical, as is a general knowledge of both Mac OSX and Windows (ideally some server experience) is necessary.  The station operates 12 Mac systems, 2 Windows PCs and 4 Mac OSX servers.  This is a critical position and will require odd hours for emergency support.

CHIEF ANNOUNCER: The Chief Announcer is the DJ trainer.  This starts with basic instruction and training in the studios, equipment and operation.  It includes a basic lesson (and test if necessary) in the FCC and WLOY regulations.  The Chief Announcer will be responsible for presenting acceptable DJs to the Board for approval and retraining others until ready.  The CA will additionally be responsible for ensuring that DJs are timely in their recording of shows and that these are ready for airing when required.  Technical skills are helpful, but not as critical as organization, management and a willingness to work well with others to make them better DJs.  Volunteer DJ staff can exceed 100 students so time management is crucial.

SPORTS DIRECTOR: The Sports Director will be the main liaison to the Loyola Athletics department and will manage staff in various areas.  The SD shall focus on three areas: Interviews, Shows, Games.  The Sports Director will be responsible for ensuring that these are weekly events, whether live or delayed and produced into small highlights shows.  This will require advance scheduling, management and coordination to ensure that WLOY sports are available live, recorded and archived.  The position may entail travel to away sporting events.  The SD will, at a minimum, produce weekly 1 hour shows on Mondays and Fridays.

PRODUCTION MANAGER: The Production Manager is responsible for making all the little things happen.  From recording and editing underwriting to generating Public Service Announcements to daily news announcements to band interviews and more.  This position will entail training on the industry standard editing software ProTools and will provide a very strong background for anyone interested in audio production.  It will, however, be very time critical and demanding of high quality results.

MUSIC LIBRARIAN: The Music Librarian is responsible for maintaining WLOY’s archive of more than 10,000 pieces of recorded material, including database development and management.  Music listening and rating will be required, as well as management of the station’s older catalog.  The Librarian(s) report to the Music Director and may be required to shift focus as needed by the MD.  A secondary project is the digitization of nearly 9,000 pieces of vinyl and their conversion to automation files.  Consistent and reliable attention to detail is a must.  A diverse knowledge of music is important, but an open mind and desire to learn more musical styles and bands is critical.

EVENTS DIRECTOR: The Events Director is responsible for scheduling, staffing and managing the many on and off campus events of WLOY. This includes weekly Thursday night campus concerts, Honfest, Hampdenfest, Mayor’s Christmas Parade and more. The ED selects and manages staff for events, organizes and delivers equipment, trains staff, and more to make certain that all WLOY events run on time and smoothly. This requires tremendous organization and time management skills.