Engagement Journalism & Community Building at KCRW
As Digital Content Director at KCRW, I focused on content strategies to build and nurture community, deepen the connection between the station and its audience, and build loyalty. I collaborated across departments to create audience-driven experiences that resonated with KCRW’s passionate, curious listeners.
My work bridged on-air storytelling with digital engagement. I used newsroom tools like Hearken to connect directly with listeners and to serve them better with our reporting.
I managed a series called Curious Coast, where we answered listener questions about California, produced Who is Leaving LA?, which included voices from listeners who had left the city due to the high cost of living, and recorded dozens of testimonials for a special on the 1992 Rodney King uprising. Integrating our audience’s voices into our on-air and digital work helped foster loyalty and connection.
My role included:
Championing audience engagement across KCRW’s slate of news, music and culture shows and implementing workflows to incorporate more audience voices into programming
Manging a digital content team of social media producers, video producers and digital editors
Producing stories for KCRW’s Press Play, Which Way LA? and To the Point
There Goes the Neighborhood
In 2017, KCRW partnered with WNYC to produce a podcast about gentrification in Los Angeles. Housing prices were soaring, developers were moving fast, and longtime Angelenos were being priced out. The podcast asked a critical question: Who is LA for?
To foster community around this issue, we launched a robust Facebook Group—the best platform at the time—to give listeners a space to share stories, connect with our reporters, and follow the reporting in real time through exclusive, tailored content.
My role included:
Producing bespoke social content for the Facebook page
Producing live chats and Q&As with our reporters
Engaging directly with our digital audience to prompt discussions and find stories and threads for the show
Championing accessibility and inclusive storytelling to connect with diverse communities
KCRW.com Redesign
In 2019, we undertook a redesign of KCRW’s website to enhance the user experience, simplify navigation, and more effectively represent the brand. As the lead content strategist, I ensured that we had effective publishing workflows in place, served as the lead digital editor for our reporters, and increased our digital output.
My role included:
Assigning and editing stories for web
Developing and leading a comprehensive digital content strategy across programs, which led to an 11% increase in time spent on page
Implementing SEO and paid social media strategies. Search traffic increased 18% and social referrals increased 27%
Developing comprehensive analytics reporting to align content with insights
Before: User experience was confusing and lacking content hierarchy. Navigation was cluttered and diigital-first elements like photos, SEO friendly headlines, and compelling copy were missing.
After: Content was clearly labeled, easy to discover, and much more searchable. The site became a better reflection of the KCRW brand and its Music, News and Culture pillars. Workflow with reporters evolved to include digital stories.
After: Headlines were clear, increasing SEO value, shareability and discoverability.