Summary of annual radio conference – NCRC 2008 June 23, 2008
Posted by MelissaHK in radio.Tags: cjam, conference, ncra, radio
1 comment so far
I spent the week of June 9 in Windsor, Ontario, at the annual National Campus and Community Radio Conference (NCRC), hosted by CJAM FM. What a great week! And how awesome it was for me to be a delegate for the first time in six or seven years, as opposed to being an NCRA staffer. Late nights, attending sessions, a Tigers/Indians game and Mojitos . . . thanks CJAM!
Here is a wrap-up summary from NCRA ED Kevin Matthews:
Awards Results: The NCRA Radio Awards 2008 were awarded Friday, June 13 at our gala dinner and keynote evening. See the details and hear the winning submissions!
New Board of Directors: Our AGM happens during NCRC each year, and thus our Board of Directors elections. Candace Mooers and Evan Light have finished their board terms — Candace as president. New to the board are Tom Richmond (CJAI) and Vern Smith (CJAM). Freya Zaltz and Joanne Penhale were elected to another term, and our five directors with a year to go in their terms are Erin Flynn (new president), Jared McKetiak, Sharmeen Kahn, Janet Marie Rogers, and Catherine Fisher. Thanks to all the above for the tireless work of the board, and welcome Tom and Vern!
NCRC 2009 will be in Montreal: In a vote between two strong bids, the NCRA chose CKUT McGill as the host for NCRC 2009! The conference will benefit from a convergence of independent media groups in the city next summer (as well the general greatness of hanging out in Montreal). Special thanks to the Jett Thunders and the CJSW crew for their awesome bid.
Native Caucus growing: The emerging Native Programmers’ Network, and the NCRA’s Native Caucus, accomplished a lot of networking and vision for the future while in Windsor. A new pilot programming stream at the conference, designed to foster the network’s emergence, saw lots of ideas and energy around collaborative work — producing news content, defending indigenous languages, and other projects — between programmers across the country. Resolutions were passed at the AGM to continue this work, and seek funding for several new initiatives. Great things will come of this. Some great new relationships already have.
Thank you OTF: We held a reception on Friday, June 13 to recognize the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation for parts of the conference and other NCRA work. Angelo Minato from the Foundation attended; we all enjoyed getting acquainted, and reflecting on another great conference.
THANK YOU THANK YOU CJAM! CJAM and the Rose City showed us all kinds of hospitality and organizational skillz this year. a big thanks especially to Adam, Cassandra, Jonathan, Chris, and Dale who kept the conference running smoothly. Now catch up on your sleep, guys.
For more on the National Campus and Community Radio Association, visit www.ncra.ca.
Thanks to CJAM for NCRC 2008 June 17, 2008
Posted by MelissaHK in life, radio.Tags: cjam, life, ncra, radio
add a comment
What a great week in Windsor! I just wanted to say my own thanks after Adam at CJAM emailed to the NCRA listservs:
“I just wanted to send a quick thank-you to those of you who made the trek to Windsor last week. It was a blur, but I had a blast seeing so many familiar and new faces. I hope you were able to enjoy your week, and that the conference satisfied your expectations. Jon and I will be dropping you a line looking for feedback in the coming weeks, and your input will be greatly appreciated. We’ll both be taking a much needed break this week, so don’t be alarmed if our correspondence is a bit delayed! Again, thanks for a week I won’t forget!”
Here’s what I wrote to the lists:
And a huge thanks to you and the CJAM crew for such a great conference, Adam! It was especially fun for me this year as my last six conferences have been as NCRA staff. It was great to be able to hang out and meet new people. It’s never an easy thing to host an NCRC, and the organizers never get to truly enjoy the conference, but please know that your efforts paid off for the rest of us with some great sessions, fantastic evening entertainment, and an environment that made it easy to learn, network, and have fun.
Also, for those who don’t know, the NCRA board arranged a special presentation/goodbye for me at the annual awards gala. I wanted to say thanks to Freya and Janet who both said some wonderful words, and thanks to the current directors as well as Chad [sorry I forgot you in the email!], John, Magnus, Janna, Rob, Kristin, and Kevin (I hope I haven’t left out anyone else, it’s hard to remember through all of the warm feelings and many tears!!) for presenting me a wonderful hand-made blanket. It really was such an amazing honour. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I wanted to pass along the sentiment to you. I thanked all of the directors of the NCRA as well as all of the stations and individuals I’ve worked with over the past years. It has meant so much to me. During my time as national coordinator, I learned and have grown so much. I came to be the coordinator I was mostly because you all let me learn along the way. We are the sum of our experiences, and I am rich with many lessons learned, a long list of radio cohorts I admire and respect, and many wonderful long-lasting friendships. I also thanked community radio just for being what it is. How amazing is it that we have this accessible form of media that truly reflects so much of our local communities.
I hope I can make it next year for NCRC 2009 in Montreal! But if not, I’m so thankful to have had the chance to see many of you in Windsor.
Thanks to the NCRA staff and current and outgoing board members. And a big thanks to everyone at !earshot for a nice wrap-up party. Phog was the perfect place to end off such a great week.
