Peninsula Alums Play Key Role In State Radio Conference  
 
May 9, 2008  
Leland Smith  
   
Three distinguished and highly-successful Peninsula High School alumni will be among the mentor speakers who will address students during the first-ever Washington State High School Radio Awards and Conference on Thursday, May 15.
Peninsula High School will host the conference which will include a keynote speaker, breakout sessions with industry professionals, and an awards ceremony. Students and staff from six high school radio stations from throughout Washington will attend the conference which opens at 8:30 a.m. in the school’s Milt Boyd Auditorium.
Among the mentor speakers will be Vic Orlando, a 1971 graduate of Peninsula High School, Orlando is the signature voice for Sports Radio KJR-AM as well as many other radio and television stations in the Seattle-Tacoma market and nationally.
Also on hand will be 1990 Peninsula graduate Greg Copeland, morning news anchor for Northwest Cable News. Copeland will speak to students about his own career in broadcasting and about the influence of the internet on broadcast news content and delivery.
Peninsula will also welcome back Jeff Evans, a 1996 graduate who currently works as manager of baseball information for the Seattle Mariners. Evans will share examples of his day-to-day work in the Mariners’ front office along with career tips for students thinking of pursuing a career in professional sports.
Other mentor speakers for the conference will include Jim Valley, news reporter for KIRO-FM in Seattle, Beth Valiant, music director for KVTI-FM (I-91) in Tacoma, and staff from the Audio-Sound Technologies Program at Bates Technical College. Attending students will be able to select two breakout sessions to attend during the conference.
Keynote speaker for the conference will be Andy Harms, radio personality and music director for KNDD-FM (107.7) in Seattle. Harms will address students during opening ceremonies in the auditorium starting at 8:30 a.m.
The goal of the program is to provide radio broadcasting students in Washington with a comprehensive awards program in which prepared news, production, on-air performance, and public service components are judged in accordance with industry standards.
KGHP-FM (89.9, 89.3 and 93.7) is an educational and community radio station licensed to the Peninsula School District in Gig Harbor. KGHP’s main studios are at Peninsula High School. During the school day, the station is operated by students at Peninsula and Gig Harbor high schools. KGHP staff and instructors are coordinating the event in concert with instructors at high school radio stations in Seattle (KNHC-FM), Mercer Island (KMIH-FM) and Bellevue (KASB-FM). In addition, students from Aberdeen High School (KAHS-FM) and the Tri-Cities Skill Center (KTCV-FM) will attend and participate. Up to 100 students are expected to attend this conference.
The event is co-sponsored by Sandusky Radio-Seattle, Broadcast Supply Worldwide, Jakes’ Brew Coffees, and Papa John’s Pizza in Gig Harbor.
For information, contact Leland Smith, Peninsula High School radio instructor, at (253) 530-4556.