alternative radio in canada

It's been a few years now since I sat behind the microphone in a broadcast studio (though I did get to drop into McMaster's CFMU a couple times this past summer). Still, my hiatus from radio doesn't mean I've lost interest in the medium, and last week I got a chance to bring it all back to the surface for a visit to Wilfrid Laurier University's third year "Alternative Media" class in Communication Studies, taught by my friend and former colleague, Brent Hagerman.

Digging into my research and writing on radio in Canada and on CKMS (100.3 FM Radio Waterloo) specifically. I talked a bit about the role of campus and community radio, its promises and its challenges. I also had a few minutes to critically reminisce about my time at CKMS, how the station operated, and what I tried to do with my show, Kill Eat Exploit the Weak.

There's actually a fair bit of Canadian radio history online between sites run by the Canadian Communications Foundation (affiliated with Ryerson University), the CBC, the CRTC, and even a radio museum in Guelph. But these organizations don't say much about campus or community radio, so for easy access to that history the NCRA is the likeliest and most helpful resource. There's a growing body of academic research on campus and community radio but it's still a fairly small pool of work and there's more yet to be done, especially here in Canada.

Thanks to Brent and the students for allowing me to visit, for listening, and for engaging with me in a discussion of campus radio.

CKMS de-funded (save campus radio)

The UW undergrads voted this week to remove a refundable $5.50 CKMS fee from their student fees.

This means that CKMS could lose up to 90% of its funding.

Please join the struggle to save CKMS - not just for the benefit of KW and the UW community but also for campus and community everywhere. Send letters of support to CKMS but also to any other news venue you can think of - local and national newspapers, news television shows...

www.ckmsfm.ca
National Campus and Community Radio Association

University of Waterloo students! - vote in support of CKMS

In brief:
This week at the University of Waterloo an undergraduate student referendum will decide the future of campus and community radio station CKMS 100.3 FM. Students have the opportunity to vote on the following question:
"Do you support the removal of the $5.50 per term fee for CKMS, the campus
community radio station at the University of Waterloo, effective the
Fall term of 2008?"
Students are free to request fee refunds during the first few weeks of term, but most don't, and the funding that the station receives from this fee is vital for its continuing operation. To put it bluntly, without the student fee the station will close.

Besides being a great place to hear underground metal music in KW, CKMS is a valuable resource for the university and local community. The station is a venue for diverse musical programming, alternative voices and out of the mainstream ideas. It's also an important training ground for volunteers, helping students and community members develop skills in public speaking, news, public relations, politics, administration and a wealth of other areas.

If you're a UW undergrad student please vote in support of CKMS, and if you know any UW undergrads please encourage them to do the same. Both the school and the broader community will suffer if CKMS has to shut down.

Vote No, Support CKMS!
CKMS Radio Waterloo