radio has been used in the United States for many years to inform listeners of all ages about various topics. One group of kids decided it was time for more radio shows that focus on young people. 1 What's amazing about this station is that it's run mainly by children, some of them as young as 7 years old.
Radio Buzz thinks that the community's young children should learn to take responsibility for the content and presentation of their shows. On a quick visit to Buzz's studios one evening, I found about 50 kids from the ages of 7 to 17 working on different parts of their regular evening show called "Kids Rule the Airwaves." The sound engineer was an experienced 10-year-old, Mike Philips, who has been "working" at Buzz for two years.
When listeners tune into the daily show, they are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the program not only technically, but also in terms of the variety and range covered have Children even younger than her learned to be storytellers (mostly sharing original work they have written themselves) and comedians for the "Laugh A Minute" spot. The show airs live, so there can't be any mistakes!
Like Steve a nervous parent just before admits that is a piano recital, Steve admits that there is really nothing to worry about. When he first started working with the children, he thought they, too, should have been nervous. But over the years it has been observed that children respond very positively to their new roles and gain a huge amount of self confidence. They carry out their tasks very professionally and even keep the adults around on their toes. While I was interviewing Steve, he suddenly said, "Id better get down to Studio 3 as we're about to go air." He had been given the signal to go by 9-year-old program manager, Dan Stone.
After further investigation I discovered that this year Buzz took on about 20 young people to offer them training in their chosen area. Of course, they shouldn't have worried about upsetting local teachers. The teachers themselves admit that since the children have started working on Radio Buzz their academic performance has improved.
Teachers and parents recommend their children for the training program and selection procedures are very strict. Steve Wright says, "We encourage equal opportunities and also try to get a balance of ages. Younger children are proud to have the support of their family and friends and the ones know that the skills they learn will be a definite advantage when they start looking later on. We believe kids ought to have the opportunity to focus on what they're interested in doing."
Radio Buzz's goal is to start other stations around the world. So, who knows, maybe you'll be volunteering soon to help produce your you own show.