By Grace Mundy
Granada Hills Charter’s (GHC) new radio station, The Hills FM, aired for the first time on February 11. The radio station is an online station, broadcast through the website live365. The station is primarily managed by the radio class, supervised by English teacher Katherine Bryan.
The station airs on Tuesdays, beginning at gap period and running throughout the day. The students in the class are divided into different teams, including program director, music, audio and tech, school news, current events, morning show and social media. These teams work together in the sixth period class to plan what is broadcasted throughout the day.
“The planning process involved putting everyone into a team where they focus on something in particular. Everyone has their own jobs and their own role to play, so that’s how we work together,” Bryan said.
The radio class, and ultimately, station, was inspired by the radio club also on campus, which has been running for two years. The radio class is an expansion on the goals of the club, as most clubs can only meet once a week. By having an actual radio class that meets every day, maintaining the station is possible.
“I do give some direction, but they plan what they want to talk about or the music they want to play,” Bryan said.
From a student perspective, the class and station are welcome opportunities to have a creative outlet and a way to learn about something that interests them. The station and class teach valuable skills and cater to the students’ interests.
“Radio is a great elective if you like English, like talking to people, and like interacting with different aspects of the school,” junior Alma Ibarra, who is in the radio club class, said
As for the future goals of the class, Bryan hopes that the class can be a place for students to learn about and gain experience working for a radio station, especially if that is something they want to pursue.
“I am hoping to develop it where students apply, and those in the class are driven and want to try out this job and field,” Bryan said.
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