Kids News Program Launches at Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine

Max Cromwell as one of the news anchors .

The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine has premiered a kids news program that is by kids and for kids in Maine. Published on the Museum & Theatre’s youtube channel, WCTM Newscast: By Kids For Kids features 8-15 year-olds as the news anchors, reporters, and often as the protagonists of news stories. The premiere episode covers news about Animal Refuge League adoptions, a Girl Scout troop’s research on the history of women’s suffrage, and a mysterious poll that encourages neighbors to vote on the street with rocks.

The Museum & Theatre launched daily, online educational programming in March as a way to continue serving children, families, and teachers in the wake of closure due to the pandemic. The popularity and positive feedback from two online program series–At Home Together and the Maine Youth Playwriting Challenge–led to the desire to create a new online program that would serve older kids. Inspired by John Krasinski’s Good News program, Museum & Theatre staff trained youth newscasters for the interviewing process and then recorded programs safely via Zoom.

Nominations of news stories and of students who are interested in participating are welcome. Please email reba@kitetails.org.

Welcome to WCTM Newscast: By Kids For Kids, a news program produced by the Children's Theatre at the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine in Portland. This n...