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Turn the radio on
As reported on page 13 of this issue, a couple of ambitious entrepreneurs are applying to the CRTC for a radio licence to establish a commercial station in the region between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario, and if it happens, to put its studios right here in beautiful downtown Uxbridge.
Coincidentally, the man who laid most of the groundwork for Stouffville’s three-year-old community radio station, WhiStle Radio, a fellow named Jim Priebe, is holding an exploratory meeting in Uxbridge in just a couple of weeks to see who’s interested in establishing a similar station here. For decades, not a whisper about radio here in the valley, and now, within a couple of weeks of each other, several men who seem optimistic that the time has come to bring Uxbridge into the 1920s.
Historically, community radio stations, which rely on volunteers and have a very limited broadcast range, do not thrive in communities which already have commercial radio, although such pairings do exist. What chance do either of these enterprises have of succeeding, and if we have a choice, which one would we prefer?
In either case, the road to a licence is a long one, snarled with unbelievable amounts of red tape. WhiStle Radio had a very protracted gestation, typical for the genre, but unusual for a community which is used to starting up non-profit organizations almost overnight. As for commercial radio, we’re already blitzed with so many channels as we commute from here to Toronto or Markham, are we really likely to switch the dial to a new station, just because it has a few local advertisers or a small amount of Uxbridge content?
Because even if the commercial station is headquartered here, its range will be so wide that Uxbridge will provide only a small percentage of either its advertising or editorial content. A community radio station, on the other hand, precisely because of its lack of power, will be very Uxbridge-centric, something our strong performing arts community will welcome with open arms.
From purely a selfish point of view, we aren’t unreservedly enthusiastic about the advent of another medium which would compete for advertising dollars in Uxbridge, where the number of print media has doubled in just five years. But if we must have radio, we would advocate a community radio station, which would take on much more of the character of our town, and offer more opportunity for local performers, technicians and advertisers alike.
July 14, 2011
