Internet radio show helps Las Vegas Valley kids help peers cope with bullying
Zachariah Waller remembers having a laptop computer thrown at his head by a bully when he was in elementary school. Now that he’s older, he works to help others protect themselves from similar bullying.
The 13-year-old has been hosting portions of the Bully Busters 702 radio show.
The show, which launched a year ago online at WBKE Radio, is run by kids and offers their peers who are bullied a place to call in and discuss their problems.
“We’ve been through it before, so if anybody does call in, we do know what to say,” said 14-year-old Teshi Thomas, who has also been working with the show since its beginning.
Waller’s mother, Kiva Natt, said the show and its crew have been an important support system for her son.
“This helps them because it’s like a family and they can turn to each other,” she said.
The show is part of Bully Busters 702, a Las Vegas group run by “Big Keith” Bowen that provides resources to kids who face bullying. The two-hour show airs at noon Sundays.
None of the kids who huddled around a cluster of tables in the studio Sunday read from a script. Bowen said it’s important for the kids to be able to express themselves naturally.
The kids are in charge of setting up the show’s technical aspects — organizing recorded tracks, for example — interviewing guests and talking bullying with their peers. Bowen said about 80 kids have come through the studio since the show started.
Bowen has worked with Bully Busters 702 for about five years. He said a conversation about bullying with his son spurred him to launch his program and the show.
He’s been to dozens of schools to pass out anti-bullying comics and talk straight to students.
True to his nickname, “Big Keith” is nearly 6-feet-4 inches and towers over everyone in the studio. His personality is big, too — he’s boisterous and wears brightly colored camouflage shorts and fresh sneakers. He has long dreadlocks, big chains and wears sunglasses inside.
Bowen said his appearance makes him more approachable to students.
“That’s the only way I could do it,” he said. “I couldn’t do it in a suit and a tie. They’ll think I’m a square dude.”
He said one aim of the group is keeping kids focused on something positive so they don’t have time to face bullying on social media.
The group is funded by donations and website advertisements, but Bowen doesn’t take a cut. He said the positive responses he gets from kids and their parents is enough to keep him in it.
To help young people, Bully Busters 702 offers a mobile app that allows kids to record instances of bullying so they can pass that information to authorities.
The group also runs a 24-hour hotline for students to call in if they are being picked on. Bowen said it’s important to give kids someone to call at 4 a.m.
“Just that little bit could save a kid’s life,” Bowen said.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
