Grassroots Radio Conference 2009 - in Montreal!

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 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

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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 ....

 

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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