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By Badri Murali
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, The Scope had its official launch party to celebrate a new year of campus radio at Ryerson. The construction that had taken over most of the space in SCC 201 for the summer has now transformed into a meeting area for student groups, as well as a recording studio for radio broadcasts.
Emily Joveski, volunteer coordinator at The Scope, and program director Elissa Matthews said that getting the station to where it’s at now hasn’t been easy.
“Since this is a new station, it has been challenging to find regular programming that will continue over the year,” Matthews said.
“We started in the summer, and it was hard to sustain volunteers because most [students] are commuters, but with the new year, there is definitely a lot of interest in volunteering with The Scope,” Joveski said.
One such student expressing interest in volunteering and creating content for The Scope is second-year journalism student, Kathryn Raskina.
“I want to start a morning news talk show. I just want to learn about radio so I can rock it,” Raskina said.
For students who have been at Ryerson for a few years, as well as many staff, the memories of the previous campus radio station have not been forgotten. The previous station, CKLN, had their licensing removed in August 2011 due to infighting conflicts with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and lawsuits.
“One of the stigmas associated with radio at Ryerson is some of the mistrust [from some older students and faculty] lingering from the previous station. But we are different. We are actually accessible to all students, and we will be a positive influence on Ryerson as well as the community,” Joveski said.
Jacky Tunistra-Harrison, general manager of The Scope, further explained the new station’s accessibility.
“The other opportunity for radio on campus is SpiritLive, which is only for students in Radio and Television Arts. We are open for all students regardless of their faculty. What matters is your passion, and you don’t need to know anything about radio to get involved. We can train you, and also let you use equipment for free. If you’re interested, you just need to let us know and we can go forward from there,” Tunistra-Harrison said.
The party was well attended by students and staff alike. There was cake, performances from student musicians, and a special performance by Adria Vasil, a bestselling Ecoholic author.
The promise of free food attracted Nicholas Ng, a third-year urban planning student.
“I heard about a party with free food and music, so I’m here. I might volunteer, but I’m just having fun for now,” Ng said.
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