102.7 KIIS FM and LA Times partner to give student journalists their big break
Ryan Seacrest surprised HS Insider reporters with assignment to cover Wango Tango
Today on 102.7 KIIS FM, Ryan Seacrest surprised two LA Times HS Insider student journalists with news that they will cover KIIS FM’s annual sold-out pop music festival, Wango Tango, at the StubHub Center. Chelsey Sanchez of Granada Hills Charter High School and Donnaldo Escobedo of Garfield Senior High School will serve as Assignment Reporters for HS Insider covering the event on Saturday, May 9th.
The Times launched HS Insider, its digital platform for student journalists, in November 2014 in conjunction with 50 schools in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties. This new platform allows Southern California students to develop their journalism skills and share their unique stories. Currently, 100 high schools with a total of more than 192,000 students participate in the program and more than 1,000 students contribute their stories, videos and photos on topics ranging from sports and academics to public service and campus life to the LA Times family. Students can learn more on HS Insider’s blog network at latimes.com/hsinsider and by following @hsinsider on Twitter (#hsinsider), hs.insider on Snapchat, and Facebook.com/hsinsider.
Forty high school juniors and seniors participating in the HS Insider program submitted applications for the 2015 KIIS FM Wango Tango Music News Challenge. LA Times Arts & Entertainment writers and editors reviewed the submissions and selected Sanchez and Escobedo. The two student journalists will cover the event from a variety of angles, including red carpet interviews, live performance reviews and behind-the-scenes reporting. Ryan Seacrest, host of 102.7 KIIS FM’s “On Air,” notified the student journalists, who will receive official press credentials and mentoring from Times journalists.
KIIS FM’s Wango Tango festival, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, will feature performances by Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Calvin Harris, Nick Jonas, Meghan Trainor, David Guetta, Jason Derulo, Sia, Ne-Yo, L.A. locals Echosmith, Lunchmoney Lewis, Natalie LaRose, Tori Kelly and Fifth Harmony. Listeners can still win their way into the sold out show by tuning in to 102.7 KIIS FM or visiting kiisfm.com. Plus, fans can watch a live stream of the red carpet and all the performances online at WangoTango.com beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9th. Coverage by Sanchez and Escobedo will be published at latimes.com/hsinsider.
