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Youth radio show delivers Cherokee news
By Derek Hodges
“Good morning, this is Drew Grant.”
With that Grant, and “Cherokee One Feather News,” are on the air with headlines from the reservation.
The show is produced by Merritt Youngdeer and narrated by members of Cherokee’s Youth in Radio Program. The group works in studios at Cherokee Youth Center. The fruits of the students’ labors are broadcast on WWCU 90.5 FM at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday, with an online simulcast at www.wwcufm.com.
Merritt Youngdeer, left, directs Cherokee High School student Drew Grant in narration for “Cherokee One Feather News.” The show, which is produced by Cherokee’s Youth in Radio program at the Youth Center in Cherokee, brings news from the reservation to listeners of WWCU-FM. In addition to the news show, Youth in Radio also offers other educational opportunities for students of all ages. – Herald photo by Derek Hodges
“It’s really a great program,” said Youngdeer. “These kids can really surprise you with what they know and what they can do.”
Youngdeer, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, was hired to create and direct Youth in Radio last May. With experience in radio news, Youth Center leaders thought he would be a perfect fit for the program they were creating.
Since that time Youngdeer has, with a little help, remodeled two unused rooms into studio and meeting space, and built an educational program that’s gaining regional attention.
“When I came here these rooms were literally just storage space,” Youngdeer said. “We painted them, added some insulation for sound proofing, and installed the production equipment. It took a little doing, but this is the nicest studio I’ve ever worked in. I’ve really been able to get whatever we’ve needed.”
With completion of the studio, Youth in Radio was born. The program was conceived as an opportunity for students to learn about radio production, and develop their own talents and an interest in the news, Youngdeer said.
The program began with students in the Youth Center’s summer program. Youngdeer worked to teach them radio editing and production techniques, along with developing their on-air abilities. While only the news show has been broadcast so far, the studio is equipped to play music and record student shows.
“Some of the kids come in here and DJ their own shows, stuff they just come up with,” Youngdeer said. “We’ve also got some kids who love to come in here and sing. We record them so they can hear themselves.”
However, having fun isn’t the only purpose of Youth in Radio.
During a meeting at Western Carolina University, which owns and operates WWCU-FM, Youngdeer began considering the addition of the news program to the program’s work.
“It sounded like a great opportunity for the kids and the community,” he said. “The folks down in Cullowhee and Sylva would get to hear news from the reservation that they might not otherwise hear.”
Youngdeer spoke with Cherokee High School staff members, who recommended members of its Horizons Program for gifted students participate in the news show. After a few discussions with Horizons teacher Kevin Norris, Cherokee One Feather News had two classes of student narrators ready to go.
Producing the show is a nearly weeklong process. It begins with Norris picking up a copy of The Cherokee One Feather, the reservation’s newspaper. On Wednesday, Norris reviews the paper’s stories with his students, allowing them to choose the ones they want to narrate for that week’s program.
“The first thing we do is we go with the front page things and editorials,” Norris said. “Then the kids pick the stories that interest them.”
One student chimed in that he prefers the shortest stories he can find, while another said his choices were the longer ones.
After picking their stories, students then practice them. Production begins when one class visits the studio to record their part of the news show Thursday morning. After the second class reads their stories on Friday afternoon, Youngdeer quickly edits the show and sends it via the Internet to WWCU.
“Friday afternoon is really intense because I have a short amount of time to finish the show and get it over there,” Youngdeer said.
The program provides an oft-needed diversion from typical classroom activities, and has several educational benefits, Youngdeer said.
“The students get to learn more about their community and its news,” Youngdeer said. “We also go over words they don’t know, so they’re increasing their speaking ability. We have some kids that don’t read very well, and this can be an incentive for them to learning reading skills. It also can help build their self esteem and develop their ability to work in a team.”
The program is also providing advantages to WWCU, said Don Connelly, Western’s director of electronic media.
“I am pleased that these high school students will be learning about the pressures and pleasures of working in broadcasting and that our listeners will get news from Cherokee they might otherwise miss,” Connelly said. “This innovative news program will enhance the university’s already significant relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
When school lets out for the summer, the news desk will be filled by students participating in the Youth Center’s teen program, but listeners may also hear some younger voices.
“I try to get even the little ones in here,” Youngdeer said. “I’m trying to develop their talent.”
Summer participants will also have the chance to help produce a radio theater program. Program members will read “Ghost Legends of Tsa-la-gi,” a script written at the center. That reading will be recorded and sent to local radio stations.
The students will also continue a project already in progress, interviewing and recording tribal elders who served in the U.S. military. That work is part of a statewide initiative to preserve veteran’s stories. The interviews are recorded and may be broadcast on WWCU, as well as National Public Radio stations and the tribe’s cable public access channel.
Youngdeer has high hopes for the future of Youth in Radio.
“There’s a lot of potential with this program,” he said. “We’re not ‘on the air’ so to speak now, but that’s definitely a possibility for the future. I know the tribe has been looking at the possibility of starting a radio station for several years. We’d like to do that here, with a low-watt FM station, but we need to do our homework before we do that. I just want to show everyone that, if we do start a station, it would be educational and it wouldn’t interfere with anything commercial around here.”
In order to keep the program growing, Youngdeer said he will need some help.
“We’re going to need some interns from Western,” he said. “I had one last year, but he graduated in December, so I’m really hoping I can find a few for this summer. It goes down to logistics. I’m the only one here, so I’ve got to make the best use of my time. If I had some help we could do a lot more.”
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