ROHS students up for awards from Michigan Association of Broadcasters

ROYAL OAK — Communications is a subject that Royal Oak High School thrives in, considering the past two years of students being nominated for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast Awards.

Senior AJ Mikos has received a nomination for the News Features category, while Ben Machiniak, a senior, and Sam Klonke, a 2024 graduate, are nominated for the Talk Show/Scripted Show category.

Mikos’ news feature, “Royal Oak Unveils Monument Honoring Freedom Seeker” shows the unveiling of the Elizabeth Hamer statue that took place on Sept. 23, 2024, at Hamer Finch Wilkins Park.

“I thought it was a story that I think people in the community would want to hear about,” Mikos said. “It’s a really important piece of history of the city, and it’s close to home for a lot of people that are still relatives of the family (Hamer, Finch, Wilkins) that I covered that live in Royal Oak.”

Mikos’ video demonstrates his skills in interviewing, videography and use of the video equipment, according to Jaret Grisamer, multimedia specialist for Royal Oak Schools.

“It has a really nice, natural flow. I think the shots he used are really beautiful. There are a lot of slow pull zoom outs that he used and a lot of great interviews that were done right on the spot,” Grisamer said. “We were blown away that it got nominated because it was a very, I wouldn’t say small project, but it was a project we didn’t expect to get nominated.”

Grisamer said that they knew the quality of the piece, but because of the scale of the competition and the number of entries, they weren’t sure it would get nominated.

Mikos said that the prospect of winning an award at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast Awards is going to give him confidence going into his freshman year of college.

“Now I know what I can do; I know I am capable of making good videos,” Mikos said. “So to see other people who know a lot about this stuff recognize me for that in some way would just be really good and very motivating to work harder.”

The students’ videos are judged by a panel of broadcasting professionals in Michigan who judge the entries based on the criteria listed in each category and how well it follows the category description, according to michiganmedia.com.

The students have the chance to win first, second or an honorable mention, as there are three entries nominated in each category.

Machiniak and Klonke have been nominated for episode 10 of “The Raven Round-Up,” a sports podcast outlining the athletes and coaches at ROHS. Episode 10 discusses winter sports, bowling and figure skating at ROHS.

“I am most proud of the inclusion of sports that don’t get the recognition they deserve,” Machiniak said. “We had bowling and figure skating on the episode as interviews, and it was a great experience to learn things I never knew. They put hard work in just like football and basketball, so it’s awesome to be able to give them recognition.”

Mike Conrad, video, media and television production studies teacher at ROHS, said that Machiniak and Klonke have taken this project to the next level with their skill level.

“They are operating at a level that some professionals don’t. They are really doing a great job in terms of rising above the concept of a student and are always asking themselves how to make the next podcast better,” Conrad said. “I don’t think enough professionals actually look at their craft and say, ‘What can I do every time to make it better?’”

Klonke created the podcast and graduated in 2024, but before doing so he passed the baton to Machiniak, showing him the ropes of the podcast so he could continue it. Now, Machiniak is doing the same, showing junior Javien Johnson the ropes.

“Taking over as the host was stressful at first; luckily, Sam was a great teacher and had me prepared for it,” Machiniak said. “Being able to teach Javien is very fun and makes me realize the podcast will be in good hands for season three.”

Machiniak said that winning an award would mean a lot to him.

“Knowing that me and Sam’s hard work isn’t going unnoticed is a really awesome thing,” he said.

Conrad said being recognized by professional broadcasters as a high school student helps propel the students into college with confidence.

“It’s not a scholastic program; it’s a professional broadcasting program. What they are doing feels like a profession,” Conrad said. “To be recognized by professionals at their age is a massive resume booster and also gives them pride in their work to let them know they can do this.”

Mikos said he is going to pursue a degree in film at either Central Michigan University or the University of Michigan and Machiniak said he is planning to attend the University of Mississippi to study business with the hope of running his own company.

“I have an open mind because the podcast isn’t something I want to put in the past. I can see myself doing stuff like this in the future,” Machiniak said.

The awards will be presented at the Michigan Student Broadcasters Awards Luncheon March 20 at the Crown Plaza, 925 S. Creyts Road in Lansing.

Machiniak’s episode 10 of the Raven Round-Up and Mikos’ news feature can be found on YouTube.com. For more information on Royal Oak High School, visit www.royaloakschools.org.