Download the application form to apply.

KCUR offers structured internships throughout the year.

KCUR’s internship program is designed to provide college and university students and recent graduates with an opportunity to learn about public media broadcast, news and digital operations.

Eligibility: Preferred candidates are journalism/mass communications graduate or undergraduate students or those who have recently graduated from college. Familiarity with public radio required.

General Information: Interns are expected to work between 15 and 20 hours a week during an eight to 12 week internship period. Internships are offered during the summer, fall and winter/spring semesters. Interns may receive academic credit if an agreement is made between KCUR and the intern’s college or university. All internships are unpaid.

Application Procedures: Candidates must complete an application form and submit it with a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional and/or academic references and a work sample.

A work sample can be a writing sample or other materials, including produced audio or video pieces and published articles. Material may be submitted by providing web links.

All application items must be submitted as a complete package. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Application Deadlines: Applications must be received by April 15 for the summer program, Aug. 15 (deadline extended) for the fall program and Dec. 1 for the winter/spring semester program.

Email applications to internships@kcur.org or mail applications to:

KCUR-FM
Internship Program
4825 Troost Avenue, Suite 202
Kansas City, Missouri 64110

The following is a list of internship positions available at KCUR. The exact internships offered vary from semester to semester. On the application form, applicants should indicate all internships they are interested in.

Up to Date Internship: Assists with the day-to-day operations of Up to Date, KCUR’s award-winning daily public affairs talk show hosted by Steve Kraske. Interns will pitch show and feature ideas, participate in production meetings, research show topics and guests, mix promos and billboards, update the website, gather and edit audio, conduct pre-interviews and screen phone calls during the live broadcast. By the end of the term, intern will pitch and produce at least one show segment intended for broadcast on Up to Date. Strong research, writing, and organizational skills required. Basic HTML, social media and audio editing skills encouraged (we use Adobe Audition). Must work quickly, independently, well under pressure, and with constant deadlines.

Central Standard Internship: Assists with the day-to-day operations of Central Standard, KCUR’s 10 a.m. local talk and magazine show hosted by Gina Kaufmann. Intern will pitch show and feature ideas, attend production meetings, research show topics and guests, mix promos and billboards, update the website, gather and edit audio, conduct pre-interviews and screen phone calls during the live broadcast. By the end of the term, intern will pitch, report, and produce at least one feature story intended for broadcast on Central Standard. Strong research, writing, and organizational skills required. Basic HTML, social media and audio editing skills encouraged (we use Adobe Audition).

News Internship: Candidates should be interested in news and current events and be prepared to offer story ideas. Duties include gathering tape for morning and afternoon newscasts and story research for reporters and editors. Must be comfortable enough with computers to pick up use of digital editing software programs (Adobe Audition) quickly. Must have excellent writing, researching and editing skills, and ability to work quickly, accurately and under deadline. Flexibility, initiative and creativity a plus. Journalism background is preferred.

Harvest Public Media Internship: Assists with the day-to-day operations of Harvest Public Media, a Local Journalism Center that covers issues of food, fuel and field. This regional reporting project is looking for people with a strong passion for multimedia storytelling plus the attention to detail needed to handle website development. The Harvest intern will design slide shows and other elements for the Harvest website; post stories and photographs on the web; enter data in support of the Harvest Network; generate and research story ideas; and produce billboards and promos. Strong multimedia, writing, editing and organizational skills required. Experience using Microsoft Excel and general computer skills is required. HTML, CSS and Flash skills a plus. Must work well quickly, independently, and accurately under pressure. Flexibility, initiative and creativity a plus. Journalism background is preferred.

Heartland Health Monitor Internship: Assists with the day-to-day operations of Heartland Health Monitor, a reporting collaboration based at KCUR that focuses on health issues in Kansas and Missouri. A medical or science background is helpful but not a must. Must have excellent writing and researching skills. Experience with Adobe Audition is useful but not absolutely necessary. The ideal candidate is someone who can generate story ideas, perform fact checking duties, produce charts and other graphics, gather tape and take photos. The HHM intern will have the opportunity to create a portfolio of stories both for the web and radio. A passion for accuracy is essential, as are good writing skills and a nose for news.

Digital Internship: Assists with the day-to-day management of KCUR’s social media accounts and content curation on kcur.org. “Webify” broadcast stories for web publication, write web-original stories and build out broadcast stories with multimedia elements. Learn best practices for writing for the web, selecting visual elements for the web and using social media as a news organization or journalist. Strong writing, editing, and social media skills required. Flexibility, initiative and creativity a plus. Journalism background and experience with Adobe Creative Suite and video production preferred. Along with the work sample, feel free to include Twitter handles and any other identifying information on social media.

Arts Internship: Candidates should be interested in arts and culture in the Kansas City metropolitan area and be prepared to offer story ideas. Strong multimedia and convergence skills are preferred, including digital photography, as well as researching, writing, and editing for both broadcast and digital platforms. Must work well quickly, independently and accurately. Must be comfortable enough with computers to pick up use of digital editing software programs (Adobe Audition) quickly. Must have excellent writing, researching and editing skills, and the ability to work quickly, accurately and under deadline. Video production skills are a plus. Flexibility, initiative and creativity a plus. Journalism background preferred.

Special Projects Intern (summer only): Assist in a summer reporting project that (varies each summer). Candidates should be interested in news and current events. Some reporting experience in another internship or school publication is preferred. This internship will be heavy on research but the intern will also write some digital pieces and write, voice and produce at least one radio piece. Experience with spreadsheets and mapping software helpful. Initiative is a must.

Interns should be available for the following, depending on semester:

Summer: June 1 – August
Fall: September 1 – December
Winter/Spring: January 15 – May

KCUR is firmly committed to seeking qualified candidates for all job openings, to offer equal employment opportunity to all persons, and to take affirmative action to ensure that such opportunities are provided.

It is the policy of KCUR to be fair and impartial in all of its relations with its employees and applicants for employment, and to make all employment-related decisions without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, or disability.