It's Official: I'm Back in Radio!

All right, so it's not like I'm next in line for the Howard Stern Show or anything. But this week I completed my volunteer training at CJSW, our local college radio station here in Calgary.

It's an important milestone because before new volunteers get to touch any of the cool equipment and such, they have to attend the orientation sessions - four hours in total spread over two consecutive Monday evenings. The sessions deal with the station's history and mission, as well as the various departments and funding process. There's also a comprehensive tour, including the broadcast booth.

There are several things for volunteers to do at the station. For instance, summer festivals are a big part of station promotion, so there are booths to man and event planning to help out with. There's also news gathering and production, web site and social media support, and music library. That's where I'm helping out.

As you can imagine, a radio station has to process lots and lots of music coming in from record labels, independent artists and other sources. I'm helping to catalog and categorize all this music (CDs and vinyl primarily, but also archive materials like reel-to-reel, carts and DATs) and put it away in the library for all the show producers and staff to easily access.

I'd like to get the opportunity to do my own show at some point, but for now patience is the key. Plus, being the organizational guru (OK, neat freak) that I am, I'm providing a valued service to the station whilst learning the ropes at the same time. How cool is that?

If you'd like to join me as a CJSW volunteer, it's very easy to do and a most worthwhile use of your time. Both U of C students and community members are welcome, so what are you waiting for?