CKTZ is looking for donors to help power the tower during 2024 and 2025.
Cortes Currents caught up with Bryan McKinnon, station manager and President of CKTZ, while he was manning the radio’s booth at Lovefest. In addition to the hum of conversation from some of the first people to arrive at the festival, in the background you can hear a sitar and tabla from the opening performance.
Q: So tell us about the ‘Power The Tower’ campaign?
Bryan McKinnon: “Our broadcast antenna is on a tower, and all that equipment goes back 20 years to when the radio station was first set up. Back then it was a pirate station where people were really pulling together equipment that was already used and old at the time. What we want to do is make sure that our signal goes as far, wide, and clear as possible. We’re looking to upgrade basically all the equipment around the broadcast tower.”
“A broadcast tower has three components, generally. There is the radio shack at the base of the tower, which has a lot of the receivers, transmitters, all sorts of equipment, internet and then also backup power.”
“There is the main tower itself, the mast. I believe David Rousseau was saying that tower was already falling over when we set it up. So, it’s really past its due date and so we’re looking to replace that. Then at the very top of the tower is the antenna, which is the most important piece.”
“People may have noticed that the signal sometimes cuts out, depending on where they are on the island. In order for us to really get it to where it needs to be and where we’re actually allowed to broadcast, we need to upgrade the equipment.”
“Right now we are broadcasting in mono because it extends our reach a little bit. With the new upgrades, we’ll be able to go back to broadcasting in stereo, which would be best for us and also for listeners.”
“So this is Cortes Community Radio’s Power of the Tower campaign. We have a goal to raise $25,000, which seems like a lot for us, but that includes full upgrades of all our equipment, a new tower, and then also to access the tower site. It’s very difficult, and so in order to get equipment up there, we’re going to have to do a little bit of landscaping.”
Cortes Currents: How do people give you money?
Bryan McKinnon: “Donors can give any way they, that they feel most comfortable with. You can give us cash, you can give us by check. E transfer is a really great way to give it to us and that information is all on our website at cortesradio.ca forward slash donate. You can also get by credit card right through our online portal. Or if you see us at the Friday Market, you can make a donation there, right at our table.”
Cortes Currents: One question I’ve got, Twincom used to give us, as a donation, an internet connection between the station and the tower. Has that continued under Mascon by TELUS?
Bryan McKinnon: “For as long as Twincom existed, Cortes Community Radio enjoyed a sponsorship where the radio station did not pay for internet. When TwinCom was absorbed by Mascon, earlier this year we lost that sponsorship and we have not received any response from anyone at Mascon that we’ve reached out to. So now we are incurring that extra monthly expense, it’s about 200 a month. It’s hard to find an extra two hundred dollars a month. So along with the power of the tower campaign We’re also always looking for new sponsors who can help us with our overhead costs just to get through the day to day, including our rent.”
Cortes Currents: Anything you want to add?
Bryan McKinnon: “Cortes Radio has been having a legendary summer. Last week we were teaching 11 to 15 year olds in a radio podcasting day camp. It was really fun. The week before that we were meeting with the SRD’s new emergency communications team and we’re actually in discussion about training volunteers across Cortes so we can connect neighbourhoods using handheld radios and really reduce a lot of the barriers that ham radio or that kind of handheld radio offers. The SRD is looking at ways to get things, basically to get communications into people’s hands much quicker, and much cheaper.”
“Every Friday we’re also involved in producing live music at the Village Commons Tent, part of the Friday Market at Manson’s Hall.”
“Here we are at Lovefest. Cortes Community Radio is a proud sponsor of Lovefest, and we’re very happy to be part of the production team. Cortes Community Radio also brings you great DJs, we have new shows coming on board all the time.”
All photos courtesy Cortes community radio.
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