The Community Radio Fund of Canada announced today that the Peach City Community Radio Society, operators of 92.9 CFUZ-FM in Penticton BC, have been chosen as a recipient of a Radiometres grant for the 2020-21 granting cycle.
The proposal put forth by the local, volunteer-operated station will see up to 20 virtual 'live' performances streamed, as well as captured on video and audio during the course of the project. The proposed project, named 'Caught in the Act' is intended to reinvigorate a previous station initiative, which featured recordings of performances by local and traveling musicians in Penticton live music settings.
"For me, this grant validates a large part of the reason I became involved with the station in the first place" notes Dave Del Rizzo, CFUZ Program Director, "to be able to establish more meaningful relationships with local musicians is a fundamental reason for a community radio station to exist. Being able to feature local artists who would otherwise have difficulty getting their music onto mainstream radio is a stepping stone towards becoming an integral part of the music scene in Penticton for CFUZ."
Due to COVID-19, the station has had to amend their original grant proposal to accommodate social distancing issues as they relate to live music. "We feel that using our radio signal as a virtual venue is a legitimate and necessary evolution during this pandemic", mentioned Del Rizzo. The grant proposal originally favoured group performances by local musicians at various venues in and around Penticton. Uncertainty surrounding live music and venues inspired organizers to pivot, instead featuring live performances by artists featured on social media live streams with accompanying radio broadcasts, video and podcast outputs.
The project will provide opportunities for CFUZ station volunteers to gain experience in the hands-on process of audio and video production, and practicing interview skills. Opportunities will also be created for those interested in managing the organization of live events and volunteers. The station was awarded $48,000 to complete the project. A portion of the grant is devoted to acquiring the necessary equipment, with the remainder allocated for artist compensation, and honoraria for execution and production of the video and audio components of the grant. Source funding for the Radiometres program is made possible by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, through the financial contributions made by commercial radio and satellite broadcasters for Canadian Content Development.
More information for interested participants and local musicians regarding the opportunities associated with this grant will become available when the grant begins on October 1, 2020. For further information, please contact the station directly via email to info@peachcityradio.org, or to the project organizers at caughtintheact@peachcityradio.org.
