Radio waves

Community station sets ambitious programming goals

Incorporate? Find a frequency? Apply for a licence? Check all that off as having been done.

And now the fun begins for “92.3 County FM,” as it will be known, the proposed community radio station to be based in the County. The fun? Develop 120 hours per week of “hyper-local” programming, and get ready to put it on the air in the summer of 2013. Oh, and by the way, do it all with volunteers and only one paid staff member, who will come on board only three months before the station goes on air.

That is the challenge facing the volunteers shepherding the station into takeoff mode, in particular co-directors of programming John Mather and Ange Stever. Not that they aren’t up to the challenge. Mather has 42 years of radio experience and has served as an on-air host, a news specialist, a production manager, a program director and an operations manager. Stever, a graduate in broadcasting from Loyalist College, has 12 years experience in news and works a full-time job as an early morning on-air host at a major Kingston radio station.

Throw into the equation the need to comply with CRTC regulations as to spoken word content and musical diversity, and what you are left with is no less than 49 original programs to be lifted off the ground. Needless to say, that number presents a staggering variety of offerings, as presented by a proposed program schedule filed with the CRTC application.

The ‘bedrock’ show will be the “County Commute,” a Monday-to-Friday morning and afternoon show featuring music, news and a wide range of local features. That show will consume 25 hours—three each morning and two each afternoon.

There will be a series of speciality music shows: jazz, blues, classic rock, oldies, Canadian hits, world music, classical music, local music, vinyl hits, gospel music, folk music, heavy metal, rap, reggae music, ’80s music, ’90s music and a show called “Punk and Puppies,” combining punk music with information on animal welfare. (Of course, what an obvious combination!) Country music will not be forgotten, with a two-hour Saturday morning show called “Behind the Barn,” which will combine farming subjects with music; and a twohour Sunday morning and Thursday evening show that will just feature the music. All these shows will together consume about half of each broadcast week.

The remaining broadcast time is proposed to be as diverse as the musical programming. Show topics include cooking, parenting, home improvement, nature, sustainable living, “Jock Talk,” comedy, holistic healing, real estate, legal matters, women’s issues, hunting and fishing, travel, gay and lesbian issues, movie reviews and marine subjects.

Some other intriguing titles include the “PECI Show,” geared to local teens; the back-to-back programming of “County Wines” and “County Whines,” where “residents get a chance to complain” about bothersome matters, however trivial; and “County Folk,” which delves into the lives of interesting County residents, while also featuring folk music.

Two other major progamming categories include the arts and public affairs. There will be a drama show, a visual arts show, and a reading show featuring local authors. There will be a weekend news-in-review show and a twice-weekly public affairs resident voice show.

Finally, regular short features will include a community calendar, tourism tips, historical nuggets, pet adoptions, in memoria, and news updates.

Stever notes that the project programming constitutes an illustrative tool for the CRTC to evaluate the applcation, and also helps the station map out its volunteer needs and program structure. However, it is not legally bound by the plan and has room to go where public interest dictates.

Just going through the list of programs is exhausting enough. Clearly, airing all of it will require volunteers, which Stever says the station will be requiring in all shapes and sizes. Some will come to teach, and some will come to learn; some will be interested in behind-the-scenes technical work, some in program content, and some in going ‘on air’. It is just about time, says Stever, for those volunteers to step forward.

According to Board Chair Treat Hull, the summer 2013 deadline is tight but achievable. A ‘quick’ decision by the CRTC comes in about eight months. The station cannot make major financial commitments for leases and equipment until a clear goahead is given. And then there is all that training. Stever says that staff won’t be going on the air until they are trained to a level of professionalism that will attract advertisers and avoid complaints.

“Punk and Puppies”? Maybe I should grab that spot before someone else steps forward.