WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project gives the brightest and most ambitious college students an opportunity to experience public radio journalism from the inside.  Some Next Wave students at WUOT serve the station as staff reporters—covering events, researching stories, recording and editing interviews and writing news copy for air.   At the same time, we’re able to introduce another generation to the passion that drives public radio. 

The following stories were all produced by Next Wave students.  Who knows?  Maybe one of them will be the next Michelle Norris or Steve Inskeep…

 

 

 

KATHARINE LUSKY - The U.S. Census Bureau says more than 4 million pets are euthanized each year in America because there’s not enough space in shelters. Here in Knox County, the Young-Williams Animal Center had to euthanize more than 60% of the animals they housed last year. But a national charity with roots in Knoxville is trying to change that. Airplane pilots working for the group "Pilots ‘n’ Paws" donate their planes, time and money to fly these animals to people who want to adopt them. As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Katharine Lusky reports on a program that’s committed to finding new homes for stray animals---no matter how far away those homes might be.
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MADELINE BROWN - The Knox County Commission recently approved a $7 million increase in funding for the county school system. Some of that money is earmarked for a program known as the Community Schools Initiative. This collaboration between the county, the University of Tennessee and the United Way attempts to provide poorer schools with a variety of services and techniques to help disadvantaged students learn basic skills. In this Next Wave Radio Project report, WUOT’s Madeline Brown found a Community Schools Initiative class that manages to combine math, physics, reading and the allure of the Big Top.
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MISSY La VONE - For more than a million Americans every year, a cancer diagnosis becomes a transformative experience. For Leaf Myczack of Rockwood, it was a catalyst to a healthier, happier life. As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Missy La Vone has the story of a man who declined conventional treatment when he discovered the path to his recovery meanders right through his East Tennessee farm...
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KATHLEEN SCHUSTER - Learning English to get by is challenging for many adult immigrants. At least at home, they can use whatever language they want to---that is, unless their kids refuse to speak anything but English. Many immigrant families deal with this language-problem daily and find a compromise. But what if they have child who is deaf or has hearing loss? As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Kathleen Schuster reports on how one local Hispanic family has balanced not two, but three languages…
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KATHLEEN SCHUSTER - Since 2007, a non-profit group known as "Computers For Kids" has been giving away laptop computers to various organizations-- like the Boys and Girls Club. And more than 2,000 of them have gone to kids aging out of Tennessee's foster care system. Whether or not the computers are actually helping these at-risk kids is debatable--- and hard to track. But some have found them to be an important part of the transition from life in foster care-- to life in the Real World. Kathleen Schuster has this report--- part of WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project....
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ANNIE BYRNES - When you think of the process of brewing beer, you might conjure images of elephant-sized copper kettles and elaborate networks of pipes.  But here in Knoxville, a group of brewers is making beer on a much smaller scale – in their kitchens, garages, and driveways.  As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Annie Byrnes takes a look at the passion behind the process of making a good brew…
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JENNIFER PARKER - The painkiller Oxycontin was introduced in 1995 as a panacea drug for people suffering from chronic, extreme pain.  Among its early users were patients who suffered from cancer, debilitating injuries and severe arthritis.  But before long, recreational drug users began taking it because of its narcotic high.  And they soon found it to be highly addictive.  As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Jennifer Parker spoke to a young Maryville man who now lives his life in the grip of this powerful drug…
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AMBER HARDING - "SENIORS & PETS" - Recent studies—like one done by the Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia—have found that owning pets can actually help people live longer, healthier lives.  These benefits can be especially valuable for the elderly.  As part of WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project, Amber Harding takes a look at a program in Knoxville that’s bringing lonely seniors—and lonely pets—together…
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CELSY RIMMER - "HARAMBEE" - Since 1991, an organization known as “Tribe One” has been offering opportunities for Knoxville’s at-risk boys and young men to overcome the draw of the streets.  Tribe One uses a combination of spiritual formation, entrepreneurship and civic engagement as an alternative to gangs and drugs.  But now, Tribe One is extending its opportunities to young women and girls too.  As part of WUOT’s Next Wave Radio Project, Celsy Rimmer takes a look a program—that is anything but ordinary… 
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KELSEY WILLIS - "GINSENG" - Ginseng root has long been used in folk medicine in the United States and Asia.  But now, it's big business, appearing in pills, energy drinks and even cosmetics.  The manufacturers of these products buy ginseng from a seller.  The seller buys it from a network of buyers.  And those buyers purchase it from those who dig it out of the ground.  So before all the glitzy packaging and promises, the main ingredient in your energy drink may have started in North Springs, Tennessee with Ward Kemp.  As part of WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project, Kelsey Willis reports on how a scraggly root became the centerpiece of her grandfather's career...
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CAROLYN LYDEN - "SHORT-SHORTS"- Social networking websites began as a way to keep up with old classmates and make new friends online.  More recently, sites like Twitter have taken on a different role, offering creative writers and easy and fast way to produce and publish their work.  As part of WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project, Carolyn Lyden reports that while Short Fiction is not new, it is headed in a different direction...
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BOBBY EVANS - "THE LOVE KITCHEN"- If you've never been to East Knoxville's Love Kitchen, you're missing out on one of the city's truly remarkable stories. Over the past twenty-plus years, volunteers at the Love Kitchen have prepared and served hundreds of thousands of meals to the hungry. And it all began with a dream. WUOT's Ann Lloyd narrates this Next Wave Radio Project story, written and produced by Bobby Evans...
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SHIELA HAWKINS - "EQUAL CUSTODY"- Idaho is the only state in the nation that legally allows two parents who do not live together equal time with their children. Other states are being lobbied now to guarantee equal shared custody. Recently, the Tennessee legislature considered the proposal, but it was not approved. This leaves some fathers frustrated from navigating through a court system they say has a negative gender bias. Ann Lloyd narrates this report, produced for WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project by Shiela Hawkins...
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JESSIE KREUGER - "THE WORLD AT OUR DOORSTEP"  On May 1, 1982, the World's Fair opened in Knoxville. For six months, visitors from around the world came here to see the latest innovations and technologies. But the fair's lasting legacy wasn't defined by technological changes. Its legacy may actually have been defined by the sense of civic identity it created for what one newspaper called "A Scruffy Little City". Matt Shafer Powell narrates this story, which aired on May 1, 2007-- twenty-five years to the day since the start of the 1982 World's Fair.  The story was produced for WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project by Jessie Krueger...
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