Disney Entertainment’s eight-owned ABC stations are multiplatform leaders in local news and information. WABC-TV has been the leader in local news and entertainment programming in the New York City area for more than 60 years. Producing more than 45 hours of live, local news and weather each week, Channel 7 “Eyewitness News” is the most-watched local news in New York and the United States. WABC-TV also produces the No. 1 syndicated talk show, “LIVE with Kelly and Mark,” which is seen in more than 200 markets across the U.S. Quality news and programming, groundbreaking technology, and ongoing community outreach are the hallmarks of excellence that have consistently kept WABC-TV New York’s No. 1 station and the most-watched television station in the nation. 

The Director of Research role would work independently and own relationships across internal stakeholders, including the President and General Manager and other WABC senior leadership, and the President of the Owned Television Stations. This role will provide detailed audience insights on Eyewitness News, syndicated programming, local events, and ABC Primetime using data from Nielsen and syndicated research. 

This role will require you to work on various ad hoc requests, including large-scale project initiatives for the Owned Television Stations. The data shared through your insight and expertise will help influence business decisions.

What You Will Do:

• Works directly with the Department Heads to understand measurement needs.

• Manage Nielsen relationship with weekly meetings to monitor the Nielsen sample and measurement techniques to ensure an accurate measurement. 

• Work with the VP of News to provide a detailed analysis of news programming

• Maintain program names for Nielsen measurement.

• Distills internal and syndicated data sets into actionable insights to best position WABC vs. competitive sets

• Creates stories with data related to WABC audience consumption and behavioral profiles.

• Field requests from senior leaders for larger insights projects.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Minimum of 8 plus years of media/market research experience with a strong focus on advertising research at a media company or advertising agency

• Must have a comprehensive understanding of the media business.

• Experience working across linear, digital, and social platforms

• Experience leading, mentoring, and managing junior team members

• Expertise in measurement theory and research design

• Experience working with third-party research vendors developing new media measurement solutions

• Proficiency with media measurement tools, including Nielsen TV ratings products, MRI / Simmons, Adobe Omniture SiteCatalyst, comScore, Nielsen NMI, Talkwalker, and Listen First

• Strong client management skills, time management skills, written and oral communication skills

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

• Computer experience with vendor-based software, as well as Windows-based PC software (PowerPoint, Excel, Word); proficiency with survey deployment software and/or SPSS is a plus, including control/exposed studies.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

The hiring range for this position in New York is $167,100 to $271,400 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.