Last Friday, Queen’s radio station, CFRC, began its two-week long funding drive. Their goal is to raise $5,000. If successful, CFRC programming manager Eric Duncan will tattoo the CFRC logo on his body. This is the first time in the station’s 84-year history that it has ever had to raise money. Three years ago, the University sold CFRC to the AMS. Since then, funding from the University gradually phased out, leaving CFRC with only what is provided by the AMS mandatory student fee, not nearly enough to cover operating costs. CFRC is operated by the AMS, so if the CFRC were to lose money, the loss would be covered by the AMS.
However, the station is looking further into the future than the end of a single fiscal year. While the AMS will cover the loss, if CFRC loses great sums of money, it will inevitably face pressure from the AMS to cut back. Rather than allowing this to happen, the CFRC is making a sincere effort to sustain itself.
CFRC is not solely a student radio station; it has an audience that widens to the greater Kingston community. It is refreshing alternative to the commercial programming by providing a variety of sounds and broadcasts that might otherwise never be heard. It is also a great place for people to gain valuable experience in radio broadcasting. While it may not appeal to the masses, it has never tried to; rather it presents its listeners with the opportunity to hear unique and eclectic programs. It has been around for 84 years and we hope it will be around for at least 84 more.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].