Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Partner Member Highlight - SLB Radio / Open Studio

Dec 1

Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Member SLB Radio recently unveiled their Open Studio at the Youth Media Center (YMC), a free after school program for teens in grades 6-12 who are interested in podcasting and media creation. SLB Radio’s Director of Programs, Deanna Baringer, shared their story about why Open Studio is a great, playful space for teens to explore future opportunities in media.

SLB Radio Open Studio Highlight by Deanna Baringer

Microphones are a little bit magical: turn one on and suddenly, small voices become big. They invite us to tell stories, sing songs, play games, share our truths, and can help build connections between people young and old, across geographical and cultural divides. This is the kind of work SLB Radio has been doing for decades: amplifying the voices of youth over the airwaves, broadcasting live on Saturday mornings from our studio co-located in the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and offering programming for youth at sites around western Pennsylvania.

In May of 2022, we realized a long-time dream as we opened the Youth Media Center, a state-of-the-art 3,500 square foot expansion of our studio space designed to serve as a home for youth creators in Western Pennsylvania. The Youth Media Center includes flexible classroom space, recording pods, editing bays, and shelves full of books, games, and more. It’s the perfect place for young people to not only record podcasts, but to be creative in all sorts of ways.

Teens interested in podcasting and media creation are invited to join us at the Youth Media Center for Open Studio, our free drop-in program for teen creators in grades 6 - 12. Here are just some of the thing students can do during Open Studio:

Create original podcasts and audio projects
Record original work, such as poems, songs, stories, and essays
Learn about writing, recording, editing, and more
Play games, have conversation, and make new friends

…and so much more! Our specialty is audio, but the Youth Media Center is a place where creativity of all kinds is welcome and encouraged. Open Studio runs throughout the school year with weekly after-school hours Monday through Thursday, and weekend hours on Saturdays–a detailed schedule can be found on our website.