BY BRANDON KATHMAN
Special to the Clarkston News

The Boy Scouts of America’s Pontiac-Manito District has partnered with local television networks, including Independence Television, to produce a monthly show, “Scouting on Air,” which is hosted entirely by youth.
According to the district, the program features service projects in the community, product reviews, cooking segments and interviews with the organization’s state and national leadership.
Each episode is produced by scouts under the guidance of media professionals. The show can now be viewed on Independence Television, Oxford Community Television and Orion Neighborhood Television, as well as on YouTube.
According to the Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America, the show’s intended audience includes both scouting families and the general public.
“I was invited to help launch ‘Scouting on Air’ shortly after I achieved my Eagle rank,” said Brooke Muzzy, one of the show’s anchors.
“Having the opportunity to create a program about scouting has been so rewarding. I have made new friends and learned so many new skills in the last few months.”
Becky Andrus, the outreach coordinator for Orion Neighborhood Television, said the relationship began when scouting was featured on Orion Outreach, a program highlighting local nonprofits. After three appearances, Andrus suggested that they consider producing their own show. Working with the district’s leadership, ONTV offered the scouts their space and provided the youth journalists, anchors and directors with the requisite training courses to create a show.
“This training allows them to be involved in all aspects of the production process, from producing and directing to hosting and editing,” Andrus said. “Everyone at ONTV is so excited to have the scouts in the studio creating their own show.”
Partnerships with Independence TV and OCTV followed shortly after the release of the pilot.
The scouts have already created two episodes and are working on a third. Special guests thus far have included Jennifer Sanker, VP of Scouting in Michigan, and Terry Fossum, winner of FOX’s survival show “Kicking and Screaming.”
The scouts are currently filming an interview with Bryan Wendell, an editor for Scouting Magazine and Scout Life (formerly Boys Life).

PHOTO: Clarkston student Brooke Muzzy hosts the pilot episode of “Scouting on Air.” Photo provided