On Sept. 7, Spectrum Networks will launch a new weekly show, Spectrum News Challenge, aimed at encouraging news literacy among high school students.
Hosted by Amrit Singh of Spectrum News 1 Southern California, Spectrum News Challenge will bring together high school students from across its footprint. They will be quizzed on their knowledge of local and national news on topics related to history, politics, civics, government and significant events in world history.
Each week two teams from different states will remotely compete against each other to win $1,500 split between the winning team.
Teams will be composed of three high school students originating from California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.
Contestants will answer three rounds of questions on a different news event or topic. The fourth and final round will feature a prerecorded question from a mystery newsmaker on a specific news topic related to their life or work. Notable newsmakers will include orator Dr. Bernice King, six-time NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, CNN chief medical correspondent, and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Golden Globe award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han.
Cater Lee, Vice President, News, and Content, Spectrum Networks, said, “Journalism is critical to sustaining a healthy democracy—that’s why it’s so important for the next generation to be well-informed about the news and events that have shaped our world.” She added, “Through the ‘Spectrum News Challenge,’ we aim to test students’ knowledge so they—and our viewers—will be even more empowered, engaged and active citizens.”
Spectrum News Challenge will air on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on local Spectrum News networks and the Spectrum News App through February 1.