Off The Air

South Carolina Democratic primary is on Saturday. Any registered voter can vote. This is the first primary that includes a substantial African American voting block. We talk to Todd Shaw is a USC political professor, Courtney Thomas a communications director for WREN and Malik Whittaker is a civil rights. To talk about the state of African-American voters in South Carolina.

How is your New Year going so far? Are you still pursuing the goals you set for yourself in 2020 We know it's hard to stay motivated so we're here to help with Shennice Pruitt Cleckley from Smart Cookie Coaching and Kam Kelley from the Well Collective

The superhero genre is big business for Hollywood, however all of these characters have very humble beginnings in comics. South Carolina has become ground zero for the comic industry with the Gary Lee Watson Collection at the University of South Carolina and the popular comic Bitter Root from local creators Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown. We discuss the comic impact South Carolina has with Professor Qiana Whitted, and Michael Weisenburg from the Rare Books and Special Collections at USC.

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY: Sure you love them, but sometimes it's a bit hard when peppered with questions like "when can we expect grandkids?" or politics.

The holiday shopping season is just getting started. So whether you are shopping offline or online we wanted to help you protect yourself. Before you click add to cart or hand over your debit card you will want to hear from Investigator Kovalchek of the Richland County Sheriff's Department and News 19's Director of Technology Andy Peeler.

With technology everything is just a click away, even dating. Finding a match can be as easy as swiping right but has this made dating easier or does it just make it more complicated with an overwhelming amount of choices. We have assembled a panel fighting in the trenches of modern dating life with professors Mal Reeder and Rhea Merck along with Tyrone Speaks and Joseph Barr.

October 5 is the 30th annual Pride Festival, and Drag Queens will be front and center for this year's festivities. We wanted to check in with our local Drag community on how they feel and where they stand. To help us we have invited Anaya Devour and Elena DeVore to dish and discuss.

South Carolina politicians are taking over the national stage. From Lindsey Graham, Mick Mulvaney and Nikki Haley all in President Trump's inner circle to Mark Sanford running for President, SC Republicans are enjoying the spotlight. On the Democratic side Jim Clyburn is the most powerful Democrat in the House as Majority Whip and has helped make South Carolina a necessary stop for any Democrat running for President. How did this happen? Why is the nation taking a special interest in the Palmetto state. We talk with Lauren Wilkie from the League of Women Voters and Todd Shaw a professor at USC to chat about it all.

Football is the number one sport in America, specifically the NFL. It's king and dominates the conversation in the sports world but it wasn't always this way. Major League Baseball, basketball and boxing also enjoyed being the dominant sport in the country. But with the NFL facing a number of off the field issues and competition from other sports, can the league still keep it's crown? We invited USC professor Nicholas Wantanbe and Quarterback for the SC Dames Holly Alcomo on to talk about the future of the football and how we in the Midlands view the sport. 

Bullying seems to be a new phenomenon to some, however it's not new and it has actually gotten worse and social media has taken it to an all new level. We wanted to delve into what "cyberbullying" is and why it is so hard for kids today. We invited Kimberly Smith from the Department of Education and Hannah Barnett-Boyles a counselor from Irmo High School to help us understand what our students are facing today.

Lookout Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers! 56 million millennials are either employed or looking for work and they are now the largest generation in the US workforce. So have millennials changed workplace standards or are they having to adhere to them? We thought it would be interesting to discuss this generational divide so we brought in Katie Fox, from Dress to Impress and Shennice Cleckley from Smart Cookie Coaching to help us sort it out.

June is when we celebrate the LGBTQ community with Pride Month. This is the time we are meant to highlight the achievements and diversity within the community. Even with all the accomplishments the LGBTQ community has gained there is still a long way to go for equality. We invited Matthew Butler from the Harriet Hancock Center, and SC Pride, Vice Chair Nick Bozard to help us understand challenges the LGBTQ community face here in the Midlands. https://scpride.org/ http://harriethancockcenter.org/

The 2019 Hurricane Season officially started on June 1 ⛈☔️ and weather experts are predicting this year to be another busy one when it comes to storms forming in the Atlantic. What does this mean for us here in South Carolina and what should we do to prepare? We're talking to News19's Chief Meteorologist Efren Afante tonight to find out.

2019 was touted as the year for Education Reform. However, it seems lawmakers and educators are at an impasse with some school districts closing on May 1st for a Day of Reflection. Some lawmakers including Gov. McMaster and State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman are calling it a walkout and say it is sending the wrong message. To help us understand how we got here we invited Representative Jerry Govan (D), and Chris Wooten who sit on the Education Committee to join the conversation

Teachers have been asking for education reform for years and it seemed like lawmakers were listening, but it seems like no progress has been made. To talk about the education crisis, we decided to bring in some experts to help us sort through this difficult topic. Joining us is Dr. Michele Phillips, a former candidate for State Superintendent of Education; Lisa Ellis from SC for Ed; and Patrick Kelly from Richland District 2.

There are very few things both Presidents Trump and Obama agree on. However, they both worked to change how our criminal justice system helps people reentering life after incarceration. President Obama created The National Reentry Week, and President Trump just signed the First Steps Act, a prison sentencing reform bill. Yet what does that mean on the ground for returning citizens trying to navigate their way back into society? To figure all this out we brought in Professor Jennifer Trombley from Claflin and Beasy Baybie from HOT 103.9.

Within the last 7 days nationwide and locally families are mourning. There were three high profile suicides involving survivors of school shootings, a hit and run where a little girl was killed in Columbia, two USC students murdered, and an elementary school student died following a fight at school. On Tuesday, WTLX began a newscast telling our viewers that the next several minutes will be hard for many to watch because there was so much death. How do we process all this death? How should we talk about suicide and how do we help before or after an attempt? This week we brought in Alexandra Karydi the program director for the Youth Suicide Prevention initiative and Jennifer Wolff a crisis counselor and trauma specialist.   https://afsp.org/ https://www.dougy.org/ https://www.scyspi.org/after-a-suicide https://www.jjwolffcounselingservices.com/  

MARCH MADNESS IS BACK! 

R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby… the list goes on. All famous celebrities with iconic success in their fields and all with criminal allegations that attach to their name. The question we’re asking today… Can you separate the career from the crime? We brought in three guests to talk about it: DJ Beasy Baybie from 103.9, USC Professor Laura Kissel and Ricky Pulley from the Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands.

It’s a bird 

We’re Off the Air and we’re talking about the arts! 

It seems every time you turn on the TV some show is talking about the decline of marriage, however is that? Is marriage in decline or is that a talking point? Have millennials killed marriage? How have relationships and marriages changed with the introduction of social media and dating apps? To helps us sift through it all we have invited Professor Jennifer Augustine from USC’s Sociology Dept., Free Times writer and advice columnist Anne Postic Wolfe and 95.3’s radio host Jamal Bates.

Start your engines! 

Why can’t everyone have a home? This is the question that is plaguing not only the Midlands, but the country at large. Affordable housing has become scarce even as the economy recovers. Why is that? What is causing the disappearance of affordable housing? To tackle this topic, we have invited Kira Person a realtor from United Real Estate Columbia, Adam Protheroe an attorney from Appleseed Legal Justice Center, and Lee Patterson the Richland County Library Social Work Manager

Columbia – The Famously Hot “Music” City? It could be! We are seeing the Midlands become a hub for artists and musicians from all over. From Jay-Z and Bey to Chris Stapleton, many top-tier artists have made a stop here in Columbia and even more are planning on coming in 2019 (Pink, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac etc.) To talk about what is fueling this musical renaissance in the Midlands we brought in Jordan Lawrence, Music and Arts Editor of the Free Times, and Candice Johnson, editor-in-chief of “I Am Not a Critic” podcast. 

The Trump administration released a report on climate change during the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday that said there is “no convincing alternative explanation for the changing climate other than human activities.” What does this report mean for us here in South Carolina? Can we combat climate change or is it too late? To answer these questions, we brought in South Carolina’s Weatherman Jim Gandy and USC professor Greg Carbone.

Happy New Year from "Off The Air!" Have you already broken your New Year's resolution? Maybe you haven't started yours yet. To help us be better ourselves in 2019,we brought in a local expert on achieving your best self: Columbia City councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine.

It's the Holiday Season but more importantly it is College Football's post season! Both the University of South Carolina and Clemson University are preparing with USC going to the Belk Bowl to face University of Virginia while Clemson is headed for the Cotton Bowl to take on Notre Dame. We wanted to talk about how both teams got here and what their outlook is going into the post season. To help us out we have Weekend Sports Anchor Joe Cook here to give us his insights and expert opinion!

So you’re thinking of getting a pet for Christmas. Do you know what kind? Have you thought about how much room you have for the new member of your family or how much of your time your new furry friend will need? Well we’re here to help. We have Marli Drum from the Columbia Animal Shelter and Robert Varney and Mark Thompson from Dog Training in Your Home to help you out.

It’s the Holiday Season, so Merry Christmas! But wait, did you know people celebrate more than just Thanksgiving and Christmas this time of year? We wanted to learn more about what some of our neighbors celebrate so we invited Holli Emore from the Cherry Hill Seminary to talk about the Winter Solstice. Cheryl Nail the VP of Interfaith Partners of SC to discuss the tradition of Hanukkah. PJ Mundrey to discuss the Indian celebration of Diwali and Karen Zarah Starks to discuss Kwanzaa. We have a lot to discuss so let’s get to it.

With the weather changing and the holiday season upon us, we wanted to cover what South Carolinians need to do to prepare for the winter season and stay safe while staying warm. Thanksgiving has 3x more home fires than any other day of the year. To help us with this conversation we have Lexington Fire Marshal Randy Fellers and City of Columbia Fire Education Officer Bengie Leverett.

In 2018, the U.S. was rocked by two major storms, Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael. More than 100 people lost their lives due to these storms and they caused billions of dollars in damage. Are these storms the new normal? Is hurricane season going to bring us “super storms” that dump record amounts of rain each year? How are farmers dealing with these storms and does climate change have anything to do with the weather we are seeing?  We brought in our very own News 19 Weather Team, Jim Gandy and Daniel Bonds, to talk about it and answer your questions.

The average American will spend $700 - $1,000 during the holidays on gifts, food and decorations. But how much should you be spending during the holiday season? Do you normally budget and save up for you holiday shopping, or do you go all out and then try to get a handle on your spending in the New Year?  To help decide what to do when it comes to finances this holiday season, Off The Air is talking to the experts: Financial Advisor and Founder of Know Money Inc., Steven Hughes, and Financial Blogger Jackie Jones from "Sugar and Money."

What in the world is eSports?! Most everyone is familiar with video games as a leisure activity. However playing video games competitively are now big business and is being classified as a sport. Electronic sports -- or "eSports" as it is now known as -- is becoming a juggernaut and there are now college athletic programs dedicated to finding and supporting eSports athletes in South Carolina. We're talking to Joesph Rudy from Coker College and Kris Weissmann from USC Sumter who are helping their eSports programs at their respective schools be successful.

*audio echo resolves at 0:44* The South Carolina Midterm Elections are just over two weeks away. What do voters care about this November? What issues will decide the Governor's race? Will the state ethics and corruption probe have any influence? Could a Blue Wave turn this state politically purple? This and more with guests Meg Kinnard, a reporter at the Associated Press, and Charles Bierbauer, the former Mass Communications Dean from USC.

Women make up 51% of the population in South Carolina, but only 10% of the representation in the State House. Why? We're talking with Laura Woliver, professor at USC, Senator Mia McLeod of Kershaw/Richland County and Senator Katrina Shealy of Lexington County to discuss the woman's position in politics in 2018.

Roughly 5,000 teachers left their jobs last year in South Carolina. School districts are constantly scrambling to fill empty positions. News reports often cite the lack of administrative support, low pay, and the emphasis on standardized testing as causes for the teacher crisis. But what do teachers have to say? Today we welcome the voices of 3 teachers. Lisa Ellis and Nicole Walker join us from SC for ED, an organization created by educators to improve education in South Carolina. Kathy Maness joins us from the Palmetto State Teachers Association.

Has Hollywood run out of ideas? On this week’s Off The Air, we’ve invited three Mass Communication professors to speak on the enormous amount of remakes and reboots during this premiere season. Leroy Green hosts Dr. Patrick Stearns (International and Minority Films - SC State University), Dr. Joshua Mims (Author, Scriptwriter, Producer - Claflin University), Dr. Donna Gough (Film/TV Producer, Consultant - Claflin University).

We're siting down with Kevin and Emily Heise -- soccer coaches at Gray Collegiate Academy to talk about the sport's increased popularity and future growth in the Midlands.

We're talking about the rise of craft beer, specifically in the Midlands. With 9 breweries -- plus 3 more on the way -- and multiple beer festivals, Columbia is becoming a (famously) hot spot for craft beer.

This week’s topic is all about Gamecock Football and Clemson Football and their futures in the NCAA. What’s your prediction for this season? Join host Leroy Green, former Gamecock Steve Taneyhill, and sports journalist Joe Cook.   …… For every minute of on-air television, hours of content and conversations go unseen and unheard. News 19’s new podcast “Off The Air” brings local news into the information age by adding depth and perspective to a wide range of weekly local topics. Off The Air is hosted by Leroy Green and produced by the team at WLTX News 19. Watch on Facebook LIVE and download audio episodes on iTunes, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, and Spotify.  

For every minute of on-air television, hours of content and conversations go unseen and unheard. This is everything you can't fit in the newscast. Columbia, South Carolina's only long-form, issues-based news show; Off The Air brings local news into the information age. Brought to you by host Leroy Green and the team at WLTX News 19.