OTTAWA – "Community radio in Canada punches far above its weight. Despite being under-resourced, the sector makes unique and vital contributions to culture and pluralism," says Ian Pringle, a member of the first ever board of directors for the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
"The establishment of the Community Radio Fund will translate into a stronger, more vibrant broadcast system in Canada. It is long overdue and much needed."
The CRFC recently held its first annual general membership meeting and board elections in Ottawa. The members of the first CRFC board of directors are: Jean-Francois Côté, Victoria Fenner, Jean Léger, Ian Pringle, and Serge Quinty.
Joining the elected directors are three ex officio non-voting members from each of the founding community radio associations: Martin Bougie (Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec), François Coté (Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada), and Kevin Matthews (National Campus and Community Radio Association).
This month, the new board will be gathering in Ottawa for an orientation and planning session. Once they have reviewed and finalized policies and application criteria, the CRFC will then be ready to launch its first call for proposals for two granting programs that could see funding distributed to community-oriented stations in the beginning of the new year.
With funding from Astral Media amounting to $1.4 million over seven years, the fund will launch this first year with the "Astral Media Radio Talent Development Program" and the "Astral Media Youth Internship Program". Full program descriptions and application criteria will be available once the call goes out to the community radio sector.
Now that the CRFC is certified by the CRTC as an eligible recipient for Canadian Content Development (CCD) Contribution, the fund will work with other private broadcasters to create other granting programs in the areas of: sustainability and capacity building, changing technology, music and talent development programming; and news and public affairs programming.
The Community Radio Fund of Canada was founded by the National Campus and Community Radio Association, the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada, and the Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec to support the development and sustainability of community-oriented radio in Canada.
It will provide the campus and community sector with the necessary resources to continue to provide local programming and community access, as well as to develop and enrich this vital component of the Canadian broadcasting system. Assistance from the Fund is available to all of Canada’s 140 non-profit community-oriented broadcasters, which exist in all regions of the country, serving urban and rural communities, university campuses, and distinct cultural and official languages communities.
The short bios of the directors (below) are taken directly from the press release:
Martin Bougie (Montreal, Quebec) is the executive director of the Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec (ARCQ). Until recently, he was marketing and development director at ARCQ where he has been active for the last five years. He has a degree in marketing and he has proven himself in the field of information technology.
François Coté (Ottawa, Ontario) is the interim executive director of the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada. He has been in the radio sector since 1984. He started his career as a sportscaster in the Gatineau region. In 1994, he joined community radio as a program director in Cornwall, Ontario.
Jean-Francois Côté (New Richmond, Quebec), formerly of CIEU FM (Baie-des-Chaleurs) and L’Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec, has been involved in communications for many years, helping build bridges between individuals, communities, and service providers within the local socio-demographic realities.
Victoria Fenner (Hamilton, Ontario) is a community radio alumnus with a long history in the sector in programmer, operations, development, and consulting, Victoria is still producing audio art and other programming, including for CBC’s Radio One program "Outfront".
Jean Léger (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is the general manager for the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse. He brings many years of experience in communications and public relations, as well as community development.
Kevin Matthews (Ottawa, Ontario) is the executive director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association. His involvement in campus and community radio began in 1999 at CJUM FM in Winnipeg. His career has also included print journalism, publishing, poetry, arts administration, illustration, graphic design, communications and marketing, and other freelance roles.
Ian Pringle (Vancouver, British Columbia) is well known in media development in Canada and around the world and has a long history with community radio going back more than 20 years. He has been closely involved with a variety of international agencies designed to support the development of community radio, particularly educational and cultural content, stations’ organizational development, initiatives to promote voice and empowerment, as well as innovative applications of new technologies.
Serge Quinty (Ottawa, Ontario) has dedicated himself to a career in the world of communications and the Canadian Francophonie, including experiences as both news and programming directors at CHUO FM (Ottawa), working as a freelance journalist for Radio-Canada, and working with the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada. He is currently the Communications Director for the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada.
