The Question

WHEREAS CKUT Radio has not increased its $3 per semester membership fee since its founding in 1987;
WHEREAS any student may opt out of paying this fee;
WHEREAS had this fee been tied to inflation, it would have increased by $1.95;
WHEREAS the fee, not tied to inflation, lowers the real-dollar value of the 3$ per semester fee by more than 60%;
WHEREAS CKUT, despite this lower funding, has increased activities on campus, in Montreal, and nationally;
WHEREAS CKUT's initiatives on campus have included live broadcasts from the Thomson House, and on-air coverage of PGSS events and campaigns;
WHEREAS CKUT is continually searching for new ways to expand our madate on campus and would benefit from increased resources;
WHEREAS CKUT is a resource for PGSS members to participate in management and production at McGill's campus-based community radio station;
WHEREAS CKUT includes a voting PGSS Representative on our Board of Directors;
WHEREAS CKUT employs PGSS members, and provides research opportunities for PGSS members related to their academic fields;
WHEREAS CKUT is consistently voted #1 Radio Station in the Mirror's Best of Montreal Readers Poll;

Do you agree to increase the opt-outable CKUT fee by seventy- five cents ($0.75) for a total of $3.75 per fall and winter semester?

Keep the action going by voting yes for a .75 cent increase to the CKUT 90.3 fm PGSS student fee!

Here's why.

CKUT 90.3 fm has been broadcasting on fm dial since 1987. We operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year Over 300 individuals put their heart and soul into making the exciting programming found on 90.3fm and now also on www.ckut.ca. All of our programmers are volunteers and come from both the McGill student population and the Montreal community. We have regularly been voted Best Radio Station in the Montreal Mirror's Readers poll - beating out all the big guns with the booming transmitter power and massive promo budgets. We have won numerous National awards and were praised by Neil Strauss in his New York Times article about internet radio and music sites called "The Wired Arts." Our sounds may be up in the air but our principles are very down to earth. We believe media should be accessible and that when you open up the airwaves, provide training and support, engage in your community good things happen.

Since we first went on air 23 years ago CKUT has never requested a fee increase from PGSS students. If our fee was tied to inflation the $3.00 you currently pay should be increased by $1.95. However we are only asking for .75 cents in this referendum. Sounds fair enough no? Oh, and any student can opt out from paying this fee.

CKUT-fm offers PGSS unique training in all aspects of radio producing, including interviewing techniques, podcasting, djing, digital editing, even a circuit workshop for building DIY electronics. This type of invaluable experience would cost thousands of dollars at most other sound / media institutions. CKUT offers PGSS students a vehicle for communicating your ideas with the greater Montreal area and now the world via the net. PGSS students are often the ones conducting the interviews heard on CKUT, sometimes the ones being interviewed, and sometimes both. CKUT offers internships, work study positions, and some individuals have managed to have their radio projects considered for academic credit.

CKUT began as a McGill radio club in 1960. From closed circuiting broadcasting to cable fm, to 90.3 fm and now to www.ckut.ca. we are evolving. Much of the focus of our collective energies has been in producing good content, however the onset of the digital age has posed new challenges in ensuring that this content gets to listeners. CKUT-fm needs to keep abreast of the changes in how individuals listen to radio. Our efforts need to go towards promotion and distribution of our content both on campus, in the city and on the web. Some listeners may be moving off their radios but we are confident their appreciation and enjoyment of good radio remains. They are simply seeking it out and listening to it in a different way. Having the resources to make this happen is essential.

PGSS fees make up 18% of our overall budget. The other sources of revenue are advertising, listener donations and some grants. Social media sites (face book et al) have taken a bite in our advertising. We are slowly trying to build this back up. The grants we are eligible for do not provide core funding but are project oriented. CKUT has experimented with many new ideas for funding, including running a kids radio camp with the McGill Conservatory and exploring possibilities for charitable tax status. This is all to say that we do not take any student fee increase lightly and continue to try all options. CKUT-fm requires more funding to balance its budget and to keep relevant to students, and to the Montreal community. It is an exciting place with so many opportunities. We hope that you will come check us out on the dial, on the web, or at 3647 rue Universite (yup up the hill) and that you will support us by voting YES to the CKUT-fm fee increase. Thank you for your consideration.