BronxNet’s Open spotlights two decades of local training, pandemic coverage and artist support

Hosts and staff on BronxNet’s twentieth anniversary used the episode to detail the station’s role as a local training ground, community reporter and arts promoter.

Audrey Duncan, introduced on air as BronxNet’s director of community affairs, and Paola Torres Vivas, identified as the programming coordinator, described the network’s hyperlocal reporting, its role during the COVID‑19 pandemic and an internship program they said runs 12 weeks. "We were there to have conversations with people during a time that we were isolated," one host said of the station’s pandemic work, and Paola Torres Vivas described moving through different production roles and helping new contributors develop skills.

The special also acknowledged funding supporting arts coverage: an announcer noted the Open Artist Spotlight is made possible in part with public funds from the Bronx Council on the Arts through the New York State Council on the Arts decentralization program. Hosts and guests linked that support to the station’s ability to present community artists and local small businesses.

Staff and alumni recorded short congratulatory messages on camera; several current producers and coordinators (Benai Warr, Katrina Kelly, Raymond Pagnouko and Angel) noted the program’s value for students and early‑career producers who have gone on to positions at larger outlets. The program closed with a remembrance of Marissa White, whom hosts said made lasting contributions to Open’s legacy.

The broadcast repeatedly framed BronxNet as a community resource that pairs airtime with training: staff described a pipeline from BronxNet internships to careers in journalism and production, while hosts emphasized that local storytelling and sustained relationships distinguish the network from commercial outlets.