John Mather
Editor-in-Chief
Let me start with the basics: Ryerson has a radio station, it’s called CKLN.
I say this because a surprising amount of students don’t know it exists.
Second, students pay about $9.63 a year for the privilege of having this station. Even fewer know that.
Shitshow is a term flung around far too often these days, but CKLN is truly a shitshow not worth your money, even if it is is only $9.
After covering the radio station for a year — including a large feature about its 30th birthday — the Eyeopener has determined that CKLN should be dismantled. This paper takes student money every year to provide a service to campus, and we’re accountable for it.
In contrast, CKLN takes student money, provides a service to non-student alternative radio listeners, and as for accountability, its senior volunteers (who are not students) moved to impeach its own board of directors (which actually has students).
To add to its irrelevance, 60 per cent of CKLN’s budget comes from students, but this week an Eyeopener student survey found that only two per cent of respondents said they listen to the station.
Yes, CKLN does have a large listenership outside campus. Really, they do. It’s considered one of the top radio stations in Toronto. But should students really take comfort in the fact that they’re paying for 30-something beatniks to listen to radio?
The station should tailor to students or not exist at all. It doesn’t even give prominance to student programming. The Eyeopener’s radio show gets the Wednesday 6:30 a.m. time slot — prime radio time for the most-read newspaper on campus.
Toronto might need this kind of alternative radio station, but why are Ryerson students expected to foot the bill? The University of Waterloo cut funds to its campus radio because the station had lost its way with campus. There is no reason why Ryerson students shouldn’t follow this lead.
Leave a Reply