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Intern at St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis Public Radio is the region’s National Public Radio (NPR) member station and is a service of the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

STLPR’s paid internship program provides immersive learning opportunities for current college students and graduates. Interns work alongside and receive instruction and mentorship from staff members throughout the organization.

The application window for the summer semester has closed, with the exception of our Newsroom Visuals internship, which we are offering for the first time in summer 2023. Applications for the Newsroom Visuals internship will be accepted through April 21, 2023.

St. Louis Public Radio internships pay an hourly wage of $15, along with the opportunity for college credit depending on the requirements of interns’ respective degree programs. Each internship averages a time commitment of 20-25 hours per week.

The internship program is open to anyone with college experience.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please download and complete this application form.

Email your application along with a resume (and cover letter and/or work samples, if desired) to Jess Luther.


Positions


Development (Fundraising)

The intern will assist in a variety of development and fundraising-related tasks including but not limited to donor communication, donor stewardship and administrative tasks as well as data collection and processing. This internship will familiarize the intern with the processes and procedures of a development office and the implementation of a fundraising program and will prepare them for entry level positions within the nonprofit field. Interns will work with their supervisor to create and complete a larger project as well as helping with day-to-day department tasks and needs.

Minimum Requirements: Excellent communication and organization skills are needed to collaborate with a wide variety of staff and to communicate with donors. Basic computer skills including Word and Excel required. Database ability is a plus. Familiarity with and enthusiasm for public radio programs preferred. Availability of 15- 25 hours per week.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with the guidelines of their school. Considerations will include ability to work independently, follow instructions, use time efficiently, attend to details and communicate with individuals from various backgrounds. Professionalism, initiative and enthusiasm will also be considered.

Marketing & Communications

The intern will assist in copywriting for marketing materials, such as digital and print ads, brochures, fliers, presentations, signs, and on-air announcements; write blog posts about station activities; maintain a press contact list and write press releases; coordinate fulfillment and evaluation of media sponsorships; produce marketing-related social media content; and assist with corporate sponsorship proposals.

Minimum Requirements: Excellent writing, communication, and organizational skills required. Qualified candidates will have knowledge of marketing principles and research, with experience implementing a variety of tactics to meet planned objectives. Approval from the St. Louis Public Radio Director of Marketing. Please include writing samples or a portfolio link along with your resume and cover letter.

Marketing & Digital Media Department Description: The marketing & digital media department at St. Louis Public Radio manages the infrastructure and analytics behind our digital products, including our website, mobile app, audio streams, and podcasts. We also create and implement marketing strategy and tactics, across a wide variety of platforms and media, to grow audience and increase content engagement. We are a team of six, including two interns.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with the guidelines of their school. Considerations will include ability to work independently, follow instructions, use time efficiently, attend to details, and produce quality writing.

Newsroom (Journalism)

The newsroom intern will learn every aspect of being a reporter at St. Louis Public Radio. This includes the technical aspects of audio recording and editing; writing for radio; writing for web; taking photographs for web stories; interviewing techniques; and how to pitch and research stories. The newsroom intern will contribute regularly to our newscasts and daily internet stories. Interns will also be exposed to data journalism techniques; how to successfully use social engagement to report and tell stories; and how to voice radio stories. Ideally, interns will complete one capstone project that can be an enterprise story that incorporates a four-minute radio story and a full digital story.

Minimum Requirements: Excellent writing skills, demonstrated interest in journalism and ability to consistently meet deadlines. We expect our interns to be available between 25-30 hours per week. It helps if the intern has boundless curiosity and knowledge about local news and current affairs.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with guidelines of their school, if the intern is currently a student. Considerations will include production skills (microphone techniques, sound quality, editing, etc.), writing ability (structure of the story, attribution of facts, objectivity, and liveliness of the writing), willingness to follow direction, efficient use of time, self-motivation and initiative, and accuracy and attention to detail. A final evaluation will be held at the end of the semester.

Newsroom Visuals (Journalism)

The visuals intern will apply and develop storytelling skills through impactful still photographs of breaking news, enterprise reporting, and other journalistic content across STLPR’s digital platforms. In addition, the intern will work with our digital team to capture and produce short-form videos to distribute across our social media platforms — including Instagram and TikTok. Ideally, interns will complete at least one capstone project that could be an enterprise story, photo essay or multimedia piece. Visuals interns can work up to 30-35 hours a week.

Interns will be provided with a Canon DSLR-kit with prime lenses, an audio recording kit and a laptop. In addition, we have a pool of Sony mirrorless camera equipment and mobile internet hotspots to use when needed.

Minimum Requirements: Excellent photography skills, familiarity with shooting video and editing in non-linear software like Adobe Premiere, solid writing skills, demonstrated interest in journalism and ability to consistently meet deadlines. The intern must have a vehicle, up-to-date car insurance and a valid driver’s license.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with their school’s guidelines, if the intern is currently a student. Considerations will include production skills (camera techniques, editing, etc.), storytelling ability (capturing compelling moments, caption writing), willingness to follow direction, efficient use of time, self-motivation and initiative, accuracy and attention to detail. A final evaluation will be held at the end of the internship period.

Submission materials:

  • A moments-based photo portfolio and/or video samples in addition to, at least, one picture story.
  • Cover letter about what you would bring to this internship and what you would hope to gain.
  • Resume and complete STLPR internship application.

Special Events

The student will assist in the preparation of St. Louis Public Radio events including planning, set-up, execution, and breakdown. Additionally, the student will assist in development activities as they relate to events for St. Louis Public Radio.

Minimum Requirements: Event planning experience, excellent writing, and organizational skills required. Customer service experience a plus. Familiarity with and enthusiasm for public radio programming preferred. Approval from the St. Louis Public Radio Special Events Director.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with the guidelines of their school. Considerations will include the ability to work independently, follow instructions, use time efficiently, attend to details, and produce quality writing.

Talk Show Production (St. Louis on the Air)

The production internship is divided into two tracks of study and practice. Both tracks are completed primarily through the content and audio production of St. Louis Public Radio’s daily talk show, St. Louis on the Air. Interns may specialize in one track; however, the ideal candidate will be interested in and become familiar with both.

Minimum Requirements: Excellent communication skills and availability of 15-25 hours per week including a minimum of three days per week to be worked from 11:00 – 1:30 to accommodate live show production. Experience with digital recording and editing is preferred but not required. Previous journalism and content production experience is preferred but not required. Approval from Talk Show Producer(s).

Track One: Talk Show Producer: Working with the talk show team to produce content for St. Louis Public Radio’s daily talk show, St. Louis on the Air. This includes: generating show ideas, booking guests, conducting research, writing news stories based on talk show content, social media engagement, and other engagement efforts as required.

Track Two: Audio Production: Working with the talk show team, the intern will complete tasks relating to the engineering and audio production of: 1) live talk show St. Louis on the Air 2) interview and podcast recordings 3) web features 4) music beds 5) field recordings. With practice, the intern will learn advanced digital editing, board operation, live mixing, and other concepts & techniques relating to radio audio production.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with the guidelines of their school (if applicable). Considerations will include progress gained, effective use of time, initiative, ability to follow instructions, audio and content production skills learned, and ability to work both independently and within a group.

Visual Communications (Graphic Design)

The intern will assist marketing & digital media staff in creating graphics and images for digital and print distribution that may include logos, print ads, stickers, posters, signs, web banners, e-newsletters and other digital publications, as assigned, to help market the station’s content, events, and service to the community. This is a position for those interested in a career in graphic design and marketing.

Minimum Requirements: Qualified candidates will be skilled at working within Adobe Creative Suite to produce creative graphics for a variety of applications. Candidates should provide work samples as proof of skills and design sensibility. Excellent communication skills are needed to collaborate with a wide variety of staff and deal with constructive criticism. Approval from the St. Louis Public Radio Director of Marketing & Digital Media and availability of a minimum of 15 hours per week. Please include design samples or a portfolio link along with your resume and cover letter.

Marketing & Digital Media Department: The marketing & digital media department at St. Louis Public Radio manages the infrastructure and analytics behind our digital products, including our website, mobile app, audio streams, and podcasts. We also create and implement marketing strategy and tactics, across a wide variety of platforms and media, to grow audience and increase content engagement. We are a team of six, including two interns.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the intern will occur in accordance with the guidelines of their school, if taking the internship for credit. Considerations will include ability to work independently, follow instructions, use time efficiently, attend to details, and produce high-quality graphics and other online communications. Professionalism, initiative, and enthusiasm will also be considered.