Grassroots Radio Conference 2009 - in MontrealFrom: Nan Rubin <nanrubin@aol.com>
Date: 2009/4/26
Subject: [Stubblefield] Grassroots Radio Conference 2009 - in Montreal
To: WBAIProducers@yahoogroups.com, stubblefield@prometheusradio.org, nceorg@prometheusradio.org
Passed on from the good folks in Canada --
Nan Rubin
* * * *
GRC
folk are being invited by the organizing committee of the NCRA, the
National Campus and Community Radio Association of Canada, to join the
conference being held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 7-13, on the
campus of McGill University. We are welcome to consider this our
GRC 14. Some details are below, and more will be forthcoming.
Don't
forget that if you live in the US you will be entering a foreign
country. You won't need a visa if you are a US citizen, but you
will need documents, so plan ahead. Some information on entering Canada
is here:
http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/enter_canada.asp
- information on returning to the US is here:
http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/passport_requirement.asp
The
US has imposed a passport requirement on US citizens returning to the
US by air, but other documents (such as a birth certificate, green
card, drivers' license, in appropriate combinations) can apparently
still suffice if you return to the US by land or sea. Green card
holders may need a visa from Canada in order to return to the US - let
me know if you need a contact for this information.
Here is information obtained from today's NCRC organising committee meeting where this invitation was agreed:
1. Invitation: GRC and AMARC-NA members are welcome to attend the NCRC conference in Montreal June 7-13.
2. Money: A US dollar rate was set for registrants who want to pay in
US funds. The US-dollar rate would be $155 for non-members, $145 for
members. (Or, you can pay in Canadian dollars - $190/$175).
In the past, registration has included a couple of meals a day - I'll
have more details soon, including a registration form and the housing
information. AMARC members will be counted as NCRA members, since AMARC
is a member of NCRA (one more good reason to renew your AMARC
membership).
3. Housing: See the registration form at http://ckut.ca/ncrc.php (note
that prices are in Canadian dollars - currently around 81 or 82 cents
of a US dollar). You are asked to reserve dorm space by April 30
if you want that . I'll check on whether there is an extension.
4.
Meeting space: We have been offered that NCRC organizers will reserve
us a room on or near the campus to use for any GRC &/or
AMARC-specific functions during the whole conference. It will be
as close as possible to the main venue. We can probably have a
room that fits 40 or 50 people at no charge. My first choice of what
was discussed - it's being looked into - is the First Peoples' House,
which fits about 50 There is also a ballroom in the grad centre
that fits up to 150 people, if we want that much space - for that one,
there would be some kind of room charge to defray (I don't have an
amount). Let's get a tentative head count.
5.
Languages: There will be a lot of English spoken at this
conference, but being in Montreal there will also be a lot of
Francophones, including members of the Francophone community radio
organisation ARC du Quebec. There are also Spanish-language programs on
many Canadian campus and community radio stations, so you'll have
opportunities to speak Spanish - and other languages: CINQ, one of the
Montreal community stations, offers versions of its website in English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Kreyol (Haitian Creole), and
Chinese.
6.
Races: Montreal is a highly multi-racial, multi-ethnic radio
community. NCRA also has an active First Nations caucus, and
native people from the US are warmly encouraged to attend.
7.
Genders: Note that Thursday will be devoted entirely to the Women
in Radio Conference - NCRC has this every year. In recent
years, most were open to all genders - female, male, and trans. Hot
issues for women include FemCon - the idea of encouraging or requiring
stations to put more music by women on the air.
8. Content: There's an outline of the schedule here: http://ckut.ca/ncrc.php . Many of the panels and sessions are not
Canada-specific, but those that are can be an opportunity for
comparisons and contrasts. If GRC-ers or AMARC want to
offer other sessions, we can schedule them in our space. The best
times might be during the NCRA business meetings, though you might want
to observe at least some of those proceedings, which are very formal
compared to either GRC or NFCB. You could also take some of those
times to explore Montreal together.
9.
Exhibitors: Conference sponsorships are offered at $250 (Canadian) for
exhibitors. This will be the first time exhibitors have been
invited to an NCRC. If you want to reach Canadian stations with
pitches, NCRC would be the place to find them.
10.
Hosting Station: CKUT is one of the most dynamic stations in
Canada, with a large and diverse urban volunteer base, and they
originate many national projects, for example the annual homelessness
marathon, the formerly nationally syndicated Native Solidarity News,
and the monthly national campus-community radio news program
Groundwire. You'll meet a lot of interesting people when you come
there, as Montreal attracts people from all over Canada and around the
world.
11.
Montreal: What can I say? You haven't lived if you haven't
been there. Among other attractions, you can visit the world
headquarters of AMARC - l'Association Mondiale des Radiodiffuseurs
Communautaires (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters -
Associacion Mondial de Radios Comunitarios). The weather should
be excellent that time of year, and the food is ....
* * * * * * *
Nan Rubin
Community Media Services
4700 Broadway # 2J
NYC NY 10040 USA
212-569-3391
"The first hurdle is the people who will not accept the change that's already happened." -- Joss Whedon
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