Hay River volunteer radio station gets second chance
'A lot of people were really pushing to keep us going'
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, April 4, 2016
HAY RIVER
Community radio station CKHR is going to live to see another day after all. Early this year, the Hay River Radio Society, which runs the station, was concerned it might have to shut things down by March because of a lack of money.
Kyle Camsell, the volunteer manager of CKHR, stands by the community radio station's collection of old vinyl records, including a well-used copy of Pink Floyd's classic album Dark Side of the Moon. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
Now, radio society president Floyd Hopkins said his organization has received $6,000 from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE).
"They were able to come across with a grant to keep us going for another couple of months," he said, adding the funding was received mid-March.
Hopkins said the department's fiscal year-end is March 31.
"So after that we can apply for another additional grant," he said.
Hopkins also pointed to a number of other positive developments with the society's finances. It was able to negotiate an unspecified reduction in its rent at the Mackenzie Place high-rise from the previous $1,050 a month.
"And the Government of Canada has come through with at least one more ad we'll be airing in May," Hopkins added.
He said he is also optimistic about obtaining some funding in September from the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
"They seem pretty positive that we could get a grant from them come September but they only open up their applications in September for the year," he said.
Hopkins said the station will also receive additional money from radio bingos.
In particular, Hopkins mentioned help from Hay River North MLA Rocky (R.J.) Simpson.
"I just contacted some ministers to find out where the funding could come from if there was any funding available. So I contacted the minister of ECE and he helped me out quite a bit," said Simpson, referring to Alfred Moses. "They did a lot of work and they found out that there was funding available, and they contacted Floyd and he applied for it."
Simpson said there are a lot of reasons why it's good to have a community radio station.
"It provides a lot of opportunities," he said.
"I know that people have started at that station volunteering and then they've gone on to careers in communications."
In the past, the MLA said, Diamond Jenness Secondary School has run programs to get students involved with the radio station.
Plus, he added, "It's nice to have a Hay River alternative to the Yellowknife station."
Kyle Camsell, the station manager at CKHR, said the latest developments have been positive but he doesn't want people to think the problems have been solved.
"I don't want to go into obscurity of people thinking, 'Oh OK, it's saved. We don't have to worry about it,'" he said, adding it will be a long process before the community radio station will be safe. He said more work needs to be done getting volunteers and advertising.
"Those are some of the bigger targets we're going to try to hit for 2016 here," he said.
It costs the society about $18,000 a year to run the radio station, with most of that going to rent and other expenses, such as power and telephone and Internet service."
Radio station CKHR - 107.3 FM - has existed in Hay River for 37 years.
Right now, the radio features mostly music, although one person produces Christian programming.
Camsell presents music on CKHR from 2 to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, although his intros are not live but recorded.
The station offers no news or current events shows.
