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The teen forum show

The Teen Forum Show is the first of its kind, and it's setting the pace for teens throughout South Carolina and the Southeast.

Produced by second-year USC student Mike Thomas and hosted by teens from many backgrounds, the show is an outlet for the teen voice. Call-ins are welcomed, commentary is informed and the show is definitely going places.

Thomas began the show when his father, Andy Thomas, gave him 90 minutes of airtime during his popular Andy Thomas Show. The nation's only teen talk show, The Teen Forum Show is a real discussion for an audience age 14 to 20.

The show started slowly with only one host and a run every other week but in the past year has grown to become a weekly with more participants and a larger audience. The Teen Forum now has eight teens representing area high schools and colleges on the air, and is heard in four states on 11 stations.

Designed to represent a variety of opinions, the show has a panel of diverse personalities who voice their opinions on issues that affect and interest them and others like themselves. Topics include things such as school dress codes, alcohol, sex, drugs and politics.

The roundtable format, with the opportunity for call-ins from listeners, makes the show exciting while still being informative and has helped it gain popularity.

Teen Forum Show reaches thousands of people each time it airs. Not only do teens tune in, but their parents also tune after hearing an announcement on the Andy Thomas Show saying to listen with their children.

While listening to the show, the lines of communication are opened as parents are able to hear the thoughts and of their children and diverse listeners share in each other's knowledge and common experience.

"We get to tell parents the truth during our show. It is a circle of informative family communication," Thomas said.

The Teen Forum broadcasts twice a month on location at area high schools and universities and sponsors advertising campaigns to promote its audience's healthy living and behavior. A trip to USC is being planned.

Working for the Teen Forum Show is as rewarding as it is demanding. Between finding topics that are as relevant as they are engaging and gaining listeners and sponsors, working behind the scenes is as much a learning experience as being on air.

Liza DeRose, a first-year USC nursing major, has been with the show since June. She was selected from several hundred applicants. She finds her co-hosting job an enjoyable learning experience.

"I've learned a lot from being on the show. Everyone is different, but it's a lot of fun. It's a good experience," she said.

With so many views being expressed about the same subject, conducting the discussions can be a challenge. The conversations can get heated, especially with topics like sex or politics, but the panel knows where to draw the line between on-air and off.

DeRose said, "We respect each others opinions. Nothing said is taken out of the studio."

DeRose was nervous when she first went on air but after a few months she found her on-air time a lot like a "regular conversation."

"I have really made great contacts and had a lot of different experiences. I've met and worked with such a diverse group of people and we've become a lot like family," DeRose said.

The Teen Forum Show is currently looking for more panelists. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact the show.

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