“Keepin’ It Real,” a program for teens on Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Cable Channel 34, continues its second season with a discussion by students at Albert Einstein High School on the implications of downloading music files from the Internet.

The program will be taped at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, January 9, at Albert Einstein High School’s auditorium. Members of the news media are invited to attend.

Special guests for this episode include John Harwood, editor at the Wall Street Journal; Hilary Rosen, former director of the Recording Industry Association of America; Chris Hoofnagle, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center; Rane, DJ at radio station WPGC; and Sean Sharkey, a Richard Montgomery High School graduate who just received his first recording contract. A special segment of the show highlights Albert Einstein High School and the new Downcounty Consortium academies available to students.

“Keepin’ It Real” is designed to be an open forum for high school students and is taped at various Montgomery County high schools. Students attending the featured school are able to voice their views on the selected topic, which is generated from within the school. A school staff person meets with students to determine what topic they want to discuss on the program. MCPS TV arranges for guests from within MCPS and outside the school system. They bring varied perspectives and experiences about the topic and answer questions from the students.

Last year, Col. Zadok Magruder, Paint Branch, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High Schools participated in “Keepin’ It Real.” The topics explored were teens and alcohol, war and peace, and International Baccalaureate courses. Earlier in the current season, Walt Whitman High School selected the topic of ethics, integrity, and cheating.

To view “Keepin’ It Real” on the Internet, go to www.mcps.tv and click on the webcast button. The show typically runs 50-60 minutes.

Additional information is available by contacting MCPS Instructional TV at 301-279-3141.