‘Our truly local media outlet is of great importance’
Once again this year, the community has stepped up to support Kootenay Co-op Radio to complete a very successful fundraising and membership drive. KCR is one of the few remaining community radio stations left in the Kootenays with Creston, Rossland, and Salmo closing in the last few years.
“Our truly local media outlet is of great importance to our listeners in the Kootenays especially as many media outlets are owned by large corporations that are not able to create local content radio in the same way that our community radio station does.” Stephanie Myers, KCR’s Membership Drive Coordinator.
For the entire month of June, Kootenay Co-op Radio created special programming complete with on-air pitching and community booths where they asked their listeners, fans, and supporters to step up and pledge support for their community radio station. The goal was $25,000 – approximately one third of the operational budget of the station. KCR not only reached that goal but surpassed it. The station was a buzz of activity for the month with individuals going to and calling the station to become members for the first time or for lapsed members to ‘re-member’. Topping out at 299 new and renewing members and surpassing the $25,000 fundraising goal, KCR feels confident the community wants them here for the long haul.
Hear you loud and clear … major corporations do not get involved in the communities they serve … keep up the good community involvement …
@ Charles: Actually, they do. The Bell station (EZ Rock) & the Vista stations in Kootenays (Goat, Juice) do a lot in the communities they broadcast into. They all support many local charities, many local businesses, employ locals who run their radio stations, and many of those radio employees also donate their time to local organizations and charities. Those radio stations also give many local hours of advertising, and digital advertising time and space to those organizations and charities too. I’d say the same for every commercial radio station in every part of small-town Canada. If they didn’t support their local communities they’d never survive.