Attention all broadcast media enthusiasts, if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to work in radio, now is your chance to find out. CFBX, Kamloops’ campus/community radio station, is currently conducting its winter volunteer drive from now until Jan. 21.
“It’s a really exciting place to be as far as a volunteer,” said Steve Marlow, CFBX’s Programming Coordinator. “How often do you get a chance to actually run your own radio show or sit in front of a board or even be on the radio, outside of even running your own show?”
CFBX 92.5 FM, also known as The X, is run and programmed by students and community members who volunteer on and off the air. On-air programmers host their own music or talk shows. Off-air, they work in the library, databasing, audio production, and office and committee work. The station provides training to all its volunteers.
“Once you start listening to the radio station, you’re going to hear how different it is from a commercial radio station, and that’s what we’re here to do: to provide an alternative to what’s already here,” said Marlow. “[If] you want to come in here and play Justin Bieber, it’s not going to work. You can go to the other radio stations to hear that. We’re here to do something different, and if you tune us in, then you’re going to hear something different.”
Julie Simmons, one of CFBX’s programmers, hosts “On The Marquee,” a show about musical theatre airing every Tuesday at 8:00 pm. Her show covers a broad spectrum, including Hollywood musicals and Broadway, extending to London’s West End and spanning the 1930s to today’s musicals.
“Radio was always a passion of mine,” said Simmons. “I wanted to have a career in radio, but it didn’t pan out for me. Musical theatre is my passion in life, so combining the two, it just checks a lot of boxes for me. I love educating the public about musicals and, hopefully, getting them as fired up about them as I am and bringing them all this great music. I don’t just play the well-known stuff, like ‘Cats’ or ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ I play that, of course, but I introduce a lot of way more obscure things into what I do as well.”
CFBX offers a diverse range of non-commercial programming encompassing music and spoken word content. “It depends on the interests of the people who are volunteering and hosting at the time,” said Simmons.
The music programming spans various genres such as folk, roots, country, classical, jazz, funk, blues, punk, metal, hip-hop, and electronic. The spoken word programming covers a broad spectrum, addressing social and political issues, sports, and entertainment.
“We try to promote independent artists,” said Simmons. “I’ve discovered a lot of great Canadian artists from the station that I never heard of and never would have heard of, and now I’ve become a die-hard fan of those people.”
Anyone interested in volunteering with CFBX can call the station at (250) 377-3988, email radio@thex.ca, or visit the station at House 8 on the TRU campus.