Center for Broadcast Journalism

04/02/2025

We are so excited to connect with young people this summer through our POWER 104.7 Media Lab, an eight-week summer cohort experience for 16- to 24-year-olds. For the past three years, we have been mobilizing the next generation to advance representation in media.

This year, we continue our partnership with Ramsey County to equip 10 young people with a $1,200 stipend, their own camera, microphone, and audio recorder! If you know any young people in Ramsey County interested in journalism and media, send them our way. Sign up and eligibility at www.power1047.fm/medialab

We are so excited to connect with young people this summer through our Power 104.7 Media Lab, an eight-week summer cohort experience for 16- to 24-year-olds. For the past three years through my nonprofit CBJ, we have been mobilizing the next generation to advance representation in media.

This year, we continue our partnership with Ramsey County to equip 10 young people with a $1,200 stipend, their own camera, microphone, and audio recorder! If you know any young people in Ramsey County interested in journalism and media, send them our way. Sign up and eligibility at www.power1047.fm/medialab

03/18/2025

Celebrating the next generation of journalists! 🎉 Huge congrats to Jasmine McBride, mentored by our president Georgia Fort, on her new role as Editor at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder! Her journey is a true reflection of our mission. We also applaud Selah Jacoway for being selected as her college's on-campus news anchor after participating in our Summer Journalism Intensive. Empowering the next wave of media leaders—these are the moments we live for! 🙌🏾

03/10/2025

Welcome to Our New Board Members!

We are thrilled to welcome three dynamic leaders to our Board of Directors: Cindy Lewis, Talia McWright, and Octavia "Tav" Treadway. Each brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to media, community, and leadership development.

* Cindy Lewis has over 30 years of experience in sales, broadcast media business development, and public relations. As the founder of Cynthcarm Communications, she is passionate about independent communication platforms and nurturing future leaders. Her extensive community involvement and commitment to generational wealth-building make her an invaluable addition to our board.

* Octavia "Tav" Treadway is a business development and strategic operations consultant with 20 years of experience in nonprofit management and entrepreneurship. As the founder of Something Great, she equips organizations with tools to grow and sustain success. Tav’s deep involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts aligns with CBJ’s mission to ensure equitable representation in media.

* Talia McWright is an emerging journalist making waves at the Pioneer Press, where she covers stories in Woodbury and St. Paul. A 2024 graduate of Bethel University, Talia has led multicultural initiatives and championed inclusive storytelling. She is passionate about highlighting stories that center minority communities and young voices in media.

We are excited to have their leadership and expertise guiding CBJ’s future!

11/19/2024

We are incredibly grateful to Old National Bank, who has awarded us a generous $15,000 grant to support our mission of mobilizing emerging journalists and promoting diversity in media. This grant will play a pivotal role in helping us continue our summer programs and continue advancing our vision of a more inclusive journalism landscape.

Thank you, Old National Bank, for believing in our mission and helping to create a more just and equitable media environment. Your partnership is invaluable, and we look forward to the positive change we can make together.

11/14/2024

We’re celebrating a huge milestone for one of our former NextGen journalists Aaliyah Demry. After graduating college this summer she landed a TV reporter position in Rochester, MN! Aaliyah’s hard work and commitment have already earned her the opportunity to fill in as an anchor. Her journey is a perfect example of the power of mentorship and community investment in journalism opportunities for young people. Keep shining, Aaliyah—we are so proud of you!

10/10/2024

We are proud to share that our very own Marianne Combs has been honored with the Mentor of the Year award from TeamWomen! Marianne’s unwavering dedication to emerging journalists and media makers has made a profound impact on our community. Please join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition!

10/09/2024

We are excited to announce that we have updated our mission to better reflect our commitment to our work. Our new mission is: *Mobilizing the next generation of journalists to advance representation in media.* This refinement emphasizes our dedication to fostering diverse voices and perspectives within the industry, ensuring all journalists are given the same opportunities to amplify stories from their communities.

In less than two years, our 501c3 has made significant strides with emerging media makers and journalists using our community station Power 104.7 as a platform for this work. In August we celebrated the impact of our Summer Journalism Cohort which was made possible through strategic partnerships with Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, SPNN and newsrooms like the Star Tribune, Spokesman Recorder and Pioneer Press.

We believe that refining our focus will allow us to be more effective in serving our community, emerging journalists and local newsrooms eventually leading us to a day when our media can authentically reflect and serve diverse communities.

09/05/2024

Congratulations to Angeline Patrick Pacheco for her byline on the lead story in Sunday’s Pioneer Press! Angeline participated in CBJ’s Summer Journalism Intensive earlier this summer and, as a part of it, was offered an internship with the Pioneer Press. Working with reporter Fred Melo, Angeline interviewed people working and living at the intersection of University and Snelling Avenues, and wrote a section of the article. It’s just one of several stories she’s worked on over the past month. Not bad for a rising high school senior! Many thanks to the Pioneer Press for providing her with an excellent work experience and being such a fabulous partner to CBJ

07/23/2024

Here’s another great story from one of our students participating in CBJ’s Summer Journalism Intensive:

Nia Rasavong remembers the day she landed on Minnesota soil.

“It was March 16, we got off the plane, we were given jackets and coats and went outside. There was a snowstorm which I've never seen, it was beautiful. We were slipping and sliding – there's not really any words – but I do remember that day clearly.”

Nia is the co-owner of downtown St.Paul’s Ruam Mit Thai + Lao Cuisine, located on Wabasha Street North. From a refugee to the owner of a successful restaurant, Nia’s story demonstrates the power of family, culture, and perseverance.

Selah Jacoway has this profile: https://www.power1047.fm/news

07/17/2024

Check out the latest from one of the young reporters in our summer journalism training program:

07/15/2024

Check out the first story from our Summer Journalism Intensive! And many thanks to Rep María Isa Pérez Vega for taking the time.

***

Rep María Isa Pérez Vega is wrapping up her first term as state representative for District 65B and is running for reelection. She says she's learned a great deal from her time in office - not just about policy making but also about how to care for herself in a space that wasn't created with people like her in mind.

Angeline Pacheco has the story: https://www.power1047.fm/news

07/11/2024

Q: How do you change the racial narrative in media?
A: You change who's telling the stories.

Our 2024 Summer Journalism Intensive is underway. Thanks to generous support from Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, we were able to provide these young people with the tools they need to get ahead. On Monday they learned about photography and community storytelling from North News Reporter Azhae'la Hanson; MPR's Derek Ramirez taught them how to use their audio recording equipment. Then on Tuesday we sent them out to interview people for their first stories. Now it's crunch time - they are crafting their stories, editing and reworking. This group is filled with so much talent! We believe that in order to change the narrative, we just need to provide training and opportunities to young people from historically marginalized communities, so that they can be the ones to tell their own stories.

This week we're focusing on writing for print/online publications. Next week they will produce their first radio stories, and the week after that we're moving on to video/television. Then we'll focus on job readiness, and place them into Twin Cities newsrooms for some real world work experience. More to come!