Cleveland’s Home for Hip Hop is also going to be home for the teenagers of Cuyahoga County. The Radio One station, known officially as WENZ, is giving teens a half-hour weekly to discuss issues of importance to them.
According to a report from Raycom’s CBS WOIO-TV, the program is a collaboration between Radio One, Cuyahoga County and The Cleveland Foundation, and builds on the latter two organizations’ MyCom youth development project. It will be called MyVoice.
Radio One OM/air personality Colb Tyner will be joined by Bijou Star on the program, which will air at 6:30AM Sunday mornings.
Although early Sunday morning may not be the most attractive time slot in terms of getting a big audience, the program will be readily available to any interested parties via podcast.
Tyner is hoping that more than just teenagers give the show a listen. “This is a unique moment in Cleveland radio as we hand over the station to our young listeners for open and honest conversations. This show offers a teachable moment for parents.”
RBR-TVBR observation: This is a model of how a station can score some public interest points – it provides a forum for an oft-ignored demographic, and even though it is scheduled at a time when most of the target audience is likely asleep, the use of modern technology makes the program readily accessible to anyone who wants to hear it at the time of their own choosing. The program is a winner all the way.
