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Free training for radio operators Online course will cover basics of broadcasting for community stations
Myles Dolphin
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 16, 2013
NUNAVUT
Radio enthusiasts across Nunavut will soon have the opportunity to hone their skills by taking part in a free, online training program that covers the fundamentals of the trade.
Members of the Kugluktuk Radio Society, Elisabeth Arnold, left, Savannah Angnaloak, Chris Elgok, and Ken Johnson show their call letters in 2010. A new course developed by the Nunavut Municipal Training Organization offers free online training for community radio operators. - photo courtesy of Kugluktuk Radio Society |
The unique community radio operators course, developed by the Nunavut Municipal Training Organization (MTO) and offered through Nunavut Arctic College, will feature topics tailored entirely for Nunavummiut.
The first two modules will be offered later this month, while the remaining three will be available in October, according to a news release on Aug. 20.
Courses will be available in both English and Inuktitut.
The subject matter will cover the origins of community radio, broadcasting law in Canada, tips on how to use and maintain radio equipment, guidelines for effective on-air programming and management information - all from the comfort of one's home. All that is required is a computer with Internet access.
The content will include a combination of texts, quizzes, podcasts, case studies and digital images.
The idea for the course materialized in March after mayors and senior administrative officers (SAOs) from several hamlets complained about inappropriate language and offensive statements being made over the airwaves.
"There were some concerns about people misusing their local radio stations," said Aseena Allurut, MTO's manager of community training. "The mayors asked MTO to come up with a course their announcers could take. We had a lot of help in developing the course, such as from SAOs and the CBC."
Pangnirtung senior administrative officer Ron Mongeau, who was part of the technical advisory committee behind the development of the program, said it's important to put procedures together that will be common for all radio stations in Nunavut.
"We've been looking at issues related to what you can and cannot do on the radio looking at the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and CBC guidelines, and learning about what is appropriate and what isn't," he said. "We're aiming for more consistency and professionalism, and establishing responsibilities for announcers."
Mayors were receiving complaints that people were getting on the radio and conducting themselves in an irresponsible manner with respect to slander, obscene language and sometimes hate statements, Matthew Ayres of the Municipal Training Organization told Nunavut News/North last March.
Participants will be able to complete the course at their own pace over a six-month period, and everyone who passes will receive a certificate of completion.
Michelle Turpin, part of the Aarluk Consulting team that prepared the course, said it's a great opportunity for Nunavummiut to learn from the best in the business.
"We're working with experienced Nunavut community broadcasters, and with radio training instructors who've worked around the world," she stated in the news release.
"This will be an incredibly rich course. I don't think there's been anything quite like it before."
Mongeau said radio is one of the primary ways of spreading information in small communities and, as such, it's "important to do it right."
There are more than 40 community radio stations in Nunavut.
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