UBC radio station’s annual Fundrive aims to raise $35,000 to help finance move to new digs
You might be forgiven if you didn’t know that UBC has its very own student-run radio station. But when the new Student Union Building opens next year, CiTR will be hard to miss.
Currently broadcasting out of a space tucked away on the second floor of the old SUB, CiTR will be visible from the main floor of the new SUB and will broadcast on a speaker system that can be heard throughout the building.
“We are very excited about the new space,” says Ryan Rosell, student executive president of CiTR and a third-year honours English student. “It will be a lot more visible. People walking through the SUB will be able to hear and see what is going on.”
The radio station, which broadcasts on 101.9 FM, has a long history of supporting Vancouver’s music scene. For the past 30 years, annual events like Shindig, put on by CiTR and its music magazine Discorder, have showcased up-and-coming bands like The Pack A.D., Japandroids, and Mystery Machine. Nardwuar the Human Serviette got his start on CiTR and still broadcasts from the station on Friday afternoons.
Shedding its ‘hipster reputation’
Despite its storied past, the station took a hard look at itself a few years ago and realized that it was at risk of losing student support. It set a mandate to increase the number of students in daily operations.
“We only had eight student-run shows out of 90 programs,” says Rosell. “Today we have 35 to 40 student shows running. It’s had a huge impact.
“CiTR used to have a bit of a stuck up, hipster reputation. Some of that still lingers but so much has changed to make the station more accessible to people of all backgrounds.”
The radio station hired a volunteer coordinator to help students find tasks they were interested in. New volunteer drop-in hours make it easy to help out and for regulars to bring friends and introduce them to the station. CiTR also made a conscious effort to get out in front of the student body, holding concerts during the first week of school and participating in Club Days. On Friday afternoons, the executive hosts Listening Parties, where they play some of their favourite tunes in the lounge area so students can hang out and discover new music.
“Students are here all of the time now,” says Morgan Yee, CiTR’s news director. “All our members have a personal commitment to the station. They want to see it succeed.”
Students are spreading the word
When Yee started as a member of CiTR three years ago, the news department consisted of the news director and another person doing weather. This year, about 15 students report on news from across campus.
“They cover what they are interested in. They have to feel connected to what they’re doing,” says Yee, who studies social work at UBC.
Both Rosell and Yee say CiTR is an untapped resource for students and the campus community. They offer free public service announcements to non-profits and student groups, cover events and are eager to share stories about what’s happening on campus.
A new home for CiTR
This week CiTR is holding its annual Fundrive with a goal of raising $35,000. For the second year in a row, funds raised will help with the move to the new SUB. Last year the station bought new broadcasting boards. This year they need to buy cables and upgrade other hardware. They are also hoping to furnish the space with a couple of new couches because their current furniture has been danced on just one too many times.
For more information about CiTR and the Fundrive, visit: http://www.citr.ca/
To attend the Fundrive Finale Friday at the Biltmore Cabaret, visit: http://www.citr.ca/index.php/fundrive/fundrive-finale/