WDIY is proud to be part of a growing youth media movement in public radio. We are a National Public Radio member station dedicated to serving the needs of the Lehigh Valley. As part of WDIY's mission to the community we train high school students in the art of radio writing and production.

Teens in the program receive hands-on training in all aspects of radio - from board hosting and interviewing to writing and producing feature length stories that air during local broadcast of National Public Radio's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Initial training is followed by regularly scheduled sessions of peer-supported studio work. Once a student is trained we expect at least a six-month commitment, but it is our hope that teens will stay on with WDIY throughout their school career and beyond.

Join Us

Are you interested in broadcast journalism? Do you like to write? Maybe you'd like to learn how to host local broadcast of National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

WDIY's Youth Media program gives you hands-on experience in broadcast journalism. We need bright, reliable, curious, creative, flexible, conscientious teens interested in learning the art of radio broadcasting.

Why Join Youth Media?

• Get hands-on radio experience - writing, interviewing, editing, pitching stories — the works!
  
  
• Interested in hosting the local broadcast of a National Public Radio news magazine? We can teach you how and give you air-time
  
  
• Use your creative writing ability
  
  
• Have a voice in the media
  
  
• Applying to college? Producing features for local public radio looks great to prospective colleges and employers
  
  
• Create lasting friendships with other teen journalists
  
  
• Get to know your community

What does a WDIY Youth Media reporter do?

FEATURES: Once you and the WDIY staff editor have agreed on a story, you set up interviews with people whose voices are important to the story. After you have recorded your interviews, you write a 3 ½ to 4 minute feature story incorporating recorded sound from your taped interviews. After a piece is written, it is edited by your peers in the program and finally by WDIY staff. You then record your voice in WDIY's production studio and mix it together with sound from you interviews. The goal is to produce a feature of National Public Radio quality to be aired during local broadcast of NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. There is supervision and guidance available every step of the way.

COMMENTARIES: Commentaries are based on your own beliefs or experiences. They are written in the first person and can be funny or serious. Youth Media reporters have done commentaries on subjects as varied as drug use and pop music. We usually don't use other sound in a commentary but there may be times when the best way to present an issue is to blend first person reporting with sound from other people.

PROGRAM HOST: At WDIY, college and high school students serve as local hosts for NPR's afternoon news magazine program All Things Considered. All Things Considered airs every afternoon from 4 - 6pm. As a local host, you announce the station ID and weather during scheduled breaks in programming and make sure local underwriting and pre-recorded local news segments air at the proper time. You will be responsible for one afternoon a week.

Hours are roughly 3:45pm - 6:20pm.

Youth Media Students also write, produce and voice a weekly "Youth Media Calendar" to hone their radio skills, host live public affairs shows, and contribute to a regular newscast called "WDIY Teen News." The station provides ongoing support and training, and aims to give all students the chance to learn about radio, in areas interesting to them.