Community media–including community radio–is about volunteerism, social engagement, independent music, learning by doing, community capacity building, citizen journalism and more
Community radio volunteers are the cultural pioneers and opinion leaders of their local communities. Close to one-half of these volunteers are students and student leaders, they are opinion-makers, newsmakers, and trend-setters in their communities, and future leaders of Canadian culture and society. As well, the majority of these volunteers nationwide are artists, political and social activists, and members of multiple civil society organizations and grassroots movements.
CHLY will hold its annual fall fund drive beginning Tuesday October 6th, 2015, and running for two weeks. People First Radio will broadcast its fall fund drive programs at the usual scheduled times — Thursday at noon and Monday at 3 p.m. Join us by listening, calling in, and/or donating to CHLY!
Each dollar invested in community radio goes immeasurably farther in our community than money invested in other parts of the broadcasting sector, and a far greater portion of that investment will stay in the community where it is invested, since the volunteer base is comprised of community-minded, grassroots, engaged citizens who participate in the local economy and use creative solutions to stretch their operating dollars. [source: NCRA]
Community campus radio in Nanaimo
CHLY 101.7 FM is a community and campus radio station based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The station is funded partly by students of the Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus, partly by the advertising of locally owned and operated businesses, but most funding comes from supporting community members during two Fund Drives each year.
CHLY’s parent, the Radio Malaspina Society, is an incorporated society with a constitution and mission to broadcast an FM radio signal of 3,000 watts to a community of service which includes Nanaimo, Lantzville, Ladysmith and Gabriola Island. The station had its beginnings on the Internet on April 1, 2000, before gaining its broadcasting licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on June 5. CHLY aired a test signal at 101.7 FM on September 21, and ran promotional material about the station for two weeks before officially signing on at 6:00 p.m. on October 5, 2001.
People First Radio has been on the air for nearly 8 years
CHLY 101.7 FM features an eclectic format with a variety of music genres (including jazz, reggae, alternative rock, hip-hop, roots music, folk and electronica) and programs dealing with community and global issues. People First Radio, an initiative of Vancouver Island Mental Health Society in partnership with CHLY, has been broadcasting weekly since November 2007. It’s a spoken word program focused on “people, the society in which we live, and issues related to health and wellness.”
People First Radio can also now be found on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Fall fund drive is underway
CHLY will hold its annual fall fund drive beginning Tuesday October 6th, 2015, and running for two weeks. People First Radio will broadcast its fall fund drive programs at the usual scheduled times — Thursday at noon and Monday at 3 p.m. Join us by listening, calling in, and/or donating to CHLY!
