Local Trending Business Reporter

Local Trending Business Reporter

The Post-Crescent/postcrescent.com in Appleton, Wisconsin, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, is seeking a skilled reporter to take on The Buzz, a high-impact business news beat serving customers and consumers in Appleton and the rest of the Fox Cities region.

This reporter will be part of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s business team, which involves reporters from across 11 newsrooms in the state, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Post-Crescent.The Buzz is a fast-paced beat which focuses on the highest-interest comings and goings in the local business community. Readers around the region rely on The Buzz to keep them apprised of what’s opening or closing among bars and restaurants, retail shopping and service providers and more. This reporter writes a bi-weekly newsletter aimed at bolstering connections with readers.

This beat covers the Fox Cities, which includes highlights like the Fox River Mall area in Grand Chute, Appleton’s vibrant downtown, and more than a dozen growing communities around the area.

Downtown Appleton alone is home to more than 100 restaurants and retail establishments, according to data from Downtown Appleton Inc., and was rated by Forbes Magazine as one of Wisconsin’s best cities for business, with a daily traffic count north of 25,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, Grand Chute’s shopping district, centered on the mall, offers the largest concentration of retail in the state, a tax base of $2.3 billion, and routinely attracts customers from beyond northeast Wisconsin. It sits off Interstate 41, which itself boasts daily traffic counts over 67,000.

This reporter is expected to build a strong network of community-based sources, monitor municipal planning agendas, and keep their ear to the ground to ensure that they’re able to break the news whenever a new business plans to open, or a beloved community staple decides it is time to shut its doors. They will answer reader questions, discuss local business development trends and turn out easy-to-read, to-the-point business coverage on hot topics.

They will also have opportunities to look at larger trends across the sectors of business news they cover, and identify issues of significant interest to the larger business community. The Buzz reporters have previously written about size-inclusive accessibility as it relates to small business, staffing shortages and their impact on consumers, and the history of how the interstate changed the face of Northeastern Wisconsin business communities.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to urgent coverage of business and economic news.
• Pursue deeper features on impactful businesses in the region.
• Collaborate with journalists across our Wisconsin network.
• Work with editors to evaluate what's working and what's not and develop ongoing plans to better satisfy audience needs.
• Collaborate with content team to provide all the appropriate elements for stories (i.e. photos, videos and graphics).
• Provide thoughtful analysis of complex issues.
• Promote personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
• Provide great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master’s in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience. We will also consider candidates with strong internship experience.
• Adept at taking photos and video and will file quickly across platforms: mobile, desktop and social media.
• Strong command of AP grammar and style.
• Strong copy-editing skills and the ability to produce content that is clean, accurate and "publication ready."
• Is passionate and enthusiastic about news and content that will work well with audiences on social platforms.
• Comfortable in fluid, fast-breaking, stressful situations.
• A desire to grow and develop a key beat in our newsrooms.
• Is comfortable using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to enhance reporting and promote stories.
• Understands reporting ethics and sourcing.
• Excels in a fast-paced news environment and understands the digital first mission.
• Collaborates well with others and can work with a team on the biggest stories.
• Able to work occasional late nights as needed by the news cycle.
• This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law. 

Application Instructions

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

1. Your resume – one to two pages.
2. A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
3. Links to 5-10 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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