Get to know your student radio with these helpful terms!
Trent Radio: We’re a not-for-profit community based organisation that broadcasts radio waves that you can listen to by tuning in to 92.7 fm or if you go online to trentradio.ca. Listen with frequency! But that’s not the important part – the important part is you getting involved. Most of us are students and also volunteers pursuing our own selfish artistic goals and shamelessly exploiting Trent Radio’s time and equipment to make it happen. That’s what it’s here for. If you think radio is pretty cool, it’s super easy to get involved by becoming a “programmer” or an “operator”.
Programmer: Someone who has a show broadcast through Trent Radio about his or her or their own topic. (You can have a bunch of co-hosts, too.) This is what most people are at Trent Radio. If you’re interested in having a show, just fill out a programme proposal and drop it off at Trent Radio House, 715 George St. North, by Friday September 18th at noon. The show could be about your cat, it could be about roots music, it could be about politics, jazz, opera, philosophy, or your pet rock. What really matters is that you’re passionate about it and that you show up.
Programme Proposal: This is the form you fill out to apply for a radio show. You can get it at Trent Radio House or online at trentradio.ca. We just want to know Who you are, What you want to do, and When you want to do it. If you’re having trouble filling it out, attend any one of our programme proposal workshops, or just stop by Trent Radio House with a confused look on your face; I’m sure someone will help you.
Programme Proposal Workshops: If you want to get into radio but you’re unsure, or you’re uncertain if your idea for a show is going to fly, attend any one of these handy-dandy workshops:
* Tuesday September 15th at 1900 hours (7:00pm) at the Peterborough Public Library
* Wednesday September 16th at 1900 hours (7:00pm) at Bata Library Room 402
* Thursday September 17th at 1130 hours (11:30am) at Sadleir House, 751 George St. N.
* Thursday September 17th at 1500 hours (3:00pm) at Trent Radio House, 715 George St. N.
Trent Radio House: 715 George St. North. We’re easy to get to; don’t fret. Just get off at the Sadleir House bus stop and walk about 30 steps south – depending on the length of your legs. Sadleir House is 751 George St. North, we’re at 715, at the corners of George and Parkhill. Come by any time. There’s coffee.
Operator: Want to be involved at Trent Radio but don’t want to have a show per se? Step it up a notch! An Operator is someone who supervises the station and is here in case programmers need help. Generally an operator sits, drinks coffee, listens to the radio, does their homework, is responsible, and by their presence supports the larger radio community. If this floats your boat, or you think it might, attend the Operator’s meeting Friday September 18th at noon at Sadleir House, 751 George St. North.
Broadcast Schedule: Right now, we have no schedule. It’s totally blank. If you turn into 92.7 fm right now, you’ll probably just hear some local Peterborough music on rotation. The schedule is only created once the programme porposals are in. We do it this way because it means that someone new actually has a chance to get a show at a reasonable time, rather than having to fit around people entrenched into the schedule who have been there a million years. You, a student in first year, has just as much opportunity to get on the air as anyone. It’s only just after the deadline on Friday September 18th at noon that we make our schedule from now untili April.
What We Want: People ask me: “What do you play on Trent Radio?” and I say to them: “No, what do YOU play on Trent Radio?”. They usually don’t get it. The point is – we are only what people bring us to play. Trent Radio has no slant or agenda. Our shows are made up of volunteer programmers (like maybe yourself?) who come to us because they want to have a show on this cool thing or what cool thing, and we get them on the air. Our schedule is you. If you’re passionate about it, so are we.
Deadline: Friday September 18th at noon. If you want to have a show, or if you want to otherwise volunteer, the deadline is Friday September 18th at noon. Bring your programme proposals in to Trent Radio House, 715 George St. North before that time. This deadline is super-firm because we’re literally taking them up the street to Sadleir House, and from that pile assemble the broadcast schedule that will go into effect the following Monday September 21st.
This is a lot of information, but if radio is something that captures your interest or your imagination, don’t let the fact that it’s a new thing hold you back. Dive right in. Questions, comments, ideas, notions, and rants of a radio nature can all be directed to me, the Programme Director James Kerr at jkerr@trentradio.ca. Happy broadcasting.
