The power of the student voice on air
Ben Taylor (he/him) // Crew Writer
Ryan Coomber (he/him) // Illustrator
Radio has the power to uplift student voices around the world. In Canada, legendary student radio stations like CiTR at the University of British Columbia (UBC), CFRC at Queen’s or CJLO at Concordia have been producing legendary shows since as early as 1922 in CFRC’s case. Student radio doesn’t operate like typical commercial broadcasting. It focuses on community-based alternative programming, featuring a wide variety of content that can be anything from spoken word rants to local metal musicians.
Student radio in Canada traces back to CFRC, whose aforementioned first broadcast in 1922 makes it one of the oldest continuously running stations in the world. It started by broadcasting school sports games, occasional lectures and studio concerts. Today, CFRC is on air 24/7 365, with a variety of music, sports and spoken word news. CiTR has its origins in 1938, when it officially became a club, and began broadcasting as CiTR on FM 101.9 in 1982. Some notable shows include ‘Nardwuar, The Human Serviette, Presents…’ which has been broadcasting Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. since 1987; ‘Saturday Edge,’ hosted by Steve Edge playing world and roots music since 1985; and ‘Parts Unknown,’ playing indie pop music since 1999. ‘Lethal Refresh’ airs on Monday at noon, and can be found delivering new releases that might have flown under your radar. CiTR has been able to develop these distinct shows by giving Vancouver’s subculture the initiative to play and say what they desire, something commercial radio simply doesn’t do. And, the value that they bring—both on campus and to Vancouver as a whole—is incredibly inspiring.
These radio stations are not limited to only what they put on the airwaves; they have also been active forces of change in their communities, by way of organizing fundraisers, distributing magazines and hosting events. CiTR has promoted various non-profit organizations such as Drug User Liberation Front, which provides harm reduction services, and the anarchist book fair at UBC. The role student radio has in creating awareness about these events and organizations is essential, as most major media outlets do not properly cover local community activism and mutual aid.
Capilano University, while not having a broadcast FM station like Simon Fraser University, the British Columbia Institute of Technology or UBC, has a radio club of our own, Capilano Radio. The Courier spoke with Vice President MJ Dolar on his thoughts about student radio’s importance, the history of radio at CapU and the direction the club is taking. The club started in late 2017, with Dolar joining in the fall of 2018. The original goal of the club was to provide students with the means to express their voice in producing the type of content they wanted, much like other student radio stations around the country. After only two years as a club, the pandemic wiped out the momentum Capilano Radio had, putting them back at square one as the workflow switched to online methods, and the equipment could no longer be used.
Since then, Capilano Radio’s priority has simply been to let people know that they still exist at various club events around campus, and to try and get their workshops back up and running. Dolar states that his current goal with the club is to get back to the foundation of what Cap radio is all about; “letting people know that this is a resource that they have, and refostering the community they had pre-pandemic.” However, the club continues to face challenges in terms of the resources they possess. From the beginning, they wanted a space to have a studio, which CapU denied. Rather, they store all their equipment in a locker from the Capilano Students’ Union, leaving students to record their material anyplace they can find on campus.
When asked about the potential of having our own broadcasting antennae here at CapU, Dolar points out that getting the technology to actually have a radio station is not an easy process. “Not everything we ask for in our budget will be approved, […] resources are a little bit limited here.” As the university as a whole faces major funding challenges this year, it affects every club’s ability to operate with proper funds. But, funding challenges won’t take away from the future Dolar envisions for Capilano Radio. As it approaches its 10th anniversary—an impressive milestone for any club at CapU—Dolar speculates on the potential for Capilano Radio. While getting their own radio station would “take years,” having a large community of students expressing their voices with the equipment already possessed by the club “is a much more achievable goal.”
With the growth that CapU has gone through over the last decade, having our own radio station is not out of the question. But, in the immediate future, what students can do to build a radio community here at CapU is to get involved with the radio club. All it takes is an idea that you think is worth sharing, and Dolar and the rest of Cap Radio can help you put it out there. You can find more information at their website capilanoradio.com, or by emailing them at capilanoradio@gmail.com. Student radio is a powerful force at universities across Canada, and through Capilano Radio, students can contribute to that force right here on our campus.