As you know, I have a radio show on 94.9 CHRW. I just celebrated the 200th episode of the show and I couldn’t have done it with the support of Western University and the airwaves on which to broadcast.

My show has given me access to all sorts of musicians and celebrities. I have interviewed some of my favourite artists and even talked to Olympic Champions on the air.

The station gives back to the diverse community by offering programming in a variety of different languages.

There are close to 170 students who freely give their time to host programs, do the news, cover the university sporting events,  and work behind the scenes in the technical realm. There are nearly as many community volunteers or alumni still donating their time and expertise to the station as well.

Some of our volunteers have moved on to prominent positions in the media as well. Kevin Newman now works for CTV. Daniel Shulman moved on to TSN and ESPN directly from CHRW. Stephen Brunt writes for the Globe and Mail. Adrienne Arsenault is a familiar face on CBC. And that it just the tip of the iceberg.

Our hosts regularly give their time to fundraising efforts in the community. We champion for the students of Western University and deliver relevant and timely content to everyone within listening range, and the entire world through online streaming and archived shows.

We play a lot of local artists and support Canadian talent every single week. The music landscape in London, Ontario is rich and diverse, and we celebrate that wholeheartedly.

The radio station relies on donations during its annual pledge week to maintain its costs of operation. However, the main source of funds comes from a student levy that sees every student contributing $13 to CHRW. 94% of our funding comes from this fee.

In my humble opinion, this is a very small price to pay for such a jewel. We need local programming on the radio and on television. Local TV is facing a crisis right now when it comes to original and news programming. We don’t want to see our voice on the radio dial shrink or, even worse, be silenced.

What you can do!

• Take to Social Media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any other sites you use to tell people how important CHRW is to you.
• Go to the Budget Presentation and USC Motion on Wednesday February 24th at 6:00 p.m. (Room 269C, UCC, Western University Campus)
• Contact the Student Council and let them know how you feel.
• Listen to the station and share online that you do!

Thank you for being on this musical journey with me for the past four years. Let’s fight to keep our station viable and broadcasting for the good of the students, the community, and the university at large.

Much appreciated!