Everything was handled professionally and the knowledge and expertise of the staff were evident and extremely helpful. The interviews of the board and senior staff beforehand helped to instill confidence in Tom and really set the tone for the entire process.

  • Tracy McFerrin Foster
  • Board Chair, Kansas City Public Television
  • Vice President, Hall Family Foundation

A consistent comment from our search committee members was the high quality of the semi-finalists...and the outstanding research and preparation provided by your professional team.

  • Geoffrey Simon
  • Search Chair
  • WEDU-TV, Tampa, FL

We have worked with Livingston Associates on three searches and business modeling. They not only met our expectations, but exceeded them on all counts. Thanks!

  • Larry R. Ciecalone
  • President & GM
  • KVCR
  • San Bernardino, CA

General Manager

KCUR-FM, University of Missouri - Kansas City

Search Deadline Extended - Monday, March 5th, 2012

The University of Missouri - Kansas City seeks a General Manager for KCUR-FM, the public radio station serving Kansas City and the region with local news, NPR News and other cultural and music programming.

KCUR is an NPR member station with a staff of approximately 30 full time employees and an annual budget of $3.5 million. Of the 150,000 weekly listeners KCUR serves in the region, approximately 11,000 individuals provide annual contributions to support our work. We also achieve $1.5 million in annual underwriting revenue. KCUR is on a solid financial footing, with a $1 million quasi-endowment, $1 million operating fund balance, and no debt.

KCUR has a number of signature strengths, including our respected, experienced staff, and an effective internal culture of openness and warmth (KCUR is a fun place to work). We are proud of our local news operation, which is growing into a position of prominence among the providers of fact-based journalism to the people of our region. KCUR is the proud host and lead organization for the Harvest Journalism Center initiative.

While we understand the significance of changing technology, to grow the effectiveness and maintain the freshness of our programming approach and potential threats to public radio’s Federal funding, KCUR is not in a turn-around situation.

KCUR seeks to continue on its successful path to becoming a major news organization, central to the public service journalistic life of our region. We want to serve significantly larger audiences with greater cultural, ethnic and age diversity. In part through our continued growth as a news organization, but also through other kinds of community engagement, we aspire to become more outward facing and central to the life of the community, including recognition as an essential local institution.

KCUR knows that growing the audience and being more engaged in the community will enhance our current primary revenue sources of Membership and Underwriting, but understands we will also need to significantly grow our philanthropic, major and planned giving activity to achieve the kind of growth we seek for KCUR.

Among our challenges are the need to identify and move to a new home and to replace much of our current production and transmitting equipment. To accomplish this, we anticipate the need to develop and execute a capital campaign in the near future.

Together the Staff, Advisory Board and UMKC Administration have created a profile of the next General Manager of KCUR, and will consider candidates who most closely match this profile:

Leadership: We seek a leader passionate about public radio with a compelling vision for KCUR, including programmatic, broader community engagement and a significantly larger audience share and revenues. An energetic, externally focused individual with a high level of emotional intelligence, who will help KCUR become an even more significant local organization that is both financially healthy and increases its service to Kansas City and the region, and:

  • Has great people skills, including being able to flex his or her style, comfortable and effective at engaging a wide range of stakeholders with diverse outlooks – from a single member to high-end donors;
  • Is a person of integrity who understands KCUR’s most important asset is the trust placed in us by the people of Kansas City and the region;
  • Puts the mission of KCUR first;
  • Has an open style, but is also an effective decision-maker and change agent;
  • Is committed to and comfortable with diversity, both within KCUR and in the community;
  • Is politically savvy and diplomatic, as well as adaptable, accessible and enthusiastic;
  • Is not risk averse;
  • Provides direction and accountability for individual staff and organizational results, including clearly communicating strategy, goals and expectations;
  • Fosters continued development, shared understanding of and commitment to the mission, vision, educational and entertainment goals of KCUR.

Vision: Displays ability to project KCUR’s needs out into the long-term future; sees and understands future trends in media, in related fields and the world, and the impact on KCUR’s operations and:

  • Is a big picture person with an orientation toward the future;
  • Has a vision for KCUR’s organizational future including how to  continue the transition to the new media environment – carefully, aggressively, while still maintaining service to our current audience;
  • Is able to enroll others in working together to execute that vision;
  • Balances vision with execution.   

Fundraising: Someone excited about building resources for KCUR. Effective fundraiser with demonstrated track record, knowledgeable of and expert at the General Manager role in fundraising and resource development, who is:

  • A spokesperson and  relationship manager;
  • Is comfortable with asking for money for KCUR;
  • Has a comprehensive understanding of fundraising strategies and methods in public media (membership, underwriting, and major and planned giving) and beyond;
  • Able to develop KCUR organizational (Staff and Advisory Board) fundraising capacity, including working closely with KCUR’s Development Director and is effective at moving us beyond our reliance on transactional membership-based revenues into philanthropic fundraising, including identifying and dealing with any internal cultural and operational blocks to success with major donor and planned giving efforts;
  • Understands concepts related to capital campaigns and can help provide leadership for developing and executing a campaign for KCUR in the future;
  • Is effective and capable at conceiving and developing alternative revenue streams.

Community Relationships: Effective, externally focused relationship builder, who:

  • Continues growing KCUR’s presence in Kansas City and the region, has personal qualities the community can connect with, and over a short period of time become a recognized leader in region;
  • Demonstrates a record of community engagement and collaboration, and of developing partnerships with individuals and organizations; and
  • Is comfortable with wide range of people, including at high levels (and being seen as peer) of civic leadership in the region.

Industry knowledge: Given the complex and changing media and public media environment, will have a profound commitment to public media coupled with the skills/ to drive changes as our operating environment continues to change. Significant knowledge of the journalistic process, with commitment to and understanding of journalistic ethics and how to lead a journalistic endeavor. Knowledge of media and trends in technology and consumption of media, including:

  • A high level of understanding of dynamics, issues and trends in public media (including the need to develop KCUR into an essential local institution);
  • Understanding/experience with issues related to non-profit organizations;
  • If coming from outside public radio, deep commitment to and knowledge of public radio (listener, supporter); and
  • Is technologically competent, comfortable with/aware of new media, and able to provide effective leadership towards identifying and adopting new platforms.

Strategic focus: Powerful understanding of and use of strategy in organizational life:

  • Knowledgeable of dynamics affecting current and future environment of KCUR (especially the extremely volatile media environment) and effective at maximizing the organization in response to these dynamics;
  • Knowledgeable of population, technology and media consumption trends in Kansas City and the region; 
  • Highly developed skill at prioritizing, and accomplished at sequencing change;
  • Has understanding and makes use of networking with and benchmarking other organizations to increase KCUR effectiveness;
  • Able to continuously develop, execute and evaluate strategic plans, in concert with other stakeholders, and to champion strategic perspectives.

Problem solving and decision making: Expert decision-maker, who:

  • Has the ability to prioritize and determine significance of a particular issue, understands who to include in the problem solving process, and knows what and how much information is needed;
  • Is able to effectively analyze and use data in the decision-making process, and will make decisions in a timely matter; 
  • Is good at follow-through - clearly communicates decision, designs and administers effective execution, with appropriate pre-determined success measures and time-posts; and
  • Has level of personal strength to stick by decisions and/or know when a change of direction is needed.

People and team manager: Inspiring, highly competent manager of people, who can build on the current friendly, open, committed culture of KCUR and:

  • Adjusts style as needed, collaborating, enrolling, delegating and directing as required by the situation;
  • Holds self and staff accountable; and
  • Creates and maintains an effective, collaborative, team-oriented, cross-functional culture of professionalism within KCUR;
  • Monitors and evaluates programmatic and operational/organizational effectiveness, and affects changes required for improvement;
  • Has a proven ability to effectively attract, develop and get the most out of staff;
  • Effective coach/mentor, with a strong commitment to developing our staff.

Communication: Highly developed public and private interpersonal skills, including:

  • Being a skillful listener;
  • Who is comfortable being in a public situation and being “the face” of the station;
  • Is an organized thinker, effective writer and speaker;
  • Is personable, inspiring and respectful;
  • Is an articulate, effective spokesperson for KCUR and its mission;
  • Has a good sense of humor.

Passion: An authentic person who is energized by the direction and public service mission of KCUR and:

  • Has enthusiasm, zeal and commitment to the heritage and future of KCUR, public media’s potential/future including as a source for local content, and for new and innovative service delivery mechanisms;
  • Has passion in a way that enrolls others and generates action by staff and in the community, including potential funders.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelor's degree in Broadcasting, Communications, or a related area or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired is necessary.

Full Time
Salary commensurate with experience.

UMKC and KCUR are Equal Employment Opportunity Employers.

Date for full consideration: Friday, March 2, 2012


To Apply:

UMKC/KCUR is being assisted in this search by Livingston Associates. For consideration, please submit a letter of introduction including your vision for the future of KCUR and how you will be the ideal person to lead the organization in achieving that vision, resume, and contact information for a minimum of 3 professional references at www.umkc.edu/jobs.

Follow this link: Submit Resume to apply through UMKC’s application system.

You can also cut-n-paste into your browser the direct url to the KCUR GM Posting in the UMKC database: https://myhr.umsystem.edu/psp/tamext/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=6846&SiteId=7&PostingSeq=1

Inquiries are welcome with Livingston Associates at (410) 243-1974.

Learn more about the station at http://www.kcur.org/

Learn more about UMKC at http://www.umkc.edu/