National Media Relations Specialist

University of Wisconsin-Madison

For 168 years, UW-Madison has been a catalyst for the extraordinary. As a public land-grant university and prolific research institution, our students and faculty members partake in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. We’ve changed the way the nation takes its vitamins and brought flamingos to Bascom Hill. We’ve inspired satirists and senators alike. We’ve fearlessly sifted and winnowed to find today’s truths. And with the Wisconsin Idea as our guiding principle, we’re not only changing the 936 acres we call home—Badgers are also creating a better future for Wisconsin, the nation, and the world.

http://go.wisc.edu/natlmedia

Position Details

National Media Relations Specialist
Job
Full-time
7/24/2017
Southwest Wisconsin
Madison, WI

As one of the world’s top research universities, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a lot of compelling stories to tell. University Communications, the campus news and media relations hub, seeks a national media relations specialist to identify and place stories, faculty experts and op-eds in national print, broadcast and digital media. The national media specialist will lead the office’s efforts to build and strengthen relationships with journalists at national media outlets and to identify stories and individuals on campus that will interest national audiences. More details: http://go.wisc.edu/natlmedia

  • Develop and manage a program to increase the visibility of UW-Madison's stories, faculty and experts across national outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic and Science.
  • Lead the efforts to identify and implement best practices related to media pitches and coverage.
  • Review university's strategic priorities and create public relations plans to generate earned media.
  • Develop a community of practice for campus communicators around media relations efforts and develop guidelines and processes to be used.
  • Build relationships with media in key national and regional locations outside of Wisconsin to, over time, increase the presence of faculty, students, and successes in high-value media and to maximize resources such as our VideoLink ReadyCam® studio.
  • Follow national issues and coverage in order to leverage university thought leaders into op-eds, experts or national stories and trends as they occur.
  • Manage the university's media clipping and monitoring efforts by compiling results, gathering data and analyzing effectiveness of media relations strategy.
  • Amplify successful media placements through social media and other internal/external communications channels in collaboration with campus communicators and other stakeholders.
  • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other communication offices and university administrators
  • Manage the university's journalist-in-residence programs - identifying, inviting and organizing week-long campus visits.
  • At least five years of professional experience in public relations, journalism or a related field
  • Demonstrated success developing stories and building relationships with national media members
  • Experience using media analytics platforms (such as Meltwater) to refine media relations efforts
  • The ability to produce accurate, persuasive written and oral communications on tight deadlines
  • The ability to work independently to identify opportunities and solve problems
  • A good sense of humor

Salary range is $42,000-79,000.


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