Regina, SK – The membership of Regina’s only community radio station, 91.3 FM CJTR, voted overwhelmingly in favour of transferring ownership of the station to Access Communications Co-operative (Access). The vote was held on Tuesday, April 16, during a special meeting of the membership.
Several months ago, Radius Communications, the non-profit organization that runs the station, presented Access with the opportunity to own the station to preserve community radio. Facing financial hardship, CJTR was looking for an alternative operating model.
"We extend our sincere appreciation to the CJTR membership for entrusting us with this responsibility. Access remains committed to upholding CJTR's mission to give voice to the community through diverse and unique programming created and delivered by volunteers.” said Carmela Haines, President and CEO of Access.
CJTR is a community radio station that has served Regina and area since 2001. The station is almost entirely volunteer run, with two staff and 80 programmers creating 60 shows and 5,000 hours of original programming annually. CJTR’s staff will be joining Access Communications.
“Thank you to the membership for approving the transfer of ownership, this is an important moment in our stations history," said Neil Adams, CJTR Station Manager. “We have worked hard to find new ways to keep the station going. For the first time in a long time, we can finally begin to focus on the future, growing our impact, and solidifying our place in the community under Access’ ownership.”
The next steps involve Access applying to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the approval of the ownership transfer and obtaining a community broadcast license. In the meantime, CJTR will continue to broadcast under its current license.