Ironically, my life as a blogger begins directly because of a closure. I’ve intended to start posting blog bits for the better part of a year, but somehow found it difficult to get the ball rolling. That’s largely because I felt like I was already super lucky to have a number of outlets to express my views, what with writing two music columns for Eye Weekly, DJing in clubs and hosting my radio program, Mental Chatter, on CKLN 88.1FM, a campus-community station based at Ryerson University.
I programmed and hosted a show on CKLN since 1987, my second year of studying Radio & Television Arts at Ryerson. Though it had no name for its first few years, the show soon evolved from its punk and goth roots into an electronic music and hugely open format program named Mental Chatter (‘mental chatter’ essentially being that busy brain stuff that we often can’t tune out). I grew more than words can say by doing that show, both as a music lover and as a person who got to interact with other people through music and discussion.
Now, as of Friday August 15th, Mental Chatter will no longer exist on CKLN. This was not my choosing. Like almost 30 other volunteer programmers at CKLN, I have been dismissed by an interim management team that refuses to cite why we’ve been dismissed or what it is they imagine for the future of CKLN.
Most of the dismissed programmers were fired this past May. Most of the five of us who were just fired on August 15th are people who have publicly questioned why the first round of dismissals occurred. Regardless of when each of us were told we were no longer welcome at CKLN, we were all sent the same one-sentence dismissal ‘letter’ from Interim Station Manager Mike Phillips. Mine reads:
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Aug 15, 2008
Denise Benson
address
Toronto
Ontario
Please be advised that your volunteer services at CKLN Radio Inc are no longer required effective immediately.
Mike Phillips.
Station Manager
Yes, that's the extent of it. No cause, no reason, no notice, absolutely no respect.
And so begins this blog as there is much to be said about what is currently happening at CKLN, especially at a time when community-minded, socially-conscious media is under attack in so many ways, in so many places.
Stay tuned for more info. Way more info… |
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