Community
      Radio:
      Where
      art
      thou?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Scott
      FLEMMING
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      meeting
      was
      held
      on
     
     
      Tuesday,
      October
      29
      for
      those
      interest-
     
     
      ed
      in
      being
      involved
      in
      a
      community
     
     
      radio
      station.
      Said
      group,
      about
      thirty
     
     
      strong,
      was
      a
      hodgepodge
      ranging
     
     
      from
      the
      inexperienced
      inquisitive
      lay-
     
     
      man,
      to
      the
      residual
      CBC
      personnel
     
     
      who
      happened
      to
      be
      in
      the
      vicinity
     
     
      after
      hours
      when
      the
      meeting
      took
     
     
      place.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      ideal
      for
     
     
      Charlottetown,
      as
      it
      could
     
     
      cover
      a
      7-10
      km
      radius
      if
     
     
      the
      placement
      is
      ona
     
     
      building
      or
      tower
      of
      suit-
     
     
      able
      elevation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      premise
      was
      this:
      people
     
     
      are
      in
      need
      of
      a
      medium
      of
      extensive
     
     
      scope
      and
      free
      of
      guidelines.
      Some
     
     
      concerns
      of
      the
      gatherers
      were
      that
      the
     
     
      local
      entity
      that
      is
      Charlottetown
      was
     
     
      not
      being
      represented
      in
      a
      meaningful
     
     
      way.
      As
      most
      people
      know,
      the
      genre
     
     
      of
      music
      available
      is
      quite
      limited,
      and
     
     
      the
      news
      is
      sometimes
      more
      national
     
     
      than
      local
      on
      the
      current
      stations.
     
    

    
     
      The
      group
      was
      rich
      with
      tal-
     
     
      ented
      members.
      Richie
      Bulger,
      a
      tech-
     
     
      nician
      chiefly
      responsible
      for
      setting
     
     
      up
      the
      hardware
      used
      in
      the
      broadcast-
     
     
      ing
      of
      the
      ECMA's
      was
      enthusiastic
     
     
      about
      the
      community
      radio
      project.
     
     
      The
      aforementioned
      parties
      from
      CBC
     
     
      (including
      Matthew
      Rainnie,
      Perry
     
     
      Williams
      and
      program
      manager
      Craig
     
     
      Mackie)
      obviously
      have
      much
      experi-
     
     
      ence
      in
      programming
      and
      hosting.
     
     
      Many
      others
      have
      aptitudes
      in
      business
     
     
      and
      music,
      and
      all
      had
      great
      ideas.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      group
      which
      has
      been
     
     
      formed
      for
      about
      6
      months
      has
      been
     
     
      making
      their
      way
      towards
      a
      communi-
     
     
      ty
      radio
      station
      in
      their
      own
      right.
     
     
      They
      have
      experience
      in
      implementa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      operation
      of
      the
      equipment
     
     
      and
      are
      even
      now
      experimenting
      with
     
     
      internet
      radio.
      Their
      interests
      are
     
     
      Island
      wide
      and
      think
      maybe
      several
     
     
      community
      radio
      stations
      can
      be
      some-
     
     
      how
      intertwined.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      After
      much
      discussion
      about
     
     
      what
      the
      plan
      of
      action
      could
      be
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CIMN
     
     
      order
      to
      get
      a
      station
      up
      and
      running
     
     
      technically
      and
      fiscally,
      it
      was
      suggest-
     
     
      ed
      that
      the
      area
      of
      foremost
      importance
     
     
      was
      the
      programming.
      If
      there
      is
      a
     
     
      will,
      there
      is
      a
      way
      to
      acquire
      funds
     
     
      and
      run
      administrative
      operations,
      but
     
     
      what
      is
      the
      good
      of
      having
      a
      radio
      sta-
     
     
      tion
      if
      there
      is
      nothing
      of
      worth
      to
      pro-
     
     
      gram?
      Indeed,
      these
      details
      would
     
     
      have
      to
      be
      worked
      out
      first.
      Luckily,
      a
     
     
      facility
      through
      which
      this
      is
      all
      possi-
     
     
      ble
      manifested
      itself
      in
      the
      form
      of
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      collective's
      unused
      office
      space
     
     
      and
      his
      equipment
      capable
      of
      broad-
     
     
      casting
      information
      to
      a
      modest
      num-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      ber
      of
      listeners
      over
      the
      internet.
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      plan
      is
      to
      do
      as
      much
      refining
      as
      possi-
     
     
      ble
      employing
      the
      internet
      before
     
     
      attempting
      to
      move
      on
      to
      "real"
      radio.
     
     
      Real
      may
      mean
      in
      this
      sense,
      "regulat-
     
     
      ed.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      internet
      insofar
      is
      not
     
     
      regulated,
      and
      therefore
     
     
      it
      is
      easy
      to
      release
     
     
      music,
      talk,
      and
      informa-
     
     
      tion
      with
      no
      finite
      trial
     
     
      period,
      or
      quota
      for
     
     
      Canadian
      content
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      internet
      insofar
      is
      not
      reg-
     
     
      ulated,
      and
      therefore
      it
      is
      easy
      to:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      release
      music,
      talk,
      and
      information
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      no
      finite
      trial
      period,
      or
      quota
      for
     
     
      Canadian
      content
      (or
      otherwise)
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rca
      1981:
      Close
      to
      community
      radio
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      CRTC
      (Canadian
      Radio-Television
     
     
      and
      Telecommunications
      Commission)
     
     
      may
      impose.
      That
      being
      said,
      this
     
     
      gives
      the
      very
      real
      atmosphere
      and
     
     
      serves
      as
      the
      "dry
      run"
      that
      is
      needed
     
     
      in
      order
      to
      eventually
      step
      up
      to
      the
     
     
      arguably
      more
      accessible
      medium
      of
     
     
      the
      airwaves.
      (Since
      the
      target
      audi-
     
     
      ence
      is
      the
      community,
      then
      the
      radio
     
     
      is
      more
      abundant
      than
      that
      of
      a
      high
     
     
      quality
      computer,
      especially
      in
      a
      vehi-
     
     
      ele):
     
    

    
     
      An
      important
      resource
      that
     
     
      was
      invited
      to
      the
      meeting
      was
      a
      repre-
     
     
      sentative
      from
      Industry
      Canada
      -
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      group
      which
      is
      responsible
      for
      initiat-
     
     
      ing
      the
      technical
      aspect
      of
      a
      new
      radio
     
     
      station.
      He
      informed
      the
      group
      that
      it
     
     
      was
      relatively
      simple
      to
      get
      a
      licence;
     
     
      all
      that
      is
      needed
      for
      a
      low-wattage
     
     
      transmitter
      is
      to
      fill
      out
      an
      application
     
     
      and
      obtain
      a
      frequency.
      Fifty
      watts
      is
     
     
      the
      norm
      for
      a
      neophyte
      Community
     
     
      station,
      and
      seems
      ideal
      for
     
     
      Charlottetown
      as
      it
      could
      cover
      a
      7-10
     
     
      km
      radius
      if
      the
      placement
      is
      on
      a
     
     
      building
      or
      tower
      of
      suitable
      elevation.
     
     
      The
      ease
      with
      which
      a
      permit
     
     
      can
      be
      obtained
      from
      Industry
      Canada
     
     
      is
      eclipsed
      with
      the
      relatively
      long
     
     
      waiting
      period
      that
      the
      CRTC
      is
      infa-
     
     
      mous
      for.
      The
      CRTC
      concerns
      itself
     
     
      with
      regulating
      and
      supervising
      all
     
     
      aspects
      of
      the
      Canadian
      broadcasting
     
     
      system.
      But,
      this
      board
      is
      delayed
      by
     
     
      its
      bureaucracy
      and
      it
      takes
      months
      for
     
     
      an
      application
      to
      be
      approved.
     
     
      Notwithstanding
      all
      of
      the
     
     
      details,
      the
      fact
      is
      there
      is
      a
      wide
      range
     
     
      of
      talented
      and
      ambitious
      folk
      that
     
     
      wish
      to
      get
      involved
      in
      community
     
     
      radio.
      For
      this
      to
      work
      many
      volun-
     
     
      teers
      are
      needed,
      and
      although
      the
     
     
      numbers
      in
      attendance
      at
      this
      prelimi-
     
     
      nary
      meeting
      were
      not
      insignificant,
     
     
      they
      could
      stand
      to
      be
      larger.
      If
      you
      are
     
     
      interested
      in
      such
      a
      project
      as
      this,
      visit
     
     
      www.RadioOnThelsland.org
      for
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      information,
      or
      email
      Peter
     
     
      Rukavina
      at
      peter@rukavina.net.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2”?
      Annual
      Community
     
     
      Connector
      Fair
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thursday
      November
      14",
      2002
     
    
   
   
    
     
      11:00
      a.m.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      2:00
      p.m.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPE!I
      Student
      Centre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Over
      30
      community
      and
      student
     
     
      organizations
      will
      be
      on
      hand
      to
      share
     
     
      information
      on
      how
      you
      can
      volunteer
      and
     
    

    
     
      get
      involved!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      great
      way
      to
      gain
      valuable
      experience
      and
     
     
      connect
      with
      the
      community.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [13]