Equal Opportunity Employment Report

SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA (LICENSEE)

WLRN TV, WLRN FM, WKWM FM
EEO Public File Report
October 1, 2024

Files for Stations WLRN-TV, WLRN-FM, and WKWM-FM, pursuant to Section 73.2080(c)(6) of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rules.

Primary responsibility for the Licensee’s EEO program now rests with Andrew Ruiz, the WLRN Management Liaison at the stations.

HIRING

ERP Director- This position was posted once and was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. Four people applied, of which one candidate was qualified to be interviewed. The ultimate hire, a hispanic female, learned of the position through the M-DCPS website. The date of hire was November 16, 2023.
Clerical Assistant 12M-PT - This position was posted once. It was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. Two people applied, and both were interviewed. The ultimate hire, a black female, learned of the position through the M-DCPS website. The date of hire was February 5, 2024.
Executive Producer- This position was posted once. It was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. Thirteen people applied, and four were interviewed. The ultimate hire, a white female, learned of the position through LinkedIn. The date of hire was July 8, 2024.
Administrative Assistant II- This position was posted once. It was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. Twenty-one people applied, and four were interviewed. The ultimate hire, a hispanic female, learned of the position through the M-DCPS website. The date of hire was July 25, 2024.
Audiovisual Specialist 12M-PT - This position was posted twice. It was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. Five people applied, of which three were interviewed. The ultimate hire, a Hispanic male, learned of the position through an employee referral. The date of hire was September 3, 2024.
Visual Media Manager (3)-This position was posted three times – to date two hires. It was listed on the Miami-Dade County Public School’s website (one of the largest employers in Florida), station website (wlrn.org), and LinkedIn. A large and diverse pool of applicants applied (62 applicants) and 34 were interviewed. The two ultimate hires, a hispanic male and a hispanic female, learned of the position through LinkedIn and the M-DCPS website respectively. The dates of hire were August 26, 2024, and September 23, 2024.

INITIATIVES

Training

Licensee’s Management level personnel, including managers at the Stations, are provided EEO training to ensure Equal Employment Opportunity and prevent discrimination.

All Licensee Station employees received training on how to identify forms of harassment in the workplace, and how to report suspected harassment through a required webinar provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Mentoring Program for Professional Development

WLRN has an ongoing mentoring and development program to foster individual growth and career advancement. Employees receive personalized feedback, guidance, and support through quarterly one-on-one sessions. These meetings provide a space to discuss performance, set professional goals, and develop skills, ensuring that staff have the tools and mentorship necessary to thrive in their roles and advance within the station. So far the program has led to the promotion of two team members Station personnel are also invited to specialized professional development sessions throughout the year to enhance their skills.

Participation in Job Fairs

Booker T. Washington Sr HS. 1/27/24
Miami Sunset Sr HS 1/27/24
M-DCPS Parent Academy 3/9/24
Miami Lakes Educational Center 3/18/24
Miami Dade College - Padron Campus 4/4/24
NABJ/NAHJ job fair - WLRN Booth - Miramar 4/20/24
Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists job fair in Orlando 4/20/24
University of Florida - recruiting future journalists 5/8/24
Parent Choice Expo – Miami-Dade College North Campus 5/11/24
Parent Choice Expo – Miami-Dade College South Campus 5/18/24
Miami Northwestern Sr HS. 6/1/24
John A. Ferguson Sr. HS 7/13/24
Miami-Dade College - Padron Campus 9/12/24

Internship Programs

HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The WLRN High School Internship Program provides students the opportunity to experience real-life professional roles in an award-winning media enterprise. Students were vetted for these specific internship positions and were required to deliver their resumes and attend a “job” interview with their assigned WLRN internship supervisor. Each student intern was monitored using quarterly grade evaluations.

WLRN Television Production Intern:
I-Prep student: for credit / part-time /2024-2025

WLRN News Intern:
Design and Architecture High student: for credit / part-time /2024-2025

COLLEGE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

This yearly program, for local university and college students, offers opportunities for paid and academic credit internships in journalism and digital media. The goal of the program is to provide students with an opportunity to learn and develop practical skills through real work experience. Staff members who oversee interns often maintain relationships with them for future part-time or full-time opportunities at WLRN or openings at other broadcast stations in the area.

Fall 2023 Radio Interns

University of Florida: Paid – Full-time

Spring 2024 Radio Interns

Northwestern University student: Paid - Full-time

Summer 2024 Radio Interns

Florida International University student: Paid – Full-time
Northwestern University student: Paid - Full-time
Florida International University student: Paid – Full-time

COLLEGE COLLABERATION

FIU Caplin School of Journalism and Communications (09/03/24)

Station Staff met with FIU journalism school professors regarding use of student projects from Caplin News student newswire regarding on WLRN (elections, centennial series, hurricane coverage)