MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com)— Students of Shelby County Schools will be able to tell their stories througha new popular platform of podcasting.
The Voice of Shelby County Schools, 88.5 FM and C19TV, completed a newpodcast studio late last week for students.
The radio and tv station is a school district partner. They teachbroadcast students about media platforms and they assist the district withtelling stories of what’s happening around the schools. Now, they’re expandingtheir mediums through podcasting.
Podcasts are accessible through your cell phone and internet and have increasingly grown in popularity over recent years. They range in all topics from history, true crime, sports and talk radio.
Voice of SCS General Manager John Best said the podcast studio is forstudents first but it will also be freely accessible for educators and schoolleaders.
Best said they try and keep up with the ever changing trends intechnology and they were asked frequently if they had the capabilities of doingpodcasts from school officials and students.
“We want to be instead of a school to prison pipeline. We want tobe a school to tv news channel pipeline. So, if they are equipped with all theright technology, all of the know-how, they should be able to leave ourbuilding and go fit right in and to have the knowledge of podcast, streaming,”Best said.
While they previously were able to do podcasting through their radioequipment, the new studio sets aside a space to do it with new microphones andkey board specifically used for podcasts.
Best said all students are welcome to podcast as long as their content is considered school appropriate, is useful to the community and they can prove to be consistent in creating their own new content.
If a student wants to talk about sneakers? Best said they can, so longas they’re committed.
“That’s how we get to teach and train the students on content.Always looking for what’s happening in the news; if a new shoe is made in Chinathat won’t be in America until next year. If they get used to getting that typeof information, we’re here for them,” Best said.
Best said they plan to upload the podcasts to outlets like Apple’sPodcast app.
A group of 12 broadcast students already have developed a Str8up901podcast which focuses on student issues. The students record and edit their ownwork for it.
“We get to tell our story. Especially our students will get totell their story and this is another tool to make sure that we get that,” Bestsaid. “Especially for our superintendent and board members as well. They cancome over here and do something weekly or bi-weekly.”
Outside community members can also use the space, Best said. They hopeto use the studio to generate more money for the broadcast program by allowingpeople to use the studio for a small cost.
Before then, Best hopes to double or triple the equipment they havenow.
Costs for the equipment landed just under $2,000, Best said. The Voiceof SCS covered the costs through their budget provided by the school district.