By Derrick Smith, Classics for Kids Intern
When I started my internship at WGUC, I did not know what to expect—and neither did anyone at the station, really, since I’m the first Classics for Kids intern they’ve ever had. So it’s been a learning experience on all sides. But after two months of trying to absorb and contribute as much as possible, I can say two things for certain: Cincinnati Public Radio is changing (for the better), and is a large family that is deeply rooted within the community.
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| Cory Sharber and Derrick Smith at Price Hill Creative Community Festival - July, 2021 |
I was so focused on the “Radio” part, though, I initially overlooked how crucial the “Public” aspect really is. The radio experience was definitely there, from tours through extensive archives and top-of-the-line studios, to shadowing on-air hosts (did you know that Andy Ellis’s golf obsession is on a par with Bach’s feelings about the fugue?), and even learning the process of how all the music you hear on WGUC is scheduled: It’s kind of like a big Rubik’s Cube, week after week, and Classical Music Director Jessica Lorey is a master solver, always mixing in some new colors.
Beyond all that, I learned how involved WGUC really is with the public, in the form of outdoor community events, collaborations with other local nonprofits, and even through my work with Classics for Kids. Yes, seeing the studios in action was all that I expected, if not more, but the many faces I saw seemed to be a bigger portion of WGUC than anything else. From the welcoming Cincinnati Public Radio staff, to regular community collaborators, and even casual passers-by that I had the pleasure of introducing to WGUC... all these people make up the community consisting of the station and the public. It’s like an ecosystem the way the station and the public feed off of each other, constantly trying to build something better and improve communication.
This something better is the change I spoke of earlier. It feels like important conversations that in the past have been avoided are happening more and more at the station. WGUC is working to amplify the voices of historically marginalized groups and truly listen to all those within the community. One example that comes to mind immediately is how Classics for Kids is preparing content for Hispanic Heritage Month (beginning in September). Instead of just throwing out a listening list or featuring one Latinx artist on the website, program host Naomi Lewin and the WGUC team have crafted a full series of original, culturally sensitive content, making everything available in Spanish as well as English, and enlisting the expertise and talent of people within the Latinx community to create said content. This is representation done well, and it’s only possible because WGUC and Classics for Kids have learned something they could only learn from truly listening: that those from historically marginalized communities and identities need to see others like them in these cultural spaces, and need platforms for self-expression, versus having others speak for them.
WGUC, Classics for Kids, and Cincinnati Public Radio are all growing in more than one way currently. Even as an intern I feel like a fully fledged member of the family, and I hope I can keep growing along with them.
