New voices are gracing the airwaves at KUOZ FM-100.5. Every Wednesday evening at 5 p.m., listeners can tune in to "The Democrat Discussion," a new political talk-radio show hosted by students Cameron Coker, Alix Tiegs, and Riley Young.
Coker, a senior history major from Russellville, Ark., is president of Ozarks Young Democrats, a student political organization on campus. He developed the idea of a radio show as a way of promoting the ideas of his organization and the Democratic Party.
"The idea of a radio show as originally presented to me by Dr. Stewart Dippel, the faculty advisor for Young Democrats. He was trying to think of ways for us to branch out with the message of the Democratic Party," Coker explained.
Cameron Coker (right) and Riley Young are two of the hosts for "The Democrat Discussion," which airs at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays on the campus radio station KUOZ FM-100.5.
As president of Young Democrats, Coker recruited members Alix Tiegs, a freshman radio/television/video major from Dallas, Texas, and Riley Young, a junior environmental studies major from Mountain View, Missouri, as co-hosts.
The show’s focus is on current local, national, and global events. Also featured is a "Republican of the Week" segment.
"During our ‘Republican of the Week’ segment, we highlight a specific Republican lawmaker or political figure and discuss where they stand on the issues, which usually ends in a critique of their policies," Coker explained.
While the show promotes the ideas and policies of the Democratic Party, Young encourages everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to tune in and interact with the show.
"We understand that we are promoting one point of view and that others may believe differently, but ours is still a point of view worth understanding," Young said. "Our generation will lead the country one day, and we want to give the students on campus the opportunity to know what’s going on."
One important aspect of the show is audience interaction. Listeners are invited to leave comments and questions on the Young Democrats Facebook and Twitter pages to be addressed during the show.
"We want to encourage everyone to join in the discussion," Tiegs said. "I feel like we have a good thing going. Our topics are always fresh when we talk about them, and we give reasons and explanations to back up our viewpoints. Overall, it is just a great time to listen to us."
The show airs live every Wednesday at 5 p.m. on Ozarks’ radio KUOZ FM-100.5. Listeners can interact with the hosts by leaving questions and comments on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YoungDemocratsUniversityOfTheOzarks or on Twitter @UofOYoungDems.
Topics: Student Organizations