The hard-working volunteers at the Peach City Community Radio Society (CFUZ) are excited to see nine years of work pay off. On February 1 2019 the FM transmitter will be turned on and CFUZ will start broadcasting at 92.9 FM.
Earlier this month CFUZ received a broadcast certificate from the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). This signified that a successful test broadcast, a final requirement of Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada (ISED), had occurred. The test phase took place over a period of four weeks in December/January and during that time many Penticton residents discovered the CFUZ 92.9 FM signal which was broadcasting a wide array of new music created by Canadian artists.
The journey to successfully launching a community FM radio station began with a group of interested residents attending an information meeting at the Penticton Art Gallery and then incorporating as the Peach City Community Radio Society in early 2010. Along the way, the non-profit society raised funds for broadcast equipment and a studio, transmitted temporary broadcasts, and hosted numerous events such as concerts, volunteer training sessions, public talks and even a live radio play. Peach City Radio also hosts the annual Okanagan Vinyl Festival which acts as a key fundraiser for the organization.
The station makes its home in the Cannery Trade Centre and the tower and antenna are visible atop the eastern end of the building. Volunteers have been operating a 24/7 online stream of radio content since 2014 and this will continue in tandem with the FM signal.
It has been a tremendous amount of work for a group of volunteers with jobs, families and other commitments but the driving force has been a love of radio and the desire to provide Penticton with a new local voice. An impressive number of radio programs have been produced by volunteers over the years, some winning awards at the national level. The station encourages members of the community to tune in for these locally produced programs which feature both spoken word content and a diverse music mix.
Comments can be sent to feedback @peachcityradio.org and anyone interested in getting involved as a programmer or sponsor should visit www.CFUZ.ca for more information.
A formal grand opening and open house will take place in Spring 2019.
