Loud and Clear

In the Fall of 2003, Spy Hop Productions and KRCL came together to create Loud and Clear Youth Radio. This program emerged as an attempt to offer youth the opportunity to voice the issues they identify as important to them, broadcast the music of their peers, and tell the stories they they want told. Young people are so often the target of media messages; Loud and Clear was designed to give youth the chance to take control of that media by allowing them to participate in its creation through the use of radio. Every Saturday night since October 2003, this goal has been actualized. A changing roster of Loud and Clear youth have been going live on a weekly basis to play music, interview guests, host live local bands, present documentaries, and highlight calendar items pertinent to the youth community. Working as a team, nine young people are selected annually to produce the show. The students begin the year long program with a two day pre-training at the studio, followed by a five week comprehensive training led by experienced professional mentors from Spy Hop and KRCL. Finally before hitting the air, they spend one month putting their newly acquired skills to the test as they begin to design their own radio show. Loud and Clear participants learn technical studio skills, radio history, the craft of storytelling, interviewing, DJing, voice training, and the importance and intricacies of media literacy. Ultimately, Loud and Clear directly empowers youth by activating the power of their voices and helping them become engaged citizens with personal perspectives, awareness, and respect for their community, peers and themselves.