KALW Audio Academy: An audio journalism program for adults

The KALW Audio Academy is a unique nine-month radio journalism training program for adults at KALW Public Radio, an NPR and BBC affiliate in San Francisco.

This program is designed to give participants a professional audio production and journalism education, tuition-free. And, for the first time this year, we're offering participants a stipend of up to $9,000 for the duration of the program.

We are looking for:

• Creative thinkers, great writers, audiophiles who dream in sound & story
• Anyone who is hungry to break into the world of audio journalism
• People with a passion for covering a diversity of communities
• Ideally, people who are knowledgeable about the Bay Area
• Team players ready to work hard in a supportive newsroom
• Fans of workday dance parties (appreciated but not required!)

About the program

You will be an integral part of the production of our award-winning daily news show,Crosscurrents. Our show is known for telling nuanced, sound-rich stories. You will be trained on daily newsroom tasks like fact-checking and research, while also getting to pitch and produce radio features in our supportive, collaborative newsroom.

In addition, you will receive in-depth training in audio journalism and production through weekly evening seminars taught by KALW reporters, engineers, and special guests. Seminar topics include: interviewing; field recording; writing for radio; voicing; and editing in Protools. Every Audio Academy fellow also receives mentorship from Crosscurrents staff as well as shadowing opportunities.

Commitment and timeline

Between September and June, participants are asked to commit 16-20 hours of work per week. This includes one regularly scheduled eight-hour shift in our newsroom and another eight hours working in the field, producing your own stories.

Participants will also be asked to attend weekly evening seminars (6:00 to 8:30 p.m.) on Wednesdays from September to December and then every other week (6:00 to 8:30 p.m.) on Wednesdays from January to June.

The academy includes a two-week break in late December and two flexible vacation weeks for each participant.

Enrollment in a college or university is not necessary to participate. We discourage applicants who are currently full-time students due to the time demands.

This is a free in-person training opportunity. Participants must be willing to travel to our popup studio in downtown San Francisco at 220 Montgomery and our studios located at Phillip & Sala Burton High School at 500 Mansell in San Francisco.

Compensation

We are now offering participants a stipend of up to $9,000 for the duration of the program, from September through mid-June. The stipend is dependent on meeting the requirements of the program.