Alumni of Campus, Community & Indigenous Radio in Canada under NCRA/ANREC

This page is designed for those who are currently or previously in the campus and/or community radio sector in Canada. Please join the network and invite others who may be missing. We are 10,000+ strong across the sector at any given time, with many more who have been staff, volunteers or board of directors within the non-profit radio sector. #community #canada #volunteer #support #volunteering #radiostation #radiobroadcasting #radiohost #radiopersonality #alumninetwork

For Immediate Release The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) and Farm Radio International (FRI) host a World Radio Day event in Ottawa to celebrate the importance of radio.  The theme for this year’s World Radio Day is A Century Informing, Entertaining and Educating. OTTAWA, ON.- January 15th, 2024 - On February 13th, people worldwide will celebrate World Radio Day. Whether you listen to it in your car, at home, on your mobile phones, at work, we can all agree that radio continues to play an essential part in everyday lives. We rely on it to learn what is happening in our communities, when disaster strikes, to educate us on important topics or to feel better connected to the world around us. And while radio is seeing some declines with station closures, it’s seeing a rise across sub-Saharan Africa, where rural people rely on it for their lives and livelihoods. To celebrate, the NCRA/ANREC and FRI are partnering to get people to listen to the radio on February 13th. Whether it’s your favourite local radio station, campus radio, public broadcast, or a special program that will be streamed live that day, we want as many people as possible to tune in to show that audio continues to impact our everyday lives. NCRA/ANREC and FRI will also partner with CKCU-FM to host a live broadcast that can syndicated. There, you will hear from broadcasters past and present and from around the world talking about the importance of radio. “In Canada, campus, community and Indigenous not-for-profit radio reaches over 75% of Canadians, providing invaluable local news, information and entertainment in spaces where the local voice is often not heard. It fosters music growth, disseminating verifiable information with journalistic integrity and provides opportunities for organizations and companies to inform their community through a free-to-access medium,” says Barry Rooke, Executive Director for the NCRA/ANREC “In sub-Saharan Africa, radio is the world’s most accessible and popular communication service. When combined with mobile phones, which allow farmers to share their own stories on the airwaves, it brings lasting change for some of the world’s most vulnerable people—small-scale farmers in rural Africa,” says Kevin Perkins, Executive Director of Farm Radio International. “By sharing knowledge, amplifying farmers’ voices, and supporting better practices, audio has the power to reduce food insecurity, improve health and nutrition, and plant the seeds for long-term positive change.” Last year, Farm Radio International directly reached an estimated 24.1 million people with life-changing audio services over the airwaves, enabling about 5 million to make a positive change. This live broadcast will take place on February 13th, 2024, at a morning event in downtown Ottawa. Details will be released shortly, including ways to participate as an NCRA/ANREC member station. The event is set to take place on February 13th for World Radio Day

We had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascal St Onge, at our member stations CIDI FM in Brome Missiquoi, with the Community Radio Fund of Canada. We discussed the importance of core and stable funding for the community, not-for-profit radio sector, as it aligns with the work the CRTC and the government of Canada are working on. We are excited to hear some of the positive steps to strengthen our sector and confirm our stations' importance to Canada's news and entertainment environment. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Minister and the team at Canadian Heritage. #CanadianHeritage #CommunityRadioCanada #CIDI_FM #PascalStOnge #BromeMissisquoi #CRFC #CRTC #RadioFunding #NonProfitRadio #CanadianNewsAndEntertainment

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Statement from the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) Re: Defunding of CHUO-FM We at the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) are deeply disheartened by the recent development surrounding CHUO-FM, in which 7.7% of the undergraduate student body decided to withdraw their support for Canada's first bilingual licensed independent radio station. This follows a hastily arranged defunding campaign motivated by a member of the University of Ottawa Student Union Board. This incident underscores the fragile state of our current media and news landscape. Campus radio stations have always been pivotal in delivering news, information, and programming tailored specifically for on-campus and off-campus audiences. Since 1975, CHUO-FM has played a unique role in the community of providing bilingual programming and content for underrepresented communities. These stations stand as symbols of a local voice, championing regional stories and connecting communities in ways mainstream channels often cannot. They have been a beacon of diversity, ensuring that voices from all backgrounds are heard, celebrated, and recognized. With widespread reduction in access to reliable news, exacerbated by recent actions like Meta's blocking of not-for-profit stations on social media, the value of local information is under siege from multiple directions. We stand in solidarity with CHUO and all community and campus radio stations. We urge stakeholders, students, and communities to recognize and support the significant contributions of these institutions. The defunding of even one station is a blow to the rich tapestry of local content that binds our communities. In these challenging times, let us be reminded of the power and necessity of local news and the role campus stations play in preserving and amplifying it. Let us unite to strengthen, not weaken, the platforms that genuinely give voice to the voiceless. The NCRA/ANREC Board of Directors & Staff