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One of the most rewarding opportunities for me at KRWG was the chance to serve on the Top Teens Committee. Every year, I interviewed the class of Top Teens to introduce them to the community on KRWG-TV and the KRWG Top Teens YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/TheTopTeens.
These segments, which air in between PBS programming, are extremely popular. The station will continue producing the interviews with a new host in 2022. I am so glad to see that legacy continue.
The Top Teens program provides much needed recognition for young people who have accomplished great things despite real challenges. Through the KRWG interviews and community service opportunities, the program also provides real leadership training.
New Mexico State University freshman Noah Raess is a great example of how being a Top Teen can lead to so much more. I first met Noah during his Top Teen interview. After the interview, he expressed an interest in broadcasting. I told Noah that we would love to see him intern at KRWG.
During his senior year, Noah did just that, and in a grand fashion. Interviewing students from a variety of local high schools, Noah produced a documentary about how students were dealing with remote learning and the other challenges posed by the pandemic.
In more than 30 years of broadcasting, I have never seen an intern (college or high school) produce a long-form documentary. Noah’s great achievement led to his appointment as a KRWG Public Media Scholar during his freshman year at New Mexico State University. I interviewed Noah following the broadcast of his documentary. You may watch the documentary and the interview at www.krwg.org/post/newsmakers-1319-covid-19-student-perspective.
I am so proud of Noah and the other Top Teens I have met over the years. I will greatly miss being part of this committee. But I plan to build new opportunities for students in my role as executive director of WSIU Public Broadcasting. It’s another way this program will impact young people and communities in ways we may never have expected.
Las Cruces: Thank you for supporting our amazing young people and this valuable work!
Fred Martino was director of content for KRWG Public Media for more than 13 years before leaving that position to become executive director of WSIU Public Broadcasting, a network of NPR and PBS stations based at Southern Illinois University.
