***For Immediate Release 27/03/02***

Gabriola Co-op Radio to hold its first public meeting

Gabriola Coop Radio will hold its first public meeting Tuesday April 9th, 7 pm at the Gabriola ArtWorks in the Folklife Village Mall. A small dedicated group of volunteers is diligently preparing to complete an application to the CRTC to obtain a broadcast licence to carry on a community radio programming undertaking. Gabriola Coop Radio plans to be an FM service, operated by the community members, with studios and broadcasting facilities located on Gabriola. "Our intended coverage area includes Valdes Island and Cedar to the south and Nanaimo to the north," states local organizer Ken Zakreski. Ken was the applicant's agent for the successful CRTC application by CHLY 101.7FM, Radio Malaspina.

The first public meeting for the group will be an opportunity for interested community members to find out what community radio can do and help to shape its inception. "Come to the meeting and find out what has been accomplished so far and how you can help move this project forward," said Douglas Enquist another organizer for the group and programmer for CHLY, Radio Malaspina.

The meeting will cover many aspects of getting the station going including: transmitter locations, studio sites, the CRTC application and funding issues. One issue of concern for Ken is locating the community station in the new proposed community property. "I hope the community supports having a radio station on the proposed community property," said Ken.

Before trying to find the money for this venture the group will have to locate a frequency in the crowded FM spectrum. The west coast corridor is filled with commercial radio stations and finding a frequency will be difficult. Hiring a consultant to prepare a brief on the frequencies in this area could cost as much as $600. Additional costs can be added to that if the engineering gets even more complicated. Some frequencies are made available by co-locating the transmitter at one tower, this can complicate the engineering.

The two organizers have started looking for a frequency with a survey of the bandwidth usage on the island. "We drove to various locations, took readings using the radio in my truck and forwarded the results on to a consultant located in Toronto. The consultant was hopeful that a frequency could be found," said Ken.

**end**

For Additional Information Contact
Ken Zakreski
gabriolaradio@shaw.ca