Have you launched your school web radio and are looking to structure an attractive and varied programming schedule? The key to success lies in regular features that build listener loyalty. Whether you are in middle school, high school, or university, here are 16 formats that will transform your station into a true reference media outlet!
Before you start, check out the interview with Paris 8 University, which launched its own school/university web radio. Marie, in charge of the radio, shares the benefits of this school web radio as well as the secrets to its success.
I. News & Current Affairs Features
II. Portrait & Profile Features
IV. Practical & Advice Features
News & Current Affairs Features: Informing with an Educational Focus
1. “The News Decrypt”
Format: 3-5 minutes, daily or weekly
Concept: Your students select a national or international news event and explain it in their own words. The goal? To make information accessible without distortion and to develop the critical thinking skills of your listeners.
How to Structure the Broadcast:
- Introduction: Present the topic with a catchy hook sentence
- Context: The essential facts (who, what, where, when)
- Decryption: Why it matters, the core issues
- Outlook: The questions it raises
Educational Tip: Collaborate with a history/geography, economics, or philosophy teacher to validate analyses and enrich the content. This feature develops skills in documentary research, summarization, and oral expression. An excellent project to integrate into a recognized media literacy cycle.
2. “Street Talk of the Day”
Format: 2-4 minutes, weekly
Concept: A quirky or serious question posed to various members of the school community. Examples: “What’s your worst pop quiz anecdote?”, “How do you imagine your ideal job?”, “If you could change one school rule, what would it be?”
Production Tips:
- Prepare 5-6 questions in case some don’t work out
- Interview varied profiles: students from different grades, teachers, staff
- Keep the responses spontaneous, even if imperfect
- Create a recognizable jingle to identify the feature
This feature teaches students how to connect with different audiences, builds community, gives a voice to everyone, and often generates funny or touching moments that will make your programming memorable.
Find the best microphones for outdoor interviews, very practical for street interviews!
3. “The Local Zoom”
Format: 5-8 minutes, weekly
Concept: Focus on news from the neighborhood, city, or region. Opening of a new business, cultural event, civic initiative, municipal project… Your school web radio becomes the ultimate local media outlet!
Why It Works:
- Anchors the institution in its local area
- Highlights local stakeholders
- Develops the network of partners
- Directly interests listeners (it’s their environment)
Concrete Example: Interview with the manager of the new organic café that just opened, report on the renovation of the skatepark, meeting with a local association that is recruiting volunteers…
Possible Partnerships: City Hall, tourist offices, merchants’ associations, local media. These locally anchored radio projects are particularly valued during academic evaluations.
4. “Seen on Social”
Format: 3-5 minutes, weekly
Concept: Decoding the trends, challenges, and news buzzing on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube… with a critical and positive eye. Perfect for connecting your school web radio with your audience’s interests!
Suggested Structure:
- Presentation of the phenomenon (trend, meme, hashtag…)
- Why is it a hit?
- The questions it raises (ethics, veracity, impact…)
- Fact-checking if necessary
Educational Angle: This feature is ideal for addressing digital media literacy. Teachers can use it as a support to discuss fake news, online privacy (GDPR), the influence of algorithms, and responsible digital practices.
Example Topics:
- “The viral challenge: innocent or dangerous?”
- “Did this influencer really say that?”
- “Decoding a circulating fake news story”
Speaking of social media, find out in this article how radio stations go viral on TikTok (link in French).
Portrait & Profile Features: Humanize and Inspire
5. “Spotlight on…”
Format: 8-12 minutes, weekly
Concept: Sound portrait of a staff member who deserves to be known: the educational assistant who is passionate about theater, the school librarian who lived abroad for 10 years, the student who started their micro-business, the cleaner who has an incredible life story…
How to Prepare the Interview:
- Pre-meeting to build trust
- Questionnaire sent beforehand to reduce stress
- Open-ended questions that encourage storytelling
- Comfortable duration: 20-30 minutes of recording for a 10-minute final edit
Questions that always work:
- What was a decisive moment in your career/journey?
- If you could give one piece of advice to your 15-year-old self?
- What is your greatest source of pride?
- A failure that helped build you?
Educational Impact: This feature develops empathy, breaks down stereotypes, and reveals the human richness of the institution. It teaches students the art of the in-depth interview, a demanding but formative exercise in any radio training cycle.
6. “Student of the Week”
Format: 5-7 minutes, weekly
Concept: A shorter, more rhythmic version of the portrait, focusing on a student at the institution. Their passions, their journey, their projects, what makes them unique.
Dynamic Format:
- 1 minute: quick introduction
- 3 minutes: their story, their passion
- 1 minute: their future plans
- 1 minute: the short “Proust Questionnaire” version (5 rapid questions)
The Express Questionnaire:
- Your favorite dish?
- The last thing that made you laugh?
- Your ideal superpower?
- The person you would most admire to meet?
- Your favorite word?
This feature highlights students and creates a positive dynamic within the institution. It is an excellent tool for teachers wishing to showcase the diversity of their students’ talents as part of a citizenship education project.
7. “Unusual Jobs”
Format: 6-10 minutes, bi-weekly
Concept: Exploration of little-known, surprising, or emerging professions. Water slide tester, perfumery “nose,” AI ethicist, animal behaviorist, underwater archaeologist…
Show Structure:
- Mysterious intro teaser: “This professional spends their days…”
- Revelation of the job
- Interview with a professional (live or pre-recorded)
- The education required to get there
- Salary, working conditions, possible evolutions
- Misconceptions VS Reality
Resources: ONISEP, LinkedIn, alumni networks, parents… This feature fits perfectly into the career guidance path (Parcours Avenir in France) and can be co-constructed with teachers in charge of orientation.
Bonus: Create a sound library of careers, reusable for the institution’s orientation fairs!
Culture Features: Share and Discover
8. “The Week’s Playlist”
Format: 5-8 minutes, weekly
Concept: A student or teacher presents 3 to 5 tracks they are listening to right now, along with the story behind each choice. You can also consult our complete guide on how to create a perfect radio playlist.
What Makes the Feature Captivating:
- The personal story behind each track
- The diversity of styles (insist on at least 2 different genres)
- Anecdotes about the artists
- Why this song at this moment in my life?
Typical Format:
- Intro: Presentation of the guest and their musical world
- Track 1 + explanation (1min30)
- Track 2 + explanation (1min30)
- Track 3 + explanation (1min30)
- Conclusion: The track that currently moves you the most
Variant: “Thematic Playlist” (tracks for studying, for morning motivation, for a road trip, for a party with friends…). This feature can be streamed online on your platform and often generates a lot of engagement!
9. “Artist of the Week”
Format: 6-10 minutes, weekly
Concept: A deep dive into a musical artist (known or emerging): biography, style, essential albums, anecdotes, news. An opportunity to discover new talents or rediscover classics.
Effective Structure:
- Intro with a signature musical excerpt
- Who is this artist? (origin, career)
- Their musical style and influences
- The must-listen album or track
- Juicy or unusual anecdote
- Their current news (tour, new album…)
- Musical excerpts throughout the feature
Editorial Tip: Alternate between very well-known artists (for the audience) and new discoveries (for cultural enrichment). Get your listeners involved by asking them to vote for the next artist to feature!
Educational Context: Ideal for working with music teachers, language teachers (international artists), and history teachers (contextualizing musical movements)…
10. “The Series Right Now”
Format: 5-7 minutes, weekly
Concept: Review and recommendation of a TV series (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Arte…). Synopsis without spoilers, why it’s worth watching, for what audience, and most importantly: should you binge or not?
Sections to Include:
- The 30-Second Pitch (no spoilers!)
- Why We’re Hooked (3 strong points)
- The Minor Flaws (be honest)
- Who We Recommend It To (teens, adults, fans of a certain genre…)
- Number of Episodes and Duration (important to know what you’re committing to)
- The Rating out of 5
Thematic Variant: “Special Horror Series,” “Special French Comedies,” “Special Historical Series”…
This feature generates a lot of interaction! Students love to debate series, and this can motivate them to get involved in the school web radio. Consider creating a system of differing opinions with two hosts who may have different viewpoints.
11. “The Book in 5 Minutes”
Format: 5-minute limit, weekly
Concept: Dynamic presentation of a book (novel, comic, manga, essay…) to make listeners want to read it. The challenge: be concise, impactful, and, above all, **DO NOT** spoil it!
Ultra-Effective Structure:
- The Hook (30 sec): “Imagine that…” or “What if…” to set the scene
- The Author (30 sec): who they are, their world
- The Story (2 min): the basics without revealing the end
- What We Loved (1 min): the style, the emotion, the originality
- Who is it for? (30 sec): which reader will enjoy it
- The Cult Quote (30 sec): a striking excerpt
Partnerships: Collaborate with the CDI (school library) or the municipal library! The librarian can help you select varied titles and structure your reviews. The featured books can then be highlighted within the institution.
Bonus: Organize a “Radio Book Club” once a month where several students debate the same book they have all read.
12. “Forgotten History”
Format: 7-10 minutes, bi-weekly
Concept: Recounting a fascinating but little-known historical event, an incredible anecdote, an forgotten figure… Storytelling serving History!
Examples of Hot Topics:
- The true story that inspired [famous movie/series]
- Women scientists erased from History
- Failed inventions that accidentally changed the world
- Animal war heroes
- The secret codes of the Resistance
- The real story behind an urban legend
How to Make It Captivating:
- Start with a mysterious hook
- Use the narrative present tense for more dynamism
- Integrate soundscapes and music
- Create suspense even if the story is known
- End with an opening or a current reflection
Interdisciplinary Work: Excellent project to undertake with history/geography teachers! This feature fits perfectly into school curricula and allows certain topics to be explored in depth, making them accessible and attractive.
Practical & Advice Features: Serve and Advise
13. “The Easy Recipe”
Format: 5-7 minutes, weekly
Concept: A simple, quick, and beginner-friendly recipe, presented clearly and engagingly. Ideal for students who want to learn how to cook!
Step-by-Step Structure:
- Gourmet Introduction: presentation of the dish, why we love it
- Ingredients: complete list with quantities
- Necessary Equipment: pots, oven, blender…
- Step-by-Step Preparation: clear and precise explanations
- Tips and Variations: for personalizing the recipe
- Preparation Time and Difficulty Level
Recipe Ideas that Work:
- Student classics: carbonara pasta, cookies, crepes…
- Special low-budget (under 5€)
- Recipes from different cultures (brought by students)
- Special homemade snacks
- Vegetarian/vegan recipes
Participatory Bonus: Invite a member of the canteen staff to share one of their recipes! Or ask students to send in their traditional family recipes.
14. “Actions that Matter”
Format: 3-5 minutes, weekly
Concept: A feature dedicated to ecology, sustainable development, and concrete actions to take daily. Practical, positive, and actionable!
Types of Content:
- Action of the Week: a simple eco-friendly action to adopt
- Decoding: understanding an environmental issue (global warming, plastic pollution, fast-fashion…)
- Local Initiative: spotlight on an eco-responsible project in the institution or neighborhood
- Green Challenge: launch a challenge to the school community
- Anti-Waste Tip: how to reduce waste, save water, energy…
Example Topics:
- “The true impact of your smartphone”
- “How to organize a clothing swap”
- “5 alternatives to disposable plastic”
- “What is composting?”
- “Fast-fashion: the hidden side of cheap clothing”
Educational Framework: This feature fits perfectly into the goals of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) supported by the Academy. It can be co-hosted with eco-delegates and science teachers.
15. “The Debate”
Format: 10-15 minutes, bi-weekly
Concept: A divisive topic, two sides, well-constructed arguments. The goal is not to convince but to learn how to debate with respect and listening.
Topics Adapted for the School Environment:
- Should cell phones be banned in high school?
- Homework: useful or counterproductive?
- School uniforms: for or against?
- Are social media networks addictive?
- Should school holidays be reduced to better distribute the year?
Golden Rules of Radio Debate:
- A neutral host who distributes speaking time fairly
- Equal speaking time for each side
- No interrupting
- Constructed arguments (no personal attacks)
- Open conclusion (no “winner”)
Preparation: Organize a preparation session with participants where they list their arguments and anticipate those of the opposing side. Teach them to source their information and to distinguish between opinion and fact.
Educational Value: Develops argumentation, critical thinking, active listening, and respect for opposing views. An essential democratic exercise within civic education!
16. “The Sports Feat”
Format: 5-8 minutes, weekly
Concept: Review of a significant sporting performance (recent or historical), an individual or collective feat, with analysis and context.
Feature Structure:
- The Context: where, when, what competition
- The Feat: description of the performance
- Why It’s Exceptional: records, difficulty, context
- The Hero(ine): portrait of the athlete or team
- The Reactions: what commentators, social media said
- The Aftermath: what became of the athlete, the impact of the performance
Topic Ideas:
- Highlights of the latest Olympic Games
- A broken world record
- The feat of a local athlete or a former student
- The performances of the school team (UNSS)
- The most incredible feats in sports history
Variant: “Athlete Profile” focusing on the journey, training, sacrifices, and values of sport.
Link with the Institution: Give a voice to PE teachers, invite high-level student athletes to share their experiences, cover UNSS competitions… This promotes sports in the institution and can motivate less athletic students to get involved!
These 16 features offer a wide range of formats to feed your school web radio throughout the year. The essential thing is to start with a few that match your desires and your team’s talents, then gradually enrich your programming.
A vibrant school web radio rests on three pillars: regularity, content quality, and community involvement. The most successful radio projects are those where teachers and students collaborate in a structured framework, where everyone can learn while expressing themselves freely.
Your school web radio can become much more than a simple communication tool: a true community-based media recognized by your Academy, a unifying project that connects the entire educational community, and a formidable learning ground for your students.
