Community

History

The Community Radio Education Society (CRES) was incorporated in 1975 with the aim of supporting community radio in Vancouver.  At that time Vancouver Co-op Radio had just acquired a broadcast license and was preparing to go on air.   The founders of CRES saw the potential and importance  of a community based, participatory radio station and decided to set up a society to assist in training those interested and to help to provide broadcast facilities.   As part of this endeavor a primary goal of CRES is to help in fundraising for community radio.

After almost 50 years CRES continues in its efforts to assist community radio. In all that time a great many radio volunteers have been trained in all aspects of broadcasting, and through funding drives and grants enough money has been raised to keep community radio in Vancouver alive and healthy.

In 1997 CRES broadened its mandate by forming the Media Arts Committee (MAC).   The idea of MAC was to provide workshops and training in the area of audio art, to fund at least two artists-in-residence each year and to commission an experimental audio art piece each year.   This was all done in conjunction with Co-op Radio which provides and broadcast outlet for the finished audio art pieces.   CRES has been able to get solid support from the Canada Council for the MAC program which continues to provide an important training facility and to produce important audio art works.

Now with the prevalence of podcasting and computer-based radio equipment, CRES continues to provide support for training in new media as well as traditional broadcast skills.   The medium may change  but the message is still important: the original goals of supporting community based broadcasting are as relevant as ever."

 

Vancouver Co-op Radio

Through operating Co-op Radio, CRES actively engages with and promotes diverse, underrepresented communities in Vancouver.

Founded in 1975, Vancouver Co-operative Radio (CFRO, 100.5 FM) is a multi-lingual, non-profit community radio station that provides the Greater Vancouver area with independent public affairs, music and arts programming. Located in the heart of Vancouver's Eastside, Co-op Radio’s mission is to produce creative and engaging programming for communities whose voices are underrepresented in the mainstream media.

The station's on-air programming is produced by a diverse range of more than 250 dedicated volunteers. Co-op Radio has 80 locally-produced programs that air on the station each week. (See a full list of programs at coopradio.org).

The station’s music and arts programming focuses on independent and local artists, covering a wide range of genres from Blues to Reggae to World Music. More than 20% of on-air programs broadcast in languages other than English and priority is given to people from language groups who have no access to media or who wish to provide an alternative to existing media outlets. On-air languages include Spanish, Farsi, Armenian, Polish, Amharic, Vietnamese, Korean and several Aboriginal languages (including Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mes), Haida, Cree and Hul'q'umi'num').

 

 

There is more Aboriginal programming on Co-op Radio than any other station in Vancouver. There are five shows by and for Aboriginal communities that focus on arts, community engagement, reconciliation and language revival.

Programs playing music from many cultures are found at 100.5 FM and they each serve a community of listeners. Some of the programs, such as the Caribbean music shows on Saturday night, provide an on air community for a group of immigrants, both recent and generations ago, where a physical neighbourhood does not exist, as it does in some other provinces. Through the radio, the culture of the islands they left can be passed on, remembered, and remain vibrant.