Planning under way for community-owned FM radio station

A public meeting in late October will kick-off planning for a community-owned and operated over-the-air radio station in Prince Edward County.

An ad-hoc committee for County Community Radio, comprised of County residents Conrad Beaubien, Rick Conroy, Treat Hull and Gary Mooney, was formed earlier this year from people interested in establishing a not-for-profit FM radio station focused solely on the County.

“The need for a community radio station has been discussed by different groups of people for several years,” said Mooney, “but things really started to come together after some of us visited Amherst Island last spring to learn about their success in starting up a low-budget all-volunteer FM station.”

There was a strong consensus among the 12 attendees at the initial planning meeting in June that a station with broad community involvement could play an important role in enhancing County life – sharing history, showcasing local talent, providing information on local events,  supporting local businesses and offering a forum to debate County issues.

The Committee will organize a public forum in late October to finalize the vision for a station and to test whether there’s sufficient support to proceed with a volunteer, not-for-profit initiative.

Anyone who would like to be informed of developments or become involved in this project should visit the web site at www.county-community-radio.ca or email info@county-community-radio.ca .