Despite daunting pressures presented by the pandemic, Kootenay Co-op Radio managed not only to stay on-air but did so with award-winning flair.
KCR won two awards at the National Community Radio Association’s annual Campus and Community Radio Broadcast and Online gala on Friday.
Long-time host Brother Michael won Best Music Variety Program for his eclectic and masterfully produced show Flashback 70’s.
The station’s 24-segment series KCR Live!, which featured intimate live performances and interviews from the station’s newly renovated environs, helped earn Kootenay Co-op Radio further national kudos, netting the Local Talent Development Award. The show was produced by KCR sales and membership co-ordinator Amelie Sauquet-Davidson and provided a safe performance space for over 60 local artists to connect with their audiences at a time when concert venues were shut down.
“Community radio helps create and preserve Canadian culture, and Kootenay culture,” says KCR programming manager Ed Zych, “and we’re very proud to have had a few of our 70 shows recognized by the NCRA. Shows like these are central to our strategic plan, which stresses excellence in programming and being a culture and information hub for this amazing community.”
The bigger story beyond the awards, Zych says, is the success that the Kootenay’s longest serving independent broadcast and online station is seeing thanks to increasing numbers of volunteers, members and sponsors.
KCR board co-chairs Kim Bater and Michelle Oakley say the commitment to keep the station running was met by a small army of volunteers willing to contribute, even at the height of COVID-19 along, with over 70 programmers who found a way to produce a diverse array of content, from the safety of their homes.
With its vital Spring Membership Drive underway now, and coming off the biggest event it has ever held (May’s KCR Block Party at Lion’s Park was attended by nearly 1,000 people) the station is preparing for a new website, a stronger new transmitter and a basement performance space, plus an exterior renovation and a renewed commitment to community-driven independent news, current affairs and spoken word content.
To become a member, arrange business sponsorship or renew your membership, visit https://www.kootenaycoopradio.com/become-a-member-today/ or call 250-352-9600.