“With 91.9 KVCR, it’s Allison Wang,” came the voice over the radio waves.
Wang’s voice emanated confidence as she announced the start of a segment on the San Bernardino-based public radio station. But Wang isn’t a professional radio journalist. She’s a KVCR intern, a UCR student, and, for the past two quarters, a teacher.
Wang, a fourth-year honors student majoring in political science with a minor in public policy, recently developed the R’Course “POSC 190: Local Public Radio Storytelling with 91.9 KVCR News.” UCR’s R’Course program enables undergraduates to create unique one-unit classes and teach them to their peers under faculty supervision.
The course gives students the opportunity to produce original radio segments that spotlight local topics of interest. It includes multiple guest speakers, a field trip to the KVCR studio, and instruction on interviewing, building a narrative, and editing audio. The student-created features are now airing as part of a student stories collection on 91.9 KVCR.
“The course gives students a tangible experience, allowing them to develop an idea from start to finish,” Wang said.
Wang said she began interning with KVCR in 2023 as part of the political science department’s internship program, where she focused on producing radio features. Her experience inspired her to launch POSC 190 through the R’Course program. Wang developed the course with support from R’Course program manager Jennifer Kavetsky; faculty advisor John Medearis; and KVCR Program Director Rick Dulock. She taught 18 students during the winter quarter and is currently teaching 15 students for the spring quarter.
Students in the class focus on storytelling that inspires, informs, and entertains, with features covering local people, events, and culture. Jordan Storm, who enrolled in the course during the winter quarter, profiled the Inland Empire punk band, Zonked. In her feature, she interviewed the lead artist of the band and included snippets of their music.
“My experience was warm and welcoming,” Storm said. “My peers were supportive and interested in my ideas, and Allison offered guidance throughout the development process. I learned how to conduct interviews, the importance of editing, and how detail-oriented radio storytelling really is.”
Listen to the student’s stories on the KVCR website.
Header image: Students Zachary Hanson, Daniel Ocampo, Allison Wang, Justin Dang, Chloe Kim at the KVCR studio in San Bernardino. (Courtesy of Allison Wang.)
