Catherine Fisher, a long-time volunteer at Kootenay Co-op Radio, was one of three people from the station to be named in this year’s National Community Radio Awards. Since 1993, the National Campus and Community Radio Association has evaluated and judged nominations from participating radio stations across the country for members of the independent radio community whose work has supported the range and diversity of campus and community radio in Canada.
Fisher won the Volunteer of the Year Award, which garnered high praise from the judges and the full support of the NCRA’s regulatory committee. Having been part of the station since its very first planning meeting in 1996, Fisher has served on numerous committees, on the board of directors — which she currently chairs — and as a programmer; her show, the Wine Dark Sea, started in 1999, when the station aired its first 28-day broadcast celebrating Community Radio Week. Fisher said she was honoured to be recognized for her work by her peers.
Tanya Coad won in the Syndicated Show category for her show Climate of Change. The show, which she co-hosts with Laura Sacks and Anni Holtby, was also given an honourable mention in the category of Current Affairs or Magazine Show. Climate of Change airs on alternating Tuesdays at 8 a.m. and Thursdays at 1 p.m. and provides listeners with the latest developments on the climate change front presented in an engaging and entertaining format. The hosts were delighted about the nomination because, Coad said, acknowledgements like these go a long way in stoking the fires of volunteer commitment.
Finally, Richard Metzner was awarded an honourable mention in the Music category for his show Make Room for the Blues. Metzner, an active volunteer at KCR in a variety of roles, has been hosting his show for many years. It airs on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at noon.
To find out more about Kootenay Co-op Radio or become a member visit kootenaycoopradio.com