For immediate release

January 30th, 2019

Earlier this month the Ontario government announced changes to the postsecondary education financial framework, including an opt-out option for ancillary fees.

The National Campus and Community Radio Association is deeply concerned by this announcement, as we expect it could result in 19 Ontario campus stations, dozens of student media organizations, and other key student services losing a critical portion of their annual funding.

Each year campus radio and other student media welcome thousands of students and other community members to develop media-making skills. Students are given opportunities to learn how to operate sound equipment, create podcasts, compose news stories, and produce programs for broadcast, receive training in media literacy and learn governance skills, and participate in the governance of stations. 

Campus radio stations in Ontario employ approximately 150 full and part-time staff, a majority of whom are students, who gain valuable learning opportunities while they complete their studies.  Campus radio is also a key provider of emergency information under the national public alerting system. These changes will have a large impact on student life and the campus experience. 

“VIBE/VX3 is one of our essential partners on campus! They support our broader connection with the student population by way of ad campaigns and are key in offering technical support to our various events and public presentations.” - Treymayne Francis, Roots 4 Change, York University Keele Campus

Some of the NCRA/ANREC’s members are already identified as essential services on their campuses, however, the NCRA/ANREC is seeking allies throughout the province to support a campaign to designate all campus-based stations (and established student media organizations) as ‘essential services’. To be a friend of campus radio in Ontario, contact your local station, the national office or email/call your MPP today and tell them what campus radio means to you. 

For more information, please contact barry@ncra.ca 

Barry Rooke

NCRA/ANREC Executive Director

About the NCRA/ANREC

The National Campus and Community Radio Association/L'Association nationale des radios étudiantes et communautaires (“NCRA/ANREC”) is a not-for-profit national association working to recognize, support, and encourage volunteer-based, non-profit, public-access campus, community and native radio broadcasters in Canada. We provide advice and advocacy for individual campus and community (“c/c”) stations and conduct lobbying and policy development initiatives with a view to advancing the role and increasing the effectiveness of our sector. Our goals are to ensure stability and support for individual stations and to promote the long-term growth and effectiveness of the sector.

Campus Radio Stations in Ontario (Licensed AM/FM and Internet-only):