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NOW HIRING: Coordonnateur/coordonnatrice des relations avec les membres

The NCRA/ANREC is looking for a Membership Coordinator who can help make the organization more bilingual and serve our more than 80 current members (and recruit even more) in both official langauges. We are looking for someone who could have written this posting in French, for example.

The position is funded through a grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage's Enhancement of Official Languages Program.

The ideal candidate is fluent in written and spoken French and English; has experience in the campus/community radio sector or a not-for-profit organization; strong writing skills and experience writing internet content ; audio and multimedia production skills; and is enthusiastic about joining an association that unites and serves campus and community radio stations across the country.

For more information click here. Deadline to apply is November 16, 2011.

Reclaim your radio!

On Monday November 14, campus and community radio stations across Canada will air Reclaim your Radio, a special day-long broadcast celebrating the 25th anniversary of the NCRA, the launch of our campaign to reserve frequencies for c/c stations in communities across the country and the 11th annual Media Democracy Day.

It will air live from 12-8pm ET on participating stations nationwide.

Tune in, turn on, and stand up for community radio! For more information click here.

Sounds Cooperative: new grant awarded!

We are working with Kootenay Co-op Radio CJLY-FM in Nelson, BC to get the word out about community radio, co-operatives and co-operative community radio.

Together we were awarded a grant of more than $65,000 from the Co-operative Development Initiative, funded by the government of Canada and administered by the Canadian Co-operative Association. The money will support an online handbook, a series of radio documentaries on co-operation in Canada and around the world, and regional workshops to help community radio groups that want to start up co-operatives.

“There’s a natural fit between community radio and co-operatives,” said NCRA Executive Director Shelley Robinson. “Both involve people coming together to serve their communities and build something stronger than what they can do alone.”

For more information or to download the press release, click on the title of this post.

CRTC calls for radio applications in Toronto

Today the CRTC released a call for applications for radio stations to serve Toronto. The full details of the call are here: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-625.htm

This frequency is available because CKLN-FM, the community-based campus station that was at Ryerson University, had their licence revoked for non-compliance. They had been broadcasting for more than 27 years and though they had some problems, the station also had a history of producing great programming, and were committed to representing the city's diverse communities. They were a true "voice of the underground", as their slogan said.

This loss meant that their frequency became available. The NCRA would like to encourage people to help support the continued existence of community-based radio in downtown Toronto. Applications are due by December 19, 2011. The Ryerson Student Union is also holding a referendum for its students to gauge interest in preparing a new application.

For more information, contact the NCRA at supportcommunityradio@ncra.ca.

New member on the AM dial!

Welcome to CJLO 1690 AM, the community-based campus station at Concordia University in Montreal.

Formed in 1998 as a merger between two former stations, CJLO has been streaming online since 2003 and in 2008 joined the AM dial with 1000 watts of power. They now have more than 80 on-air volunteers and together have racked up an impressive list of awards, including CMJ's "Station of the Year" in 2010 and being named one of the best college radio stations by the Huffington Post.

CJLO-AM also has an extensive archive of live music sessions from its studios, the latest is Rae Spoon, featured on the show "With Gay Abondon". Check it out at www.cjlo.com

Happy birthday to us!

OTTAWA, July 14, 2011 – Today we celebrate 25 years of working with and for campus and community radio stations all over Canada. A lot has changed since 1986, but much of the work is the same: supporting the right of communities to speak for themselves, representing the sector to government and industry, and bringing passionate people together to share their skills, ideas and voices.

“Twenty-five years is an important milestone for a non-for-profit organization,” said Shelley Robinson, Executive Director. “Despite changing technologies it shows how relevant we still are in making space for diverse community voices.”

Today we had cupcakes and wore party hats in the office. But we'll continue to celebrate all year long. Among the efforts to highlight the event, we will release a public service announcement (PSA) every month, produce a radio documentary on the history of the sector, and host a national Community Radio Day. Listen to the first PSA, an overview of our history, here in English and French.

For more information, click on the title of this post. 

Me7 wíktlmen: Neskie Manuel

JUNE 29, 2011
SHUSWAP NATION TRIBAL COUNCIL

We regret to inform you that the body of missing person Neskie Manuel was found on the shores of the South Thompson River downstream from Neskonlith Reserve in Secwepemc territory.

Secwepemc people have only the kindest words for their young leader: "Neskie was a bright and innovative thinker who liked to help others find a way around a problem," said Chief Wayne Christian (Tribal Spokesperson, Shuswap Nation Tribal Council).

"From his love of our traditional language to his natural skill in modern communications technology, Neskie was always learning and willing to share his knowledge with others," he added.

Neskie was also a leader in community radio. In 2004 and 2005 he hosted "Identity Crisis", an eclectic music show at CFBX-FM in Kamloops, BC and then in 2007 he produced "Tsyucwiminte R Tmicw", a spoken word show with a focus on Aboriginal news and the local Secwepemc language and culture. He had a blog of the same name for the show.

In 2008 he moved to CKDU-FM in Halifax, NS where he worked as the Aboriginal Programming Coordinator. While there he produced amazing radio, did outreach to the community, redesigned their news website and attended the national conference in Windsor, where he helped re-invigorate the NCRA’s Native caucus. He also contributed to GroundWire, the NCRA’s grassroots news collective.

Neskie also helped start Secwepemc Radio, the community radio station serving communities around the Secwepemc Lakes. Check them out here: http://secwepemcradio.ath.cx/ He wrote a chapter on Secwepemc Radio for the 2010 book Islands of Resistance.

Gunargie O’Sullivan and Bill Lightbown honoured Neskie and interviewed his father Arthur Manuel on CFRO-FM, Vancouver Co-op Radio. You can listen to it here: http://www.ncra.ca/rememberingNeskie.mp3 or here: http://www.coopradio.org/content/late-night-savages-17

For more information, click on the title of this post.

Apply now: summer jobs!

The NCRA/ANREC received funding for two summer student positions.

The Department of Canadian Heritage Young Canada Works program funded an eight-week bilingual Regulatory Support Coordinator who will research CRTC and Industry Canada regulations and produce plain-language materials to help stations better understand their responsibilities.

And Human Resources and Skills Development Canada funded a six-week position for Editor of the Abilities Handbook, which has been a long-standing project that will pull together print and audio materials to help stations become more accessible to people with disabilities and to highlight the amazing work people with disabilities already do in campus and community radio.

Because of tight turnarounds the deadline for applications for both positions is July 4. To be eligible, applicants must be between 16-30 years old and be full-time students returning to school in the fall.

The full job descriptions and eligibility requirements are posted here: http://www.ncra.ca/projects-and-services/cc-radio-job-board

NCRC: resolutions from the membership

Every year at the National Campus and Community Radio Conference we also hold the NCRA's Annual General Meeting -- it's a chance for many members to come together and discuss issues important to our sector and set the agenda for the year to come.

This year the membership upheld an AMARC motion supporting the BDS movement in solidarity with Palestine, changed Women in Radio day to Equity in Radio day, set in motion a national campaign supporting CKLN and reserving its frequency in Toronto and struck committees for social justice and anti-racism work.

For the full list and full text of all the motions, click on the title of this post.

Radio radio radio: now only a week away!

The 30th annual National Campus and Community Conference is almost here!

Running June 6-10th and hosted by CKDU-FM in Halifax it brings together c/c radio producers and enthusiasts from across the country. In addition to the Community Radio Awards and the Women in Radio conference, this year it also features keynotes from CBC and This American Life contributor Jonathan Goldstein, Rich Terfry (aka Buck 65) and Haitian community radio activist Marie Guyrleine Justin.

There are also sessions on community news, social media, Aboriginal programming and a million other topics. Full information at http://ncrc.ckdu.ca/

The picture is some of the dedicated members of the organizing committee, waving to let you know they're ready.