Sounds like a fun weekend project would be to implement the Usenet client/server protocol in your language of choice, and maybe start your own federated Usenet server(s).
It will take more than a weekend. This reminds me of that old joke about X-Windows:
"X Protocol is extensible!"
"So is a bucket of molten pig-iron."
There is definitely a lot of "intentionality" required to access newsgroups, let alone do more complicated stuff like moderate a newsgroup, when the answer to how to set it up in many environments is like that other old joke about a hotel where you have to make your own bed:
