Weekday High's blog

Moving on...

2010-07-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

We're moving exclusively to our homepage at kuow.org and to our Weekday High page on Facebook. Check us out there for all the updates from Weekday High 2010!

Seattle's Popular C89.5 Run by Teenagers

2009-12-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

2009-12-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

Sailing into the Sunset

2009-08-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the internship program is officially over. *Sniff.* I'm actually quite sad. The kids came to us clueless about radio, but they've turned into savvy young journalists who can ace interviews and turn around their edits quickly (and remember to turn their mics off during the answer portion of phone interviews - good job, Bryce & Michelle!). In short... we're really proud.

We're also proud of the 12 sharp podcasts they produced this summer! From braving haunted stores and ice cream freezers to cuddling kittens, our intrepid reporters did it all.

Here are some highlights from the LAST DAY EVER of Weekday High 2009:

-- Nathan speeds through the final edits of Podcast #12 (aka Keano Kuddles Kittens), and searches for a quality version of "American Pie" (Don McLean's song, not the movie) to end the show;

-- Molly, Artur, Beno & Lizzie chat with Steve Scher LIVE on Weekday about the program and their pieces;

-- Nathan takes photos like a proud Papa;

-- Molly is put on the spot while live on air: "ARE YOU GOING INTO JOURNALISM, LITTLE GIRL???";

-- The trauma is over! Steve signs autographs, much to Artur & Lizzie's delight. Nathan takes more photos;

-- Irene & Artur work on the WeHigh "diplomas";

-- we listen to the past week's podcasts and nearly pee in our pants laughing at Artur and Molly's embarrassing moments;

-- WeHigh collaborates with Carolyn Adolph and PIJ;

-- Irene hands out diplomas - emphasis on the handshakes - to much "Pomp & Circumstance";

-- Nathan takes photos, before handing Irene her diploma. (He didn't fail her!);

-- the laptops and kits are cleaned, velcroed up and locked away;

-- WE SAIL AWAY! (No, really. We did. On an actual boat.) Molly's Dad, Jim, takes us sailing on their sweet family boat at Shilshole. It's a lovely day... the water gleams silver, and the varying greys of silhouetted mountains rest in the background. Molly tacks & jibs & bounces around the boat barefoot. Her Dad tells plenty of great stories... and steers us around Princess Cruise Lines and mammoth-sized sea lions. Thanks again, Andersons!

-- A few group photos, many many hugs... and it's time for Nathan and Beno to race to their Sounders game.

-- Michelle forgets her bag in the trunk of Irene's car, and Keano (in true Keano style) races it back to her. By jumping a fence. And leaping off a 15-foot structure. Nearly giving Irene a heart attack.

And so, Weekday High 2009 comes to an end. Bittersweet, but oh... oh, so sweet.

It has been wonderful, darlings. You have made us all proud.

And now, to quote Artur... "I'm going to go cry myself to sleep."

Caffeine + Bryce = inzane!

2009-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

It’s our last Tuesday here at Weekday High and things are starting to slow down. Molly is still gone but has promised a sailing trip on Thursday!

-Keano made an awesome vox pop and took care of some other chores.

-Lizzie updated her PRX account and got yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

-Artur took care of “the pledge spot stuff” and tried in vain to beat Nathan’s high score in hearts.

-Beno learned about star trek and wasted some time online.

-Bryce and I finished our last podcast ever for weekday high. Bryce drank a whole can of wired and then felt sick.

-Irene had a disastrous interaction with a pair of headphones.

-Nathan edited audio like a mad man.

This has been Michelle Dutro for Weekday High. Thanks for stopping by.

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-08-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's finally here: the beginning of the end. Today was the start of our last week of Weekday High. It really doesn't seem possible, wasn't it just yesterday we were being interviewed for the internship? Apparently life comes at you fast, and when you're having fun it can send time into warp speed.

Where does that leave us now? Wrapping things up, of course! We're all getting our stuff together to complete our final podcasts. That's pretty much what everyone did today, just working like the professionals we are to perfect our work. However boring that sounds, it's the truth.

In other news:

Artur and Molly finished their podcast on Friday, so they're officially done! Artur spent his time getting lost on buses in Kenmore and loading his interviews on PRX. Molly is gone for the next few days at Survival Camp (or so I'm told) and won't be back until Wednesday.
Keano brought in 10 Wired Energy drinks from his school radio station. These drinks inspired Bryce and Michelle to choose a topic for their last podcast: ENERGY (which they will be hosting tomorrow).
Beno and I hosted our podcast on Breaking Cultural Barriers which we both think turned out pretty well, despite our worries of clichés around every corner. Nathan edited it to perfection and posted it to http://www.kuow.org/weekdayhigh/2009_stories.php . Check it out and leave a comment on our Facebook page!
Speaking of Facebook, we had over 130 fans by 5pm today!!! Whoo hoo!!!
Irene was in Portland so when Artur called her in a panic to say he'd be late today, she laughed at him. Hope you enjoyed your vacation, Irene!
We also managed not to break anything with our office soccer, despite the false alarms we had on Friday. I guess we're becoming more coordinated?

Yep! Thats all for now, folks. This has been Lizzie Kirschner, for Weekday High. Goodnight, and good luck.

They included us!

2009-08-15T18:01:00.001-07:00

NPR just put out their iPhone app and we actually show up as a program.

2009-08-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

So we've made it through two weeks of podcasts here at Weekday High. We listened to the entire weeks worth of podcasts today, and we noticed a lot of improvement.... I think we might actually be starting to get the hang of this whole radio thing! Seriously, if you haven't checked out the podcasts recently, drop what you're doing and start listening now!

- Lizzie and I kept working on our show for next week. Lizzie interviewed somebody from the Swedish Cultural Center and walked away with a pass for free swedish pancakes! I wish I could get some swedish pancakes....

-Molly and Artur were hard at work compiling some hilarious embaressing stories for their show on Monday, and preparing for their interview tomorrow with Professor Gross.

-When Molly wasn't doing that, she was mocking my personal essay on an experience I had overseas. She hurt my feelings pretty badly, but I think I'll be able to suck it up and finish editing the essay on Monday.

-Bryce was editing his tape that he got at the dog park yesterday. Keano was on top of things as usual, he went and recorded some pieces for the pledge drive.

Afterwards, we went to Nathan's for a small fiesta. It was a BBQ for the ages. We played several heated rounds of botchey ball, and learned that Keano has been hit by a car far too many times.

P.S. I got my wisdom teeth out this morning so I apologize if this post doesn't make any sense.
Pain meds....

Also, as promised, here's a photo of the hip hop group Brothers From Another. You heard about them in Wednesday's podcast...

A PAWFECT DAY

2009-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday. Was great. The majority of us got to interview the amazing Ginger Castleberry, an assistant stage manager at the Seattle Opera Company. We got an insider's look at the makings of operas like The Ring! A 17-hour opera that takes place over 4 days! That's a lot of singing! On the subject of music Beno P. and Michelle D. podded up with The Sounds of The Mixing Board, our 7th podcast! It included an interview with rap group, Brothers From Another and a WeHigh JAM SESH!

-I was fortunate enough to inteview PAWS Companion Animal Shelter Director, KayJoubert, about the current state of animals. Also I tried to collect some VoXPoP over at the Golden Gardens dog park.

-Artur was hard at work putting the final touches on his Thursday econo podcast!

AND thats about what I know about yesterday. From my perspective it was PAWFECT and I hope everyone else at WeHigh had a PAWFECT Wednesday too.

Stay Classy, Seattle

2009-08-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty intense. Lizzie and Bryce's podcast went up on our website. I still haven't listened to it but it sounds promising. That is our sixth episode I believe.

I had to get to the station at 9 this morning because I had a phone interview with esteemed journalist H.L. Hall at 9:30. Once I stomached my nerves and got through that, Seattle Times called me at 1 telling me that Mr. David Boardman would be awaiting my call at 3. So the brilliant Irene (AKA The Editor) helped me prepare for this interview in the little time that I had. I ended up doing okay and got some really good quotes. I'm meeting Kee-Kee and Mr. Friend at the Seattle Drum School at 10:30 tomorrow to record our hosting.

Now let's look into what the other interns were up to!

- Molly spent all day thinking of ideas for our Monday podcast. Also, Bryce made her and Nathan laugh so hard they both vomited out their small intestines, which entangled and it was disgusting.

- Bryce, I'm not actually sure what Bryce was doing all day, other than instigating the above.

- Michelle was sitting next to me like all day editing... something. She also got pizza and didn't eat the crust, that pissed me off.

- Lizzie tried to make conversation with me while I ate pizza and drank crushed ice. God I hate crushed ice. She also beat me around and battered me with her volleyball, in addition to not getting anything done on her podcast except coming up with the following list of ideas:

• Animals

• Cars

• Malls

• Environment

It will be groundbreaking I'm sure.

- Kee-Kee was doing interviews for my economy show that comes out this Thursday. He is interviewing some top notch music producers because apparently small music labels are the only ones who can afford to sign new artists nowadays.

- Beno was so quiet all day I actually have no idea what he was up to. Probably something amazing. He was editing constantly.

I'm so informative!

Barbeque at Nathan's house on Thursday!

WeHigh goes to Funkytown

2009-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's what I learned yesterday: having interns bring instruments to the station and then trying to get them to get stuff done makes for an interesting experience. But luckily we were all pretty productive yesterday, despite a few drumming breaks. Heres what went down...

-Bryce and Lizzie wrapped up their show on teen expression. Its called "Express it" and they go talk to some people at Seattle Art Museum, youth speak, and our very own Artur Sapek. Give it a listen, its pretty darn interesting and made me feel like doing some art. Fingerpainting, anyone?

-Beno and Michelle continued working on their show about music.

-Artur returned from what he calls "hell" ( but in my experience, Ellensburg isn't really that bad) and began coming up with ideas for his upcoming shows. On our break he went and bought a huge tub of Mint chocolate chip ice cream from Rite Aid. I guess he was hungry.

-Keano set up some interviews with people at "Burning Building Records" about how the economy is affecting small record labels.

-And I came up with some ideas for my show with Artur on monday. Its gonna be fun, we have a sweet theme idea and lots of cool plans for stories.

We ended the day with a recorded jam sesh in what seemed like the worlds smallest recording booth when all seven of us were in it. I was on the djembe, Bryce played the spoons, Lizzie rocked out on an aluminum water bottle, Artur tried his hand at recorder, Michelle went crazy on the harmonica, Keano snapped and Beno stole the show with Lyrics like "Funkytown". It was good.

Ellensburg

2009-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Glad I'm out of there.

It's not my day to blog, but I thought I'd write something about camp because I was there for like three days and missed two days of the 'ship for it.

The camp was based in CWU, where the guys' dorms were amazing and the girls for some reason got put in these brick-wall dorms with no bathrooms or AC. It was one of the bigger topics of discussion throughout camp.

I saw Mr. H.L. Hall speak twice, and a third time our staff met with him and he critiqued our paper in front of us. I didn't ever get an interview with him, as the camp director never emailed me back and I felt too awkward and busy already to ask him for an interview personally.

While there I took a 16ish-hour course in InDesign over those three days. I also took shorter, 1-hour courses in Opinion and Feature writing, and the psychology behind Graphic Design.

The food was horrible. I ended up going to Domino's three times. Amazingly, through the balance of me not eating anything else the whole time, I didn't gain any weight. And I was kind of hoping to. Dang.

The overall city of Ellensburg is incredibly boring. I could not live there, I'd either lose my mind or become an alcoholic.

I was disappointed in how optimistic everyone was about the future of journalism, not once did anyone bring up any possibility of the fall of print journalism. This made it completely awkward for me to try and start my story anywhere because there really was no story.

I had a brief phone conversation with Lizzie while there and that reminded me of everyone and how great you guys are. I'm excited to return Monday and start on my economy podcast. I also have to find a musical instrument now I guess. Fudge. I am not a musician.

Work, Candles, and Office Soccer!

2009-08-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today I got into KUOW at 9am with high hopes to start and finish my podcast in one day, but with only half an hour to host the show at the end of the day it looks like I will be in tomorrow.

I had an interview at 10 with Joe from PCC
Molly had an interview with a local youth garden place
Michelle and Beno worked on their show coming up
Bryce... Bryce was doing something productive!!!

But the best part was when I had 18 min. left to finish the hosting and every one walks right into the studio singing happy birthday to me... I can't complain those chocolate dipped strawberries were the bomb (THANKS IRENE). Now for the weekend! oh ya and we almost broke the laptops and the printer playing soccer on the second floor! NOW its time for the weekend!

We Aint Nothin But Mammals

2009-08-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today Nathan's plan to see the new penguin exhibit at the zoo for free was finally made a reality. Beno, Nathan, and I all went down to visit woodland park zoo for an on site recording of our first show based on the economy. Yay for economy Thursday!

Some highlights:

- Beno decided that Nathan is a giraffe. He also successfully completed his first show. Way to go! He also tried to get me lost at the zoo despite her clear directions.
- Keano found out that pure imagination got messed up. L then “did nothing.”
- Lizzy and Bryce disappeared for about two hours after our break. And apparently ran four blocks trying to catch a bus.
- I had some flash backs from her childhood while singing along to lion king songs after visiting the zoo.
- Molly made plans for Mondays show and finished up a vox pop on party schools for the conversation.
- Nathan had some fun recording Beno and I at the zoo then worked his magic with the sound we gathered.
- Irene edited some stuff and helped us interview the whale poop guy. She also fixed the ruined podcast. Thank You Irene!!

Our first week of podcasts is almost over. Good work everybody. Irene says, “today was mostly herding cats and organizing” no one really knows whats up with the cat thing… = )

Oh what a day....

2009-08-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ever stood on the edge of a freeway, watching all the cars buzz by at unnaturally high speeds? The blurr of quickly moving objects is almost mesmirizing and can send onlookers into dazed trances of awe. Yeah, you would have been put in the exact same trance if you had seen us interns at work today.

We worked faster than the busiest bees, trying to complete assignments or start new ones. Overall, we were very productive and finished a lot. Totally busy day.

Highlights include:

Premier of second podcast Got Fear! Artur and I came in early to finish it completely. In the end, Nathan "Superman" Friend did most of the finishing touches to make it beautiful. Check it out for yourself at http://www.kuow.org/weekdayhigh/2009_stories.php .
Michelle and Keano are almost done with their delectable podcast, which will air tomorrow. They were super efficient by finishing their voicing before noon. Rockstar power!
Beno edited down his abundance of recordings from camp. His story will air on Thursday, along with other pieces about the economy. Hopefully this is one recording we can "afford" to hear (hahahahahaha........).
Bryce and Molly worked on collecting sounds and stories for Thursday's show. They also started to jot down ideas for future shows. All very exciting stuff!
On a sadder note, someone pointed out that we are a little over half way done with the internship. Pretty much broke our hearts. Why must time move so quickly?

All right, thats all folks! Lets keep powering through the week! Lizzie out.

PS: Bye Artur! Have fun at journalism camp!

Spread the Word

2009-08-03T18:36:00.001-07:00

Take the most awesome thing that you can think of. Picture it in your mind. Now multiply that level of awesomeness by two. That's really the only way I can think of to articulate just how mind-blowing the first episode of The Mixing Board really is.

In case you were wondering, the first episode of The Mixing Board podcast was released today. It's as sharp as a knife and sweet as cherry pie. Bryce and Molly did a terrific job of hosting, keeping the show fresh and interesting throughout as they explored human memory in a variety of ways.

Tell your family. Tell your friends. Tell your enemies. Everybody should subscribe to the podcast on itunes. You can find it by searching "weekday high". Or you can listen online at online at http://www.kuow.org/weekdayhigh/2009_stories.php .

Looking ahead...

-Lizzie and Artur were hard at work recording for tomorow's podcast. You might want not want to listen to their show if it's late at night. It's all about fear and will feature some of the scaaariest moments that our interns can remember.

-Michelle and Keano were all business as well, putting together their plan for Wednesday's show. I'm not going to spoil their theme quite just yet. All i'm gonna say is that it's about to be "sweet".

-I spent the day editing tape that I brought back from camp, where I spent the last week. Michelle, Bryce, and I are all working on stories for the Economy show on Thursday.

This has Beno Picciano, keepin' it real for Weekday High.

I tried to make a logo or something ):

2009-08-03T00:54:00.000-07:00

Here's what I came up with ):

I'm tired ):

I hope everybody had a nice weekend.

BIRTHINGS AND BIRTHDAYS!

2009-07-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

The 1st ever of the 2009 Weekday High '09s podcasts was born yesterday! BIRTHDAY GIRL Molly and I recorded the hosting material for PodCast #1! We celebrated Molly's B-day with a cake provided by Irene. She made it herself and it was truly good!

Its flavors and decorations might even be said to rival that of the Chef In the Hat's who we were lucky enough to interview about life and his truly amazing culinary skills! Thierry"the Chef In the Hat" Rautureau talked with us about everything from, his Seattle Restaurant, Rover's, five course vegeterian meal all the way too! Using every part of the pig's body minus the eyes and hooves. It was a truly cool experience for all of us!

-Michelle and Keano were hard at work planning next Wednesday's podcast! Which I'd tell you about if I had their consent, but I don't so that could be equated almost to E-Snitchin! Something most definitely forbidden in the Digital Era Etiquette article published by Wired magazine.

-Why do I bring up Wired magazine? Well LIZZIE and I were able to sit in on The Conversation and hear the sounds of a couple of Ice Cold Ones being cracked open, as Ross Reynolds interviewed an assortment of people including Wired Magazine's editor!

-Artur and Lizzie had to brave the heat, as they ventured out to interview a local gargoyle shop owner about her inventory and other things of the gargoyle nature!

-Beno is still at camp! Our best wishes go out to him hopefully being inside an air-conditioned cabin!

As you now know Irene was baking cakes for birthdays all days! But when she wasn't bakin' she was assisting us interns with our works! THANKS IRENE :D

Nathan Friend was "way too saucey," he exclaimed throughout the day! We aren't sure what "saucey" means but we are sure that Nathan is one helluva sound booth controller as he recorded Molly and me in our rantings and ravings! Hey, we were excited! PODCAST #1!!!!!

7/30/09 was a good day and it was awesome and Weekday High 09 is awesome... so pay attention, and please remember to check out our Podcasts which start this MONDAY!

The Mixing Board

2009-07-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

It's Official. We finally decided on a name. Our success was due in part to our creation of a mission statement. So with that in mind, we decided on "The Mixing Board". Although I think all of us interns were still lobbying for the title "Genie In a Pod-dle", but for some reason Nathan and Irene weren't too crazy about it. This all went down on Tuesday, the 28th. Here's some other stuff that we did...

-Lizzie continued creating her story on home-made ice cream. I haven't heard it, but I've heard it's quite mouthwatering.

-Keano began working on our audio introduction. He's a pro at Adobe Audition (the program we use for editing) so we are all excited to hear the final product.

-Michelle began compiling our "voxpops" about hats. Hopefully they will be featured soon on our podcast so you can hear them. They're pretty funny.

-Artur spent the day editing his tour of Thenos Dairy. He got to take a behind the scenes look at the making of the delicious ice cream at Thenos. Is all this talk of ice cream making you hungry?

- And Bryce and I began work on our first Podcast. After tossing around a few themes ( notably "cats hating water"), we decided on childhood memories. I mean, who doesn't have some great (and usually hilarious) memories of their younger days? We will look into one of Lizzie's favorite childhood memories, talk to an expert about the things we remember and maybe include some voxpops. Look forward to that show on "The Mixing Board" next Monday. And if you have a favorite memory to share, leave a comment!

103°

2009-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Everything today from getting rejected by the gargoyle lady to watching a tattoo artist bash painters to feeling my own flesh slowly melt off my bones was amazing. It was an editing day today. After I sat in on the Conversation, which was quite exciting, I went downstairs where we all worked on ice cream stories for the rest of the day. I gotta come in early tomorrow to get a head start on my vox pop editing that I'm a little behind on. But I got my tour all done! I'm excited for that to be played live if that does end up happening. And Molly keeps telling me to do a logo for WeHigh. And I want more gelato. Fudge. There's a lot on my mind right now.

No, that's a lie. The only thing on my mind is Nathan singing "Big Rock Candy Mountain." It was mesmerizing.

Monday July 27, 2009

2009-07-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

We got in to KUOW with our recording equipment and started off editing our ice cream interviews. Then I went up to a confrence room and sat in on a meeting "The Conversation" was having for their show on the 28th. Then I went back down to my laptop edited the ice cream audio some more and when 5 pm hit I went over to the on-air studio to sit in on Patricia Murphys shift.

The End of Week Two

2009-07-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Our second week of training has officially come to a close and it looks like us weekday higher's are starting to the get the hang of things. During our Thursday meeting we planned out how our podcasts are going to work. We got everything figured out except the name. So far we're sticking with wepod, but hopefully some creative thinking this weekend will result in a better name. = )

Our homework this weekend promises to bring us some relief from the heat. Hopefully some locally made icecream will offer some respite as we explore stores in the greater seattle area. Working to create our first real vox pop is sure to bring us more experience. Have an awesome rest of the weekend everybody!

For Weekday High, I'm Michelle Dutro = )

The One in Which FTP Fails Us

2009-07-23T00:47:00.000-07:00

Today: new radio trio is born, ftp foils us, and Bryce coughs up a hairball.

Some highlights:

-- The invention of "B A M". (See previous post.) Translation: "B"ryce, "A"rtur and "M"olly. If they all host a show together, they're going to rock the radio (and acronym) world. BAM! They're stirring up some show ideas... keep them coming, WeHigh!

-- Beno's battle with Audition & ftp. Poor guy. The system kept skipping on him and foiling progress. Tech says the ftp was down. It cost Beno two computers and multiple hours. (And no, he was not blushing.) Once he's done, though, he'll have a great piece on refereeing amongst crazy soccer parents.

-- Keano, besides being super swift on Audition, is bringing back the hat and longboard. (Photos to come.)

-- Bryce comes up with great audio to accompany his essay. It's about his love of pets... and the 17 cats he once lived with. There's also some great audio involving a coughed up hairball, but let Bryce show you that.

-- Molly describes "tacking" and other joys of sailing. Her audio and adjectives make me feel like taking to the high seas....

-- Michelle and Lizzie wrap up their first Audition project. Rock stars!

B A M

2009-07-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

The best talk show to never happen.

Apologies to Molly, the bus went over a ditch in the road or something when I was drawing your eyes.

Welcome back, Keano

2009-07-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

We're finally starting to feel like a full family here at Weekday High with the return of Keano. He came to our first training session but has since been hoofing it through the North Cascades. He's a radio whiz kid, though, so it's great to have him around. Check out his work on Nathan Hale High School's radio station, C89.5.

Anyway, yesterday we crammed into the small conference room for a session on developing a story idea with Weekday's Steve Scher. We like to think of him as Uncle Steve.

Stay tuned in a few weeks for the story we started piecing together yesterday on budget cuts to high school athletics.

In the meantime, we edited scripts and are almost ready to mix together our first pieces. They'll be featured on Weekday High's KUOW webpage.

Bang!

2009-07-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

That's the sound of week two getting off to a great start here at Weekday High.

We spent an hour chatting with KEXP's DJ Shani. She talked about music radio and we explored the overlapping areas of the radio Venn Diagram (Music vs. Talk radio). Turns out the interviewing techniques are the same for a band as they are for a politician (including substance abuse, scandals, and gaffes). And music, like news, is about storytelling. Thanks to DJ Shani for coming in, we look forward to working with her again later in the summer!

I tried my darndest to shake academic writing out of the interns - keep it simple and sharp! Write for the ear, not the eye! Show me, don't tell me!

I leaned heavily on the exercises I learned from the "Host Whisperer," David Candow. We went through this weekend's writing project with the help of Candow's Yellow Flags for Radio Writing. We also started learning how to mouth edit a piece: read two sentences, then look up from the page and say them out loud. Can't do it? The sentences are too long or complicated. Change or move words? That's the order you should stick with. It's basically a way to bypass your eyes and let your mouth and ears do their own editing.

Also, I rambled pointlessly, Bryce ate some pizza, Artur doodled, Beno got sunburned, and the girls just rolled their eyes at us...

Holy Mackerel!!!

2009-07-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

"HOLY MACKEREL!!!"

That's what Bryce said when he asked a guy at Pike Market what he'd do if he had $1000, and the guy whipped out $1000 right there.

All the WeHigh students had interviewed folks at the Market, and they found quite a few juicy characters.

Then... back to the radio station on Thursday to work on:

-- celebrating HAT DAY! (Or, trying to. Some of us forgot hats, so it has been rescheduled to Monday. Props to Artur for his ice fishing/polar bear chasing hat. And Molly for looking like she had her Grandma's garden on her head - picture to come.)

-- editing sound. We learned Adobe Audition by editing THE SOUND OF IRENE'S VOICE reciting the lyrics to... yes... Michael Jackson's "Beat It." (Thank you, Beno, for appreciating my guitar solo. And no, folks, the cover will *NOT* be publicly released.)

-- editing the Pike Market voices. Thumbs up to Michelle for (smoothly) lacing ambient noise underneath, so the sound of the interviewee's voice doesn't cut off all of a sudd--

-- Lizzie also went out on the first job shadow. She went with Amy Radil to a city council meeting and learned quite a bit. Stay tuned for more news as more interns tag along with reporters/producers this summer. It's a really great way to see radio in action in the field!

Then, Mr. Friend assigned - *gasp!* - HOMEWORK. (Are we even allowed to use that word during summer?!) Interns are looking for sounds that mean something to them - e.g., water lapping against a deck reminding you of summers on a boat (Nathan's idea), the tinkle of the bell when you enter the ice cream shop where you had your first summer job. Ah, homework.... Hopefully no one is too traumatized.

NEXT WEEK: Keano arrives!

Pike Place was fun

2009-07-16T11:22:00.001-07:00

Interesting people everywhere.
You guys wanted doodles so here ya go. Metro bus doodles are the best kind.

Radio High at the Market!

2009-07-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

We finally went to Pike Market yesterday... and thank goodness it was sunny! After a quick how-to review on approaching strangers with a large microphone (and after a battery check), the WeHigh team was off and running!

Artur and Lizzie sped out of the gate first. Beno and Michelle carefully checked their levels. Molly and Bryce tagged around with me (okay, so I photo-stalked them, but that's the assistant managing editor's job).

Bryce got some great sound of singers outside Starbucks Coffee, grooving and belting out tunes like "Lean on Me."

Molly chased down two guys with their caps on backwards who tag-teamed when it came to conversing and finished each other's sentences. Lizzie found a man whose hat reminded him of the friend he'd just lost. Beno (who repeatedly refutes rumors of a dolphin tattoo) got some great tattoo buzzing noises. Artur tracked down a fellow with a cool black hat. And Michelle shaked and rattled some chains outside a fishmonger's stall and worked on her "audio postcard."

All in all - despite some sunburns - the day was a success!

Wandering the Ave in Headphones

2009-07-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was all about STORYTELLING. Today was all about WRITING. Writing for RADIO, that is.

Or, as Nathan puts it, we're going to tear apart everything you've been taught about writing and send you back to school in ruins.

Just kidding!

Writing for radio, as we learned today, is about simplifying things. Breaking. Down. The Sentence.

Writing as if you were telling a story to a friend. Writing so it's easy to hear. Folks only hear things once on the radio. So you have once chance to be understood.

Long story short: Simple sentences. One idea per sentence. And write like you're telling someone a story. Not reciting the history of Rome.

Listened to some great audio from Weekday's Katy Sewall (e.g., a 3-year-old with ghoulish tastes, and an earful of the surgery room).

Then to the Ave, to practice using the kits. We lost Beno and Michelle in the bubble tea shop, and Bryce and Lizzie got trapped in the "Second Floor Netherworld"... but otherwise, no one lost yet! We'll save that adventure for tomorrow....

TOMORROW: Pike Market - collecting sound for our first voxpop!

Mr. T and the Bullies

2009-07-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Weekday High yesterday with a bang! (Okay, more with muffins & poor Artur running in breathless after missing his bus stop, but you get the picture.) Here's our roster this year:

- Artur - Least Favorite Band: Jonas Brothers
- Beno - Favorite Sports Team: Need you ask? Seahawks!
- Molly - School Mascot: Kangaroos (boing boing!)
- Michelle - Fave Batman Villain: The Penguin
- Lizzie - School Paper She's Gonna Start: gonna be all about The Ravens
- Bryce - He ain't gonna rap. But his middle name is "Zane."
- Keano - [on a retreat... deep, deep in the mountains]
-... and your administrators: Nathan, Irene & Steve!

Nathan (aka Mr. Friend) put on his teacher voice and gave an overview on storytelling. We started off with the 7-part story, i.e., every story is pretty much made up of 7 lines:

-- 1- Once upon a time....
-- 2- And every day....
-- 3- Until one day....
-- 4- And because of this....
-- 5- And because of this....
-- 6- Until finally....
-- 7- And ever since that day....

Most stories follow this format. Fill in any fairy tale, and you get the picture. So... we came up with stories on a carrot, on the economy, and - yes, it's true - Mr. T saving a kid from a posse of bullies.

But yes, we've got a top notch A-Team this year, and we pity the fools who mess with them!

NEXT UP: Pike Place on Wednesday... the recording kits spring into action!

Weekday High 2009!

2009-07-08T10:57:00.001-07:00

It's that time again, so uncoil the headphones and dust off the microphones, because the Weekday High school Internship Program is about to begin!

The program will start this Monday, July 13, and will feature seven incredibly smart and talented high school students from the Seattle area.

Keep your eye on this blog and the KUOW website for more information as the program progresses. We'll be highlighting the interns' work all summer on this blog, with our podcast, at PRX, and on the air!

TIME FLYS...IT SHOULD HAVE WALKED....

2008-08-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

MAN TIME REALLY FLYS..WHEN REALLY SHOULD HAVE WALKED...

IVE BEEN SICK FOR TWO WEEKS AND IT REALLY SUCKED. I MISSED SO MUCH AND I AM SO MAD. WELL ATLEAST I HAD SOME EXPERIENCE OF BEING A MINI REPORTER/STORY TELLER.

MY LAST STORY A.K.A THE BIG FINALE WAS FUN TO DO. USUALLY I WOULD BE SLEEP AROUND 2AM BUT NOT ON MONDAY. I WAS UP CREATING MY LAST STORY. WHY? WELL I WAS THINKING A LOT, MAINLY ABOUT WHERE I LIVE, HOW I LIVE, AND WHERE I WILL LIVE IN 20 YEARS. WEIRD. IDK...SO I STARTED THINKING ABOUT FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND STARTED TO CREATE MY POEM. (ENJOY)

I DID SOME JOB SHADOWING WITH PHYLLIS YESTURDAY, IT WAS FUN. WE WERE ON A MISSION TO ASK PEOPLE ABOUT GROCERY SHOPPING. FIRST WE WENT TO A PARK BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMOTION GOING ON. THERE WAS LIKE 5 POLICE CARS AND THIS MAN WENT TO JAIL. MAN IT WAS CRAZY!! I ENDED UP GETTING A STORY ON ACCIDENT..LOL..NO REALLY I WASNT SUPPOSE TO BUT THERE WAS 2 WOMEN THAT SEEN THE WHOLE THING SO I WAS INTERESTED IN TALKIG TO THEM.

ANYWAYS WE LEFT THE PARK (IN THE AWESOME HYBIRD) AND WENT TO A LOCALE BUS STOP. IT WAS FUN BECAUSE I SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNEW AND ASKED IF PHYLLIS COULD INTERVIEW THEM. THEY ACCEPTED THE REQUEST. IT MADE THE DAY A WHOLE LOT EASIER.

TODAY IS MY LAST DAY IN WEEKDAY HIGH BUT THIS ISN'T THE LAST YOU'LL SEE OF ME. ILL BE AROUND. I HAD A GREAT TIME. THANKS NATHEN FOR HELPING ME WITH MY STORIES AND BRAD (IF BRAD HAPPENS TO READ THIS FROM SCHOOL) THANK YOU TOO. THANK YOU STEVE FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY. TODEELOO...LOL..TO THE KUOW STAFF AND INTERNS...ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER.

SINCERELY,

DAEDAE WiLLiAMS

Space cars

2008-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Today's show is called "You Don't Have to be a Rocket Scientist." Lillian went to an arcade and talked to some people about the games they like to play, and I did the story about Rocket Racing. It was a lot of fun to do. I got to interview Eric Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh, and that was fun. I also got to interview Granger Whitelaw, which is really a story in itself. Much thanks to both of them for talking to me.

Enjoy !!

Ann

sup WeHigh

2008-08-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted on here in hella ....
This week Ann and I have been hosting the podcast. It's a lot of work and last-minute cramming, especially since I have soccer in the mornings and can't get here till the afternoon. It's pretty fun though, in a tedious way I guess, trying to come up with creative scripts and connect stories. I can't believe Weekday High is almost over! Seems like just yesterday that Brad and Nathan were cracking bad jokes about like... pineapples, or something.

Two podcasts left to host, then the last day.
I'll definitely miss wandering around the mazes of sloped floors here, getting voxpops in the hot sun or cold rain around the U District (thanks to Seattle's dialectical/bi-polar/global warming weather), chillin in the Green Room, editing pieces and just the everday "banter" that goes on here... Hey, I might even miss the arctic-like temperatures of the basement..... Okay no, definitely not.

I'm gonna follow in Lillian's blog-steps and give a big shoutout/thank you to everyone at Weekday High and KUOW. You guys are awesome. Ridiculous at times, yes. But awesome nontheless.

It's been fun.
Mad love, yo!

-Elena

Lucky Number 14

2008-08-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Can you believe today's show is our 14th!?

Today's show highlights Weekday High 2008's theme of Activism. Lillian Warner reports on why teens today are perceived as indifferent towards politics. She talked with an organization called Washington Bus. What she found out proves that most teens aren't apathetic at all. Then, Kat Beame interviews her classmate Keshav. He gets puzzled looks from his peers when he tells them he wants to attend West Point Military Academy. Kat tells us why he puts up with them.
Listen: Apathy is For Losers

(from http://www.washingtonbus.org/)

Here's the Washington Bus that travels around the state. Learn more about them here. They are awesome. The guy I interviewed, Toby Crittenden, was really nice. He was the first person I interviewed that I didn't know. It was a phone interview too, which I had never done either. Irene had to do some frantic made-up sign language telling me to hang up the phone and press the right buttons while I was talking with Toby. Haha.

Sooo Rainy!

2008-08-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hi. It's raining really really hard today. My mom said a funnel cloud was forming on the coast, and funnel clouds are apparently the precursors to tornadoes. ...But I thought Washington never got tornadoes?

Today was really good. It sucks that everything is winding down for Weekday High. I don't think there was one thing I did that I didn't really enjoy. Even hosting. Also, all the people at KUOW are geniunely friendly and interesting (really, really smart, too). Probably one of my favorite things this summer has just been meeting and talking with different people in the hallways and stuff. I knew this internship was going to be good, but I didn't think any job-type thing could be this fun. So I guess this blog entry is just to say thank you to everyone at the station for making it such an awesome place to be. And also to say thanks Nathan, Irene, Brad, and Steve for working with us/teaching us awesome things/letting us be interns and everything.
Also, In the past 6 weeks, I've noticed that I've been writing in shorter and choppier sentences.....
Anyway, to not end on a sappy note, I thought I would post a couple pictures. Here's two from the place I made an audio postcard of, the Night Market in Chinatown.

My awkward microphone and messy hair.

Some old and young people playing Mah-Jong.

Short and Sweet

2008-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
It's my first time hosting and so far it's going well. Today's show includes a vox pop from Capitol Hill, and an essay by Bryce. Enjoy !!
Ann

Voting and Spandex
Listen (MP3)
Monday, August 25, 2008

Young people will be crucial to this year's election, though political activism can take many different forms. Ann Kane talks to youth voters about why they will cast a ballot. Also, Bryce Jacobson is only sixteen, but shares a personal essay about his own influence.

Text me tonight

2008-08-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all-It's Kat and mine's last show as producers. Tomorrow we just become ordinary old interns again. *sigh*I'm sad it's over but also a little relieved. It was a lot of work! I never expected to be working eight hour days......
Anway, today's show is all about texting! Well, not quite. Elena interviewed a friend of hers who is heavily involved in the Obama campaign. And since Obama plans to announce his VP via text message, Kat and I thought it would be fun to do a Voxpop about the importance of texting. Enjoy!

Txt the v0t3
Listen (MP3)
Thursday, August 21, 2008

Barack Obama plans to send his VP choice via text message to supporters, but is it possible to text something meaningful? Kat and Kaitie seek to answer that question. Also, Elena Degel interviews the youngest Obama delegate to the Washington State Democratic Convention.

Music From today's show: Song 1="No Cars Go" by Arcade Fire
Song 2="Someone Great" by LCD soundsystem

Weird Food

2008-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today's show seems to revolve around weird food. Elena, Kat, and myself walked around the Ave sampling bubble tea. I had never had bubble tea before.....It's a little strange in my opinion. Listen to today's show and you can hear all about that. We also have an audio postcard from Lillian. She went to china town and walked around the night market. A night market is a staple of chinese culture and apparently sells lots of weird food-including fried scorpions.
Only one more show left and then Kat and I hand over our producing duties.
Listen Now: Take Me Out: The Night Market Listen (MP3)

Two down, two to go

2008-08-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Phew, second podcast done! Lillian and Bryce had warned me about how long it would take to produce a show, but I didn't really believe them. At first. Now I do. But it's still a lot of fun-and very rewarding. Plus I like telling all my friends I work at KUOW!
Today's show we have an interview with Goodspaceguy. No, you didn't missread his name. His name is actually Goodspaceguy. He's running for the 7th congressional district this year. Kat interviewed him about his views on politics and space colinazation. That's right, space colonization. We also have a VoxPop on the history of people's names (thanks Lillian and Elena!)
Enjoy!
Listen: Out Of This World
Music from today's show: Song 1- "True Faith" by New Order
Song 2-"You Only Live Once" by The Strokes

My Grandma the aid worker

2008-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

On today's show I interviewed my grandma about her experiance as an aid worker in Darfur. Here are some pictures from when she was there.

Listen here: To Grandmother's Tent We Go

Where in the world...

2008-08-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

...is Kaitie's grandma Phyllis? (you better believe I made sure the syllable count works, so you can sing that to yourself all you want).

Well, she was here about two years ago:

View Larger Map

You can find out more about Kaitie's globetrotting, life-saving grandmother by tuning in to Monday's podcast, with new hosts Kaitie Marshall and Kat Beame.

I'm going out in the world

2008-08-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today's my last full day in the Weekday High office. I'll be in briefly on Monday, but then I'm headed out to Springfield, Illinois, for graduate school.
Springfield isn't as in the news, or as in need of aid, as Darfur, but a hundred years ago, it wasn't a peaceful place. There were some pretty terrible race riots in Springfield on August 14th and 15th, 1908. 9 people died. The riots were one of the events that led to the formation of the NAACP. WUIS, Springfield's public radio station, ran a really excellent half hour documentary on the race riots on Illinois Edition last week. You can listen to a stream of it here.
Thankfully, Springfield's a mostly peaceful place today, though the Illinois government (which I'll be covering) has been full of debate the past two years.
And Springfield, Ill. could possibly be the home of The Simpsons (that link might be broken), though I think it isn't, given that Homer and co. go to Capital City, and Springfield's the capital of Illinois.

Darcy Burner and Kazabeth--Adventures at Summer School.

2008-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Too young to vote, but not to volunteer
Today's show is about getting involved. First, we hear what Kat Beam found when she interviewed people involved with the Darcy Burner campaign. Darcy Burner is running for Congress in the 8th District. Kat learned why some people vote, why others don't, and a whole lot of other things. Then, Ann Kane highlights the Urban Impact Youth Summer Camp in South Seattle. She found out that despite popular beliefs, summer school can actually be pretty fun.

Well, that's it--Lillian and I did our time. We wrote, hosted, and produced a whole week of podcasts. Yes! It was painful at first. But we started to get the hang of it around the third show. What will we be doing for the next two weeks? Putting together stories of course. We'll sit in KUOW's basement, locked away in some room with awful lighting for four hours every Monday through Thursday. For two more wonderful weeks. Or at least the other interns will be. I start school on the 25th, so I won't be here for the last week. You'll miss me. Really.

As I type this, Kat and Kaitie (or as I like to call them, Katherine and Elizabeth) are working on next Monday's show. They get to experience all the pain Lillian and I were put through. So exciting. Anyway, stay tuned for Kazabeth!

--Bryce.

Bryce, the Olympian

2008-08-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Olympics have started! To celebrate, we've devoted today's show to sports.

Audio Gold
With the Olympics in progress, the Weekday High Interns thought it appropriate to ask people about their own Olympic moments. You know, those times when you experienced monumental triumph…or failure. Also, should dodgeball be an Olympic sport? Elena Degel reports.

Bryce and I put together the vox-pop from our trip to the Pike Place Market. We asked people about Olympic moments that they've had in their lives. Some people were confused, though, and thought we were asking them if they had been in the Olympics. Those answers didn't make the final cut. Elena's excursion to a community dodgeball game took place at Bobby Morris park.

These were some Olympic Moments too....

Nathan and Brad were wondering today what country's won the most summer Olympic medals per capita.....and the answer was Finland. What was even more surprising is that for both the winter and summer Olympics combined, the country that has won the most medals per capita was Liechtenstein!

Cheese, Leather, and Collectibles

2008-08-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, the Weekday High Interns were released amidst the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market.

Community market, family table
In a series of audio postcards, the Weekday High Interns take you through the Pike Place Market – stopping along the way at Marakesh Leathers, Golden Age Collectables, and Beecher's Cheese. They ultimately end up at Ann Kane's dinner table.

We visited the different shops, interviewing the wide array of people the market attracts. While Kaitie and Kat learned more about Golden Age Collectibles, Lillian and I could be found in Beecher's Cheese, recording squishy macaroni and cheese sounds. While Ann interviewed a young leatherman at Marakesh Leather, Lillian and I recorded the sounds of a swinging trashcan. And after a long day of walking around the market, Ann invites us to her dinner table--a place where she feels she can truly be herself.

Again, Lillian and I are forced to write, host, and produce another show. But it's getting easier and less painful.
Huzzah!

Bryce and Lillian at Pike Place Market

fourth week already?!

2008-08-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog post ever...how strange....
anyway-I can't believe we have started our fourth week here at KUOW! It's going by so fast, probably because it's so fun (awwwww.......).
I interviewed my grandma the other day about her experience as an aid worker in Darfur. I was surpisingly nervous-I didn't expect to be that nervous to interview my own grandmother! But it went well. I learned a lot about my grandma and her experiance. Hopefully I can get some pictures and post them on this blog for all to see.

update by brad: Here's Kaitie as an actress (from our second show)

Voila! The magic of the internet.

People and Places

2008-08-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today's show is about friends.

Winning Friends and Influencing People

Kaitie Marshall and Lillian Warner both know some pretty cool people. Today, they each tell their stories. Kaitie shares some good times she's had at a park, while Lillian talks about her experiences at her friend's house.

This was our first go at producing a real, finished podcast. Our music choices could fit together a little better, we think. We probably won't be having Yo La Tengo, Madonna and the Beatles together in our upcoming podcasts.

Tomorrow's show should be good though. It's about our field trip to the Pike Place Market...which was fun. Brad took some pictures, so we will have those too.

ITS WEIRD..IN A GOOD WAY

2008-08-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

BEFORE I STARTED WEEKDAY HIGH'S INTERNHIP I DIDN'T EXIST (ON THE INTERNET). A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO I TYPED MY NAME IN GOOGLE AND GUESS WHAT POPPED UP? ME...IT WAS ME AND KUOW.ORG POPPED UP TOO. I WAS LIKE WOW...WEIRD IN A GOOD WAY. SO NOW I FEEL IMPORTANT AND SPECIAL!!

2008-08-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today Bryce and I put together the first show that we're hosting on Monday. It was hard. Editing was hard (Brad laughed at Bryce's volume adjustments/fade outs! In a nice way though.), coming up with ideas was hard, sharing ideas was hard, and organizing a script was hard. I hope we did ok. I just have to add, though, that Bryce was awesome at editing and fading and putting stuff together.

But, I have to say, this whole week has been really good. Everyone is so cool and fun to be around. Job shadowing was awesome. I sat in when Sara Lerner interviewed a chef about peaches. I never realized there was a difference between soft peaches and actually ripe peaches. I feel like I've been tricked my entire life...
Also, seeing Gloria Steinem in person today was definitely a highlight.

And yeah, I totally agree with Elena and DaeDae. The room we're in is freezing most of the time.

Thursday: Go to church, or GO TO YOUR ROOM!

2008-08-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Today's show takes a look inward, using our inside voice.

Catching your reflection
For Bryce Jacobson and DaeDae Williams, reflection comes naturally. But both have a complicated relationship with their quiet time. On today's show, Bryce and DaeDae share personal essays about time spent in church and at home, respectively.

Today's show features a crackly version of The Beach Boys' "In My Room." Watch it spin.

Ahh, the vinyl single. I'm old enough to actually own one of these.

It's nice to see the interns posting on the blog. It only took three weeks of prodding...

Grill Sergeants , ABBA , and Passions ..

2008-08-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

So ... I guess this is what we do here at Weekday High .
Go on Facebook and blog .

Ha , just kidding , kind of .

I figured I'd be ( somewhat ? ) productive here and post a blog .
Well let's see .
Yesterday I job shadowed Phyllis Fletcher , an awesome KUOW reporter .
Unfortunately the day was pretty uneventful . We discovered this cooking show "Grill Sergeants" on the Pentagon Channel . Which was hilarious . And awesome .
Then we went to interview a professor at the UW about snow pack/climate change science things .

Anyway , it's pretty fun .
My only complaint is that I'm inside for an entire day , in one of the few months Seattle has of actual decent weather .
Oh and I agree with DaeDae , it's pretty much freezing in here . And it's really hot outside . So every morning I have to debate with myself on whether to dress for heat or cold . It's quite a conundrum .

Now Lillian and Bryce are looking up songs for next week's podcast . So far they've mentioned ABBA , Madonna , and ... musicals ?
Yeah .... good luck with that guys .
Oh and now they're talking about Passions . And soap operas .

Well there it is , my first post on Weekday High's blog .
Uh ... sorry about that . Ha .
I don't really pride myself on my blogging abilities .

- Elena

THIS IS SO COOL

2008-08-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

WEEKDAY HIGH's INTERNSHIP IS SO COOL...ACTUALLY IT'S TOO COOL...I'M FREEZING!! I'M SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE THEIR OWN OPINIONS AND IDEAS AND ITS INTERESTING TO HEAR THEM. BRAD AND NATHEN ARE VERY FUNNY, THEY CRACK ME UP EVERYDAY.

THE ONLY OBSTACLE THAT I HAVE TO FACE 3 TO 4 TIMES OUT OF THE WEEK WOULD BE CARRYING MY EQUIPMENT EVERYWHERE. IT IS SO HEAVY! BY THE TIME THE SUMMER IS OVER I SWEAR I WILL BE ABLE BENCH PRESS 250 POUNDS!..LOL

I LOVE THE PODCAST INTRO, BUT IDK WHAT BRAD WAS DREAMING ABOUT... "BEAUTIFUL PINEAPPLES?" AND ITS GREAT HOW THEY ADDED THE PART WHERE I SAY I LIKE TO STUDY PEOPLE AND I'M NOT STALKING THEM...WOW..THAT SOMETHING I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW...LOL.

OVERALL, THIS IS A GREAT AND OPPURTUNITY FOR ME AND FOR ALL THE INTERNS. I FEEL LIKE AN MINI REPORTER, I FEEL IMPORTANT.

Wednesday: Are you in' or ing?

2008-08-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

At the end of today's podcast, our third, you'll have heard from all seven of the Weekday High interns. So that's another thing you can cross off your "to-do" list.

Starin', racin' and partyin'
Three Weekday High interns tell personal stories using gerunds (only without the “g”). First, DaeDae Williams stares deep into her family’s psyche. Then, Anne Kane enjoys watching a good race. Finally, Elena Degel reflects on the Capitol Hill Block Party.

This show features the musical stylings of Kimya Dawson. Her website is, as expected, kimyadawson.com. She's also on livejournal.
Other music on today's show: Pete and the Pirates' "Ill Love" (which was featured on KEXP's Song of the Day podcast) and Takka Takka's "Everybody Say" (download it from The Daily Rind, like Nathan did).

Tuesday's show: acting out

2008-08-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

We've settled on a general theme for our podcast of activism. We're starting today with the first three letters.

Two tales of two actors
All the world’s a stage, and it’s full of smaller stages. We have interviews with two interns that have found their own stages. Kaitie Marshall discusses the barrier-bridging in her youth theatre’s cast and crew. Then, Kat Beame puts on a suit and tie as part a mock trial.

Above: Kat Beame in the aforementioned suit and tie. Photo by Brittany Carroll-Watts.

This show features a special guest appearance by Weekday host Steve Scher and the Weekday High choir. One of them has been relieved of their duties.

And our theme song of the moment is Yo La Tengo's "You Can Have It All." Hear the whole song here or buy it here.

Podcasts are go!

2008-08-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Like a fledgling duckling preparing to leave its nest, Weekday High has flapped its feathered podcast wings for the first time today. It's a precious yet awkward moment. Here's the show and description:

Welcome to the Weekday High Podcast
It's been a year, but we're back online with a new crop of high school students. Join us as we hear voices from our seven interns as well as managing editors Nathan Friend and Brad Iverson–Long. Today, University Prep senior Kat Beame reflects on the timelessness of campfires.

If all goes as planned, we'll be flying like mighty mallards by the end of the month. Our plan is to produce four shows every week, which will be released Monday through Thursday. If you want to get every episode straight from the source, subscribe to our podcast. Here's the RSS feed. (I'll also post a link in the sidebar.)

If you like what you've heard, let us know. You can leave comments here or, if you really like us, you can be our fan on Facebook.

We'll be back tomorrow, with a bit more feeling.

Better know a story format: Audio Postcard

2008-07-29T09:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we introduced the audio postcard format to the interns. What's an audio postcard? It's like a paper postcard, only with sound. It's short, colorful, and brightens your day. And how do you make one? Kayla Sargent, a Weekday High intern last year, wrote this instruction manual:

How to make an audio postcard by Kayla Sargent
Writing an audio postcard is the same as writing a paper postcard. Except when you send an audio postcard, you don’t need to pay for postage.
When you're sifting through your mail, and you see a postcard, the first thing you look at is the picture on the front. The picture draws you in, and gives you a visual of the place the postcard is from. The first sound of your postcard should do just that. Get sounds from the setting that will enable people to visualize where you are. That sound should be first, just like the picture on the front of a postcard.
If you were going to send a postcard from Hawaii, it would have a picture of a tropical beach on the front. To give the listener that beautiful blue watered beach, record the ambient noise of the beach like waves, seagulls, etc.
Then, you flip over the postcard, and read the letter. The first sentence is usually along the lines of “Hello ____! (Place where you are) is fabulous! Find a way to let the listener know exactly where you are, and what it’s like there. In the postcard from Hawaii, a news report of the weather would serve this purpose, “it’s 77 degrees today in Hawaii.”
Then you go on to tell your friend about all the fabulous activities you are doing. Put in the sounds of those activities. In the Hawaiian postcard, sounds of people playing on the beach, and of a tour guide’s spiel would be good.
Then find a nice way to end the postcard. This is the part that says ‘See you soon,” or “Wish you were here.” To end the Hawaii postcard, native Hawaiian music that slowly faded out would do the trick.
When making an Audio Postcard, don’t limit the sounds you use. Conversations, music, ambient noise, machinery, etc., anything that will take the listener from where they are, to where the postcard is from is good to use. If the place you are visiting doesn’t lend itself as easily a Hawaii, just remember that an audio postcard should tell the listener where you are, what it’s like, and what you are doing there.

Kayla knows what she's talking about. Her audio postcard from the basketball courts at Green Lake (listen to it here; it starts at around 2:50) was featured on NPR's YouthCast last year. It won an award. Kayla even got a free tote bag.
NPR has a more authoritative guide to audio postcards, but it's written by an adult.
This summer's interns will have audio postcards from other areas around Seattle, starting next week.

Days of Interns Past

2008-07-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

This isn't Weekday High's first rodeo or its first summer of producing radio stories. Our past summers' work is available through the links on the right, but they deserve their own post.
Last summer, Steve, Nathan and I worked with a group of girls to produce VoxPod, a podcast and blog (and MySpace page!) that showcased our work. We focused on voices and stories from local communities of choice and chance.
In 2006, Nathan, Steve and the interns focused on their connection to our waterways. You can search KUOW's archives to listen to their work, though much of it was part of a Weekday show on the health of Puget Sound.
The summer of 2005 was theme-less, but the interns produced a batch of good stories focused mainly on their fellow teens. Scan through the archives for stories about teens and dieting, interracial romance, Native American identity, and other meaty topics.
Four years ago was an election year, obviously, and the interns focused on politics at the neighborhood level.
That's all the Weekday High work available online. Weekday High's just a tiny part of a nationwide youth radio movement. Other excellent examples include Youth Radio, Curie Youth Radio, and Generation PRX, as well as the links Nathan cited in the last post.
Have a good listen and a good weekend.

Listening

2008-07-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Producer Jenny Asarnow stopped by Weekday High for a "lesson" on youth radio. I put lesson in quotes because what Jenny really stressed was how flexible, diverse, and creative youth radio can be. So even though we listened to and discussed a bunch of different stories, the take home message was to use them as jumping off points to produce our own unique sounds.

If you're interested, here's what we heard:

- Ghetto Life 101 - by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman in Chicago and Dave Isay in NYC for Sound Portraits

- What we wish we could tell our parents - by Curie Youth Radio students in Chicago

- The Cruz Azul - by Claudia Villa for KRCB's Voice of Youth in Sonoma County, California (and withouth music on The World)

- DNA of the Black Experience - by Anyi Howell for Youth Radio in Oakland, California (and without the poem on NPR)

And as bonus, here are the links to two of the youth radio specials Jenny produced for KUOW - with special help from some Weeday High graduates.

- Getting Raised - "Getting raised isn't easy. In this hour-long special, we hear stories from those who know. Teenagers explain how to deal with in-your-face parents, abusive parents, absent parents and becoming a parent when you're still in high school."

- The Migration Project - "All teenagers search for identity, but some ask "who am I?" in more than one language. Young people tell us what it's like to cross the border, learn language, and lose language. We're not going to pick apart policies. We'll hear what it's like to be a young immigrant."

Impressed...as usual

2008-07-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

You know, this is my fourth year working with the Weekday High School Internship Program (or WeHigh), and each year I continue to be impressed with how quickly the interns pick up the tricks of the trade.

Take yesterday, for example. We did our first lesson on audio editing, never an easy or particularly fun lesson. We (Brad Iverson-Long, or Iv-Lo, and myself) were teaching the interns Adobe Audition, now the industry standard for audio editing. It's a complicated program, even for those of us who have been cutting and fading for some time now (that's NOT a drug reference). But after just an hour of playing around with the program, everyone seemed to have picked up the basics.

They were cutting together and polishing a fake radio program Brad and I threw together just for practice purposes. Here's the raw audio, and this is what it sounds like after some rough editing (to download, scroll to the the bottom of the linked pages, also think they will only stay active for 30 days).

Oh and by the way, the music we grabbed from our friends at KEXP. The songs are I Wish that I could see you soon by Herman Dune and Fools by The Dodos.

Want to try your hand at audio editing? You can download a free 30 day trial of Audition from their website.

Start Your Radio Engines

2008-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, world. Here we are:

Here are six of Weekday High's interns hard at work. This photo exemplifies how most people make radio these days: silently huddled over computers, ears covered by headphones.
We've worked two days so far. Day 1 we discussed storytelling, and Day 2 we focused on writing for radio. So now we can confidently write about how to tell stories.
We'll have nice and shiny podcasts ready in just over a week, but for now you can visit the Weekday High page at KUOW to find out more about the Weekday High interns. You can even hear their voices.