Rural Communities Reporter

Employer Wisconsin Public Radio
Location Wausau, WI
Type Full time
Contact information Mariah Stuckey, mariah.stuckey@wisc.edu, (608) 890-2272
Apply by January 20, 2026
More details https://jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/rural-communities-reporter-wausau-wisconsin-united-states
Posted on January 6, 2026

Description

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is seeking an ambitious reporter to tell stories of the state’s rural communities for a cross-platform collaboration with PBS Wisconsin. This position is based in Wausau, and will be focused on bridging information gaps and amplifying rural perspectives. That can mean everything from investigating gaps in access to health care and tracking the consequences of population decline to profiling innovative businesses and community-led solutions to rural challenges. This reporter will cover daily news including breaking regional news of statewide interest, and will also report in-depth features for radio and digital audiences. A gifted collaborator, this reporter will work together with a team that includes reporters and editors from both WPR and PBS Wisconsin. In addition to radio and text stories, this reporter will work with digital teams to create short-form vertical videos and other digitally tailored content for newsletters and social media channels.

WPR’s on-air and online services each reach nearly half a million people every month. This reporter will serve those audiences with daily stories, feature reports and appearances on our statewide talk shows.

This full-time, 40-hour-a-week position is headquartered in Wausau and reports to the Managing Editor of News. Because the news is dynamic, the position will include occasional evenings and weekend on-call shifts. This position is hybrid and can include in-person and work-from-home hours. The final schedule can be discussed in the offer stage, but fully remote candidates will not be accepted.

Key Job Responsibilities:
– Applies editorial judgment and maintains industry standards of journalistic ethics and excellence
– Contributes content including interviewing sources, writing stories/reports, and completing other necessary production tasks to create news/public affairs reports
– Collaborates with digital content teams on both long-term and short-term multimedia projects
– Stays abreast of developments in assigned areas, maintains contacts on continued stories to ensure follow-up, and researches topic areas to provide in-depth reports

Required Qualifications:
Excellent communication skills including newswriting.
Demonstrated history of enterprising reporting.
Demonstrated knowledge of newsgathering and reporting techniques.
Ability to work in both independent and collaborative settings.

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience writing and producing radio stories.
Knowledge and understanding of Wisconsin and its rural communities.
Experience working in public media.

Education:
A Bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of professional reporting experience is preferred OR 5 years of professional reporting experience.

How to Apply:
Visit https://jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/rural-communities-reporter-wausau-wisconsin-united-states for application instructions to apply.