Student-run WEEM radio up for honors, expected to bring home hardware
PENDLETON — When Austen Michael was a freshman at Pendleton Heights High School, he could never see himself gaining the knowledge needed to help run the student radio station.
Now that he’s a senior, those fears have been laid to rest. Michael is one of several students working at WEEM radio nominated for dozens of awards in multiple categories at the 78th Annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Conference set for Saturday, March 3, in New York City.
“To watch me go from where I was to a kid leading a radio (station) for national awards is cool,” Michael said.
Michael is up for awards in eight categories, and several other students are nominated for awards. For the third consecutive year, WEEM radio station is a national finalist for high school radio station of the year, an honor it won in 2016.
The students and station are nominated in more than 30 categories, including several that WEEM has already won by virtue of having all of the finalists in a given category.
Not only is Michael proud to be leading the station, he and the other upperclass students now in charge said they are thrilled to be teaching skills they’ve learned to the freshman and sophomores, who’ll take over soon.
Most of the programming submitted for the national award ceremony is everyday work the students tackle.
Station manager Chris Green brought his more than 20 years of broadcasting and journalism experience to the station last year. He is in the running for station manager of the year honors; his son, freshman Chaston Green, also is competing for an award.
Chris Green credits the station’s success to students who spend time after school, on weekends and holidays, and during the summer, volunteering to make WEEM one of the top radio stations in the nation.
“Because of the nature of what we do, one of the things we stress to the kids is this is kind of a glorified internship,” Green said. “They’re coming in to work.”
In addition to daily programming, students produce hundreds of hours of Arabians sports coverage each year, broadcasting 100-plus games.
The students also are responsible for seeking donors and sponsorship to help run the station and supplement school funding.
WEEM, which plays top 40 music, has been in operation since 1972 with live student disc jockeys from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on school days.
This marks the third year the station has competed in the national contest and fared well.
According to the IBS college broadcasting group’s website, it provides informative services for college and high school radio, TV, webcasting, podcasting and streaming.
Students are not paid for their work at WEEM unless they do extra work outside of school hours, but they are graded for their efforts through the classes they take.
For Michael, who plans to study criminology at Purdue University, the skills he has learned working at the radio station over the past several years will come in handy every day of his life.
“The people skills, the communications skills and everything you learn, that helps in all aspects, no matter what you go into,” he said.
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WEEM 2018 National Awards Finalists
WEEM is a finalist in the following categories at the 78th Annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) to be presented March 3rd in New York City.
Overall
Best High School Radio Station – WEEM (3rd consecutive year as a finalist; won in 2016)
Sports
Best Soccer Play by Play – PHHS v. Shelbyville (Bryan Walker & Natalie Taylor)
Best Sports Talk Program – The Coach Richman Show (Sam Bannon & Coach Jed Richman)
Best Sports Update – Cubs Win World Series (Sam Bannon)
Best Sports Interview – PHHS Senior Profile (Sam Bannon)
Best Pre or Post Game Show – PHHS Football (Sam Bannon & Jayden Brown)
Promotions & Marketing
Best Contest/Promotional Event – WEEM Arabian Rumble (WEEM)
Best Community Outreach Event – WEEM Arabian Rumble (WEEM)
Best Promotional Poster – WEEM Arabian Rumble (Jackson Keesling)
Best Giveaway Item – WEEM Arabian Rumble Tickets (Jackson Keesling)
Best Press Release – WEEM Arabian Rumble (Jackson Keesling)
Best Logo – The Coach Richman Show (Anthony Faulds)
Best Show Poster – WEEM Student Locker Posters (Bryan Walker)
Digital
Best Website – 917WEEM.org (WEEM)
Best Use of Twitter – @917weem (WEEM)
Best Use of Youtube – Cheese N Flash (Jackson Keesling & Austen Michael)
Best Podcast – Chees N Flash (Jackson Keesling & Austen Michael)
Best Use of Social Media (Other) – WEEM Tune In (WEEM)
Best Mobile App – WEEM (WEEM)
News
Best Newscast – WEEM News Update (Asia Mitchem)
Best Campus News Coverage – WEEM Daily Announcements (Jonah Griffard, Emily Harless & Claire Goodwin)
Best Spot News Interview – WEEM at June Jamboree (Jonah Griffard)
Best Spot News Interview – WEEM at June Jamboree (Emily Harless)
Production
Best Station Promo – Severe Weather (Austen Michael)
Best Show Promo – Cheese N Flash (Jackson Keesling & Austen Michael)
Best Event Promo – WEEM Arabian Rumble (Jackson Keesling & Austen Michael)
Best Use of Sound Effects – Severe Weather (Austen Michael)
Best Liner/Sweeper – Halloween/Thriller (Chaston Green & Austen Michael)
On Air
Best Morning Show – Em & Claire (Emily Harless & Claire Goodwin)
Best On-Air Personality – Ashton Crusmire
Best Celebrity Interview – Author David Humphrey (Evan Humphrey)
Management/Technical
Best Station Manager – Chris Green
Best Business Director – Garrett Nealon
Best News Director – Emily Harless
Best Sports Director – Sam Bannon
Tom Gibson Award for Outstanding Radio Engineering – WEEM (Greg Case & David Seal)
Best Overall On-Air Schedule – WEEM
Best Overall Sports Coverage – WEEM
Best Station Playlist – WEEM (Abby Davis & Austen Michael)
Best Training Manual – WEEM
Best Staff Training Method – WEEM
Best Staff Newsletter – WEEM (Paiton Keeney)
Best Station Facilities – WEEM
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