July 28, 1999
Students tuned into live radio
Carol South
Herald contributing writer
It was not a week for shyness. Live radio is not a time to find yourself tongue-tied, as eight junior high school students learned firsthand last week.
Participants in the 'So You Want to Be A Radio Announcer' course, these students had a chance to break out of their shell while at the same time trying out a career as a disc jockey. Offered through the College for Kids at Northwestern Michigan College's Extended Education Service, the class took participants on a week-long journey into the world of radio, WNMC style.
It was a ride that included live airtime with thousands of listeners hanging on their every word. The week culminated with each student hosting a 15-minute show they created, which included music they picked out, introductions to the songs and an interview by Rita Melotti, general manager of the station and host of Community Connection.
"I thought it was cool to hear myself, I sang my own songs for my show," said Lindsay Gonda, 13. "I am in acting and this is helping me, it's another audience. I've been thinking about being a DJ, it sounds really neat. I think it would be secondary if my acting career didn't work out."
So while Steve Miller and surf music may not be the usual fare dished up on these alternative airwaves, the kids were jazzed up at the chance to make a statement for listeners using the music they chose. Each segment was built around a theme, which ranged from sports to animals to the beach, as students shared something important to them with the listening audience.
"I chose a beach theme because I love it, I live near a beach at home," said Stephanie Cusworth, 13, from Westford, Mass., who took the class while on an annual summer visit with her grandparents. "I like talking in front of people and all kinds of music, so this was great."
The class was led by Melotti and Marti Alvarez, office staff and personnel director for the station. For two hours each morning, they guided students through all the ins and outs of running a studio, including how to power up, navigate the musical archive and research and develop a show.
For a homework assignment, students also listened to the station's programs Alternating Currents and one other weekly segment and wrote a paper discussing what they heard, if they liked it and how it differed from what they usually listened to on the radio. They also wrote about their overall experience of the class, what they learned and what they liked about the broadcasting field.
"We wanted them to get on-air experience and see what it is like to get interviewed," Melotti said. "This course let them know what we do and how we do it and how we are different from commercial radio stations."
At the beginning of the week, it was a quiet group completely intimidated by the microphone. By the middle of the week they had some air time under their belt and were clamoring for the chance to read weather report or public service announcement over the air.
"There was not a word out of them on Monday," Alvarez said. "Tuesday, they were picking out music and started talking on the air. Hands-on time is when they opened up."
Students also learned about the legalities of running a radio station with a crash course in FCC regulations. The amount of hoops a station jumps through every day surprised some students.
"I didn't know there were so many rules and regulations in radio," said Elliot Nelson, 13, who aspires to be a DJ and picked a sports theme for his show. "For example, I didn't know you had to give the station identification at the top of every hour or that you can't tell prices over the radio."