With boost from high school programs, Gen Z is heading to public radio

When you think of the stereotypical teenager, you probably assume they don’t listen to radio. If this is the first thought that crosses your mind, you might already know that the almighty aux cord usually holds the power in the car and that when teens’ AirPods are in, they typically aren’t streaming local broadcasters but rather are working up stats for their end-of-year Spotify Wrapped.

While stereotypes are usually rooted in some truth and observation, they’re not accurate. For the future of radio, this is a very good thing. The next generation of media is already hard at work, and the teenagers you are about to meet are breaking every stereotype along the way.

There’s no definitive list of radio stations within high schools in the U.S. But there are indeed hundreds of stations, both terrestrial and online, doing their best to not only provide content for their communities but also train the future of both commercial and public media. Soon, the young folks of Generation Z will be knocking on your doors looking for work. The good news is that you’ll be surprised at just how ready they might be. 

Three programs in particular have led the way in recent years. Their students and stories just might give you hope that the future of radio is bright.

88.9 The Bridge, Mercer Island High School

Mercer Island, Wash.

While many teenagers might be avoiding terrestrial radio, they do listen to podcasts. A 2023 study from Edison Research and SiriusXM showed that 47% of Generation Z survey respondents had listened to a podcast in the past month. Not only are teenagers listening to podcasts, they’re creating them as well.

KMIH-FM at Mercer Island High School is the most recent winner of the John Drury Award for Best High School Radio Station in the Nation, awarded by North Central College in Naperville, Ill., each fall. To be named the best, a station must of course be nailing all aspects of broadcasting. But in particular, The Bridge has locked in on podcasting.

Sophomore Audrey Tintle co-hosts What’s Poppin’, a weekly podcast that discusses pop culture and entertainment news, alongside her sister Jayne and friend Sam Hinnen. Committing to producing a weekly podcast has given her valuable insight into the world of media production. “Jayne does the show prep for every episode, and I edit the episodes and post them, which allows them to be published on Spotify, Apple Music and more,” Tintle said. 

Aside from the experience of creating content for a real audience, Tintle is also developing the work ethic needed to succeed in media. “If you decide to put minimum effort into your podcast and the quality of it, then you will receive minimum engagement,” she said. “However, if you decide to produce the best episodes you can … you will gain positive feedback and recognition.”

Her advisor agrees. Joe Bryant said he’s encouraged by not only the products Tintle and her classmates create as part of his courses but also the lessons they are learning.

“We are training our students how to communicate with confidence and how to take a creative idea and make something out of it that can be enjoyed by the world,” Bryant said. “Not every student that signs up for my broadcasting classes winds up in the media, although many do, but they all become better storytellers, collaborators and problem solvers.”

Students are also already telling deeper and more impactful stories that would fit right in on any public media station across America. Senior Hayley Nguyen won the 2022 New York Times Podcasting Challenge for her production When the Water Is Calm, a deeply personal and moving story for both her and listeners, as it explored her dad’s solo escape from Vietnam at age 13.

“I value the ability to connect to people through broadcasting, finding, listening and sharing their incredible, unique stories,” Nguyen said. She also hosts Eating Adventures, a more lighthearted podcast that explores all things food.

88.1 WLTL, Lyons Township High School

La Grange, Ill.

In the shadows of the giant media market of Chicago, WLTL has been serving its community since 1968, and its students work with that big-market attitude already. I have been the station’s faculty advisor for 20 years, and in that time it has been an absolute joy to watch both the students and the industry grow. 

Despite being from different generations, one thing has remained the same: The folks who have gotten the furthest in radio have been those who walk into the station and ask what they can do. Two students at WLTL got their start doing just that and then some.

As a sophomore, Ethan Meuer began coming to meetings to learn the basics of audio production before he spent his junior and senior years honing his skills as many production gurus do — by rarely leaving the studio. While instruction happens and class projects need to be completed, Meuer said just jumping in taught him the most, along with a willingness to do it all. 

“My absolute favorite thing to do is making media of any kind, whether that’s shooting and editing my own short films, taking pictures and video of sports teams, making liners and promos for radio, or something entirely different,” said Meuer, who will be studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design this fall.

Fellow senior Michael Walsh took a similar path, except his was with engineering and sound. “I had the interest and saw that no other students were doing it, so I jumped in and got to work, and our advisors encouraged and helped me along the way,” Walsh said.

Through various opportunities at WLTL, Walsh has been able to record live bands, rewire studios, set up and participate in live remotes, and mix and edit numerous audio programs including in-studio performances, podcasts and sports broadcasts. Earlier this year, he even began studying for certification through the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He says that while passing written tests is important, nothing compares to the hands-on experience he has gained at WLTL.

Walsh and Meuer aren’t the only students who learned by doing. Through enrollment in classes and volunteering as an extracurricular, WLTL has more than 125 high school students at the station each semester, working in areas such as on-air, promotions, social media and, of course, production. 

88.7 The Pulse, East Valley Institute of Technology

Mesa, Ariz.

Since the earliest days of radio, sports have been a staple of the broadcast week. While mainstream public media usually is on the sidelines for professional sports, some stations do focus on local school teams, and high school stations are no different. They use the opportunity not only to connect with listeners but also to train students. 

88.7 The Pulse, the station at the East Valley Institute of Technology, is unique in that it does not serve just one school but rather 11 Phoenix-area schools whose students apply to learn trade programs for two years, including radio. Here, they get to work at a 15,000-watt FM station and cover sports for multiple schools in the area as opposed to just one.

“The broadcasts are produced entirely by students in EVIT’s Radio/Audio Production program, giving aspiring sports broadcasters hands-on experience in play-by-play announcing, color commentary, and live production,” said Dave Juday, faculty sports/news director for KVIT-FM, in a February post promoting the upcoming baseball and softball schedule. “Students also manage pre- and post-game coverage, gaining real-world skills in sports media.” Juday should know, having come to KVIT after more than 20 years in sports radio at ESPN Chicago.

Aside from broadcasting the games, students also handle behind-the-scenes jobs. Once senior Asa Lindsay found the opportunity, she jumped right in and became part of the on-site engineering crew.

“We as students are trained to basically run these broadcasts on our own, with the instructor there to facilitate and help troubleshoot if something goes wrong,” Lindsay said. “Engineering these broadcasts is a far cry from just watching the instructor do everything while we watch.  It’s very hands-on.”

Lindsay got her start like many young people in public media do. “​​I was just taking any opportunity that I came across,” she said.

The media landscape is a scary place for seasoned veterans right now, let alone teenagers who are just getting started. But with programs like these and the many more that are out there, Generation Z might not be the group who kills radio — they might just be the ones to keep it going.

Chris Thomas is faculty advisor of student-run WLTL Radio at Lyons Township High School. During his 20 years in this role, WLTL has been a six-time winner of the John Drury High School Radio Award for Best Station in the Nation. Thomas is also the president of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, an 85-year-old organization that supports the missions of high school and college media programs around the world. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that 88.7 The Pulse serves nine Phoenix-area schools. It serves 11 schools.