"School Talk with Emerson!"
 |  |
THE SHOW
Host Emerson Allen holds class on Fridays at 7:00 AM and then again on Sundays at 2:00 PM with Indianapolis' premiere school and community talk show, "School Talk with Emerson." Since the show's debut, it has been covered in the Ben Davis Spotlight, the Indianapolis Recorder, the Flyer, the Indianapolis Star, WISH TV 8, WTHR 13, and BDTV. "School Talk" is different from other talk shows because it deals with issues in a way to build up our youth and our community.
If you miss a show, you can always find it at http://schooltalk.podmatic.com
School Talk with Mayor Greg Ballard
THE CONCEPT
Allen pithced the "School Talk" concept to Jon Easter, WBDG Station Manager. After receiving preliminary approval to go forth from then-Ben Davis High School David Marcotte, Allen and Easter met several times. Allen wanted to bring issues from his experiences as a parent, an Indianapolis citizen, and a concerned community advocate for many issues to the air. Easter provided the radio insights such as show organization and other medium conventions. One request was that a student producer or team of producers would be named to not only push the buttons but to actually participate and help host the show. On Monday,September 15, 2003, at approximately 7:00 a.m., the following show intro rolled for the first time. . . .
ARE YOU READY?
INDIANAPOLIS!
THE TIME HAS COME!
THE BELL HAS RUNG!
GET IN YOUR SEATS FOR "SCHOOL TALK!"
I'M YOUR HOST,
AND MY NAME IS
EMERSON!
THIS IS "SCHOOL TALK."
YOU HAVE TUNED TO THE RIGHT STATION AT THE RIGHT TIME
SOMETIMES WE MAKE THE WRONG DECISION,
AND THAT DECISION CAN CHANGE OUR LIVES FOREVER
TODAY, YOU WILL MAKE ANOTHER DECISION
SO JUMP ON THE BUS!
HERE IT COMES!
WHOO!
“SCHOOL TALK” HAS ARRIVED!
COME ON LET’S GO!
ON "SCHOOL TALK", WE DEAL WITH THE ISSUES.
ISSUES THAT INVOLVE…
YOU THE STUDENT.
ISSUES THAT INVOLVE…
YOU THE PARENT.
ISSUES THAT INVOLVE…
YOU THE TEACHER.
SO GET YOUR PEN,
OR YOUR PAD,
OR YOUR PERSONAL PLANNER
YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE NOTES.
THERE WILL BE A TEST.
THIS IS
"SCHOOL TALK!"
A couple of years later, the show moved to Friday mornings at 7:00 a.m. to help facilitate Professional Learning Communities time for staff on Monday mornings. The show remains and anchors the friday morning schedule on WBDG.
THE ISSUES
As Emerson always says, he “has issues.” The first show covered the popular young male clothing style of sagging pants. Since that show, Emerson has tackled suicide,depression, child abuse, smoking, huffing, school clubs, fatherhood, politics, academics, religion, business ownership, crime and much more. Guests have ranged from teachers, students, and parents to politicians, law enforcement professionals, and sports superstars. Emerson isn't afraid to tackle more than one issue per show or to take more than one show per issue.
THE HOST
Emerson Allen is a native of Terre Haute, Indiana. He is a true renaissance man. A community member, school volunteer and parent of some former Ben Davis students, Emerson brings his unique brand of straight talk, humor, and genuine concern to WBDG.
A firm believer in community involvement, Emerson is a member of the following boards and committees…
Wayne Township Education Foundation Board
MSD of Wayne Township District Human Relations Advisory Committee
Indiana Coalition for Suicide Prevention
BDTV/WBDG Advisory Committee
Emerson has also previously served on the following boards and committees or held these positions.
Wayne Township Fire Department Civilian Merit Commission
Habitat for Humanity Family Selection Committee
Westside Community Development Corporation as Secretary
Indianapolis Housing Agency as Board Commissioner
Emerson has been honored with many awards. He was honored by Wayne Township with the M.G. Raby Human Relations Award in 2004.
BDTV/WBDG Community Outreach Coordinator
Mayor's Faith-based Liaison under Mayor Bart Peterson
STUDENT PRODUCERS
2003/2004 - Adam Hendrick, Ben Davis
2004/2005 - Matt Gonzales, Ben Davis
2005/2006 - Tim Barrie, Ben Davis
2006/2007 - Jordan Monschein, Speedway
2007/2008 - Rachel Calhoun and Sean Dunham, Ben Davis
2008/2009 - Dan Roembke and Taylor Earles, Ben Davis
2009/2010 - Alan Czerwinski, Ben Davis
2010/2011 - Keegan Lampert, Ben Davis
2011/2012 - Treon McClendon, Ben Davis
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
You can be a part of the "School Talk" listening audience every week at 7:00 AM on Friday mornings. The show is replayed on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM.E-mail show ideas, comments, questions, etc to either School Talk or Jon Easter.
To call during Friday morning's LIVE broadcast:
(317) 244-9234.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed on "School Talk with Emerson" are not necessarily the views of the MSD of Wayne Township, Ben Davis High School, or WBDG.
