GRANT REPORT

IN OTHER NEWS

GRANT REPORT

By Anne Vollertsen

The Alaska Teen Media Institute gives youth skills and opportunities to investigate the world, find a future in media

AS THOSE WHO WORK THERE like to joke, the Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI) is finally old enough to drive. For the last sixteen years, they have been pitching, producing, and broadcasting stories about local teens and the issues that matter to them.

ATMI first aired hour-long broadcasts of In Other News in 2004.

The show was conceived of by a group of teens in response to what they felt were pervasive, negative misconceptions about young people. Working with prominent backers interested in youth development, they founded Spirit of Youth, a local non-profit organization that distributed press releases to local news organizations to share stories of teens making positive contributions in their community. Then, some of the participating students thought, “Why don’t we make the stories?” says Rosey Robards,

ATMI’s director since 2007. This inspired the creation of ATMI and, specifically, In Other News. Since its inception, the monthly radio program has provided teens with career development and networking opportunities. In turn, youth producers have created award-winning work with the show. Stories such as Kendrick Whiteman’s “School Start Times,” and Ezra Dan, Michael Johnson, and Piper Sato’s “Yup’ik Spelling Bee for Beginners,” earned Youth Journalism International first place awards. Cornilius Nelson, a 2018 graduate of Bartlett High School who is now working as a Fab Lab Assistant with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, was one of sixteen producers selected from an interna-

ATMI Producers interviewed professional stuntman Peter Wallack in late October. Wallack has performed stunts in movies like “The Irishman,” and “John Wick: Chapter 3,” and shows like “Star Trek: Picard” and “Succession,” among many others. The conversation will be on an upcoming episode of ATMI’s youth-led podcast “Zoom Room.”

tional pool of 230 applications to be a 2019 New Voices Scholar with the Association of Independents in Radio.

show, and “the rest,” he says, “is history.” He appreciates that ATMI teaches young people the technical side of audio, video, and editing; in addition to offering access to networking and Robards believes that In Other News is uniquely posi- community events. tioned to accomplish what can otherwise be more chal- Beyond giving teens hands-on experience, In Other News lenging in a traditional news environment –– bringing in offers hope to those who might feel isolated or struggle to a diverse cohort of voices, specifically youth voices, and find opportunities in Alaska. For many of the youth proworking with young people who don’t yet have any indus- ducers, their goal is to uplift and encourage Alaskan youth. try experience. By teaching concrete skills and offering They play songs by local bands who have made it big, like access to professional mentors, youth producers gain con- Grammy-winning Portugal. The Man; or profile individufidence in their ability to break into fields such as radio, als such as Peter Wallack, a professional Hollywood stuntjournalism, and film. During her two years with In Other man who was born and raised in the state. Robards sees News, Daisy Carter has noticed herself and her peers be- this focus on successful Alaskans as a way of providing coming more self-assured on air as they develop their young people and their families with “a window into the own creative voices. Carter, a sophomore at UAA study- world where people care and things are happening.” ing Journalism and Public Communications with a minor Carter can relate to the feeling of being unable to acin Creative Writing, says that her time with the show has cess industries like journalism or film while living in taught her that “wherever you are in the world...there is Alaska. Yet, her first assignment with In Other News always something going on where you are, and there are was an interview with the then-director of the Anpeople who would want to hear about it.” chorage International Film Festival, which ultimately Nelson first heard about In Other News while interning led her to an internship with a film director in LA. In for another radio program. He was drawn to the show be- addition to the internship, which she describes as “an cause it offered an opportunity to be more involved in the amazing experience,” she thinks that her work with alaskateenmedia.org process, beyond “just editing and swapping tracks.” He the show has better prepared her for the future by @alaskateenmedia started out transcribing before producing his first radio teaching her how to be her own creative boss. ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM SPRING 2021 31

“Students are the masterminds behind the content.”

In Other News live on-stage hosts Daisy Carter and Madison Dooley prep backstage.

PHOTO BY ARIANA O’HARRA, ATMI

“Students are the masterminds behind the content,” his recent awards and selection as a New Voices ScholRobards says. “We want the content to be truly youth- ar, Nelson is quick to refocus the discussion instead produced.” Mentors are there to answer questions, address to what he has learned. “Learning how to ask the right ethical dilemmas, and assist with rounding out a story; question, use the right clips, different editing techwhile student producers pitch, write, interview, host, and niques, and most importantly learning how to listen to create music and graphics. “It’s our job to point them in people. Not just what people say, but their feelings too.” the right direction and show them how they can create those opportunities for themselves,” says mentor Cody Robards is grateful they have been able to support

Liska, a freelance journalist and founder of the podcast youth in media for as long as they have. Despite the year-

Crude Conversations. “If those opportunities don’t exist, to-year uncertainty nonprofits generally face, In Other then how can they personally create them? If they feel News is one of the longest running public affairs prolike local news isn’t covering the issues they believe are grams in Anchorage. To celebrate their longevity, ATMI important, then we encourage them to cover those issues put together the “Fifteen Years of In Other News” project. themselves.” From February to December 2019, the show ran additionThe show’s success is in large part due to the ethos of al stories alongside regularly scheduled programming, learning and community that is fostered at ATMI. Ro- which culminated in a live event on stage in October. A bards fell in love with the media as a teenager herself, grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum helped fund the taking journalism classes in high school before working project. at the Anchorage Daily News. Although she enjoyed the The “Fifteen Years” project sought to highlight the past, fast pace and seeing her own work published, she prefers present, and future of In Other News. Current youth proeducating and mentoring others. In high school, she used ducers interviewed former youth producers, and stories to save class handouts and imagine how she would teach from the archives were featured on air alongside new ones. others about the subject. This gave teens the opportunity to “hear from people who Liska, ATMI’s current Youth and Community Engage- were in their shoes ten, fifteen years ago and about the ment Manager, was initially drawn to the role because stories they were making at that time and how it impacted of his background in youth mentoring. Since he was a their lives and careers since,” Robards says. teenager, he had worked as a writing tutor, teacher’s aide, Nelson interviewed Max Jungreis, who currently works and snowboarding coach. John Kendall has been ATMI’s at The Boston Globe. Other former producers interviewed Media Production Manager since 2018. Before joining, he were Chloe Choabal, who now works for Neon Hum in worked with at-risk teens and volunteered at a K-12 writ- LA, and Sam Bernitz who studied journalism at Northing center. western University. These events created a space to honor The staff of mentors are personally and profession- the accomplishments of those who started out with In ally oriented towards sharing their knowledge with Other News, while also demonstrating to current producyounger generations, and this has clearly impacted how ers what they can achieve going forward. their mentees understand themselves as both journal- “It’s about passing the torch,” Kendall says, “It’s about ists and community members. When congratulated on showing the A-to-B to young people. It’s showing them

a destination (being skillful at something or having a career in something) and retracing the path there back to the starting point, which is where they are... it’s a way to show youth that [these] futures are tangible.”

The strength of the In Other News community is evidenced in the show’s staying power; but also in their resilience over the last two years. The studio at KNBA 90.3FM, where the team hosts In Other News, was damaged during the November 2018 earthquake, and the team has been forced to produce remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, Robards thinks some of their most exciting work has come out of these challenges. Without the ability to produce in studio with one another, they have produced two new podcasts: Zoom Room and Podcast in Place.

With the increase in popularity of podcasts, students are demonstrating more interest in audio production and a conversational style of reporting. Whereas in the early 2000’s, students would generally interview their sources outside of the studio and mediate how the story appeared on the show from there, students today are inviting their guests into the studio or to online platforms to have conversations with them on air. Despite this change in delivery style, Robards thinks the show has stayed the same in many ways. Teens are generally drawn to the same story topics across decades: climate change, security and police, mental health, bullying, and homelessness are recurring subjects on the show. While stories on pop culture might change over time, the core issues that youth are concerned about tend to persist. As an Indigenous person of Athabascan descent, Nelson is passionate about rectifying the erasure of Native history and culture, in addition to “echoing and creating a platform for those experiencing civil injustice and raising awareness for mental health.” Seeing youth producers impassioned about community issues makes Liska and Kendall hopeful for the future. “They are seeing the need and importance of local journalism, and rising to the challenge,” Kendall says.

Looking ahead to the next fifteen years, Robards trusts that the show will continue to develop and change organically with the students who pass through ATMI and contribute to In Other News. As always, the youth will lead the way, following in the footsteps of those who came before them while uplifting the next generation of Alaska teens in media. ■

ATMI youth producers, hosts, and guests record programs in the studios of KNBA 90.3FM (before the pandemic). ATMI won two Alaska Broadcasters Association Goldie Awards for work in 2019. PHOTOS BY CODY LISKA, ATMI