CSR 97.4FM

CSR 97.4FM

Broadcast area	Canterbury (FM) Online (Web Stream)
Frequency	97.4 FM (Canterbury) Internet (Rest of World)
First air date	January 15, 2007
Format	Contemporary Student
Owner	University of Kent Canterbury Christ Church University Kent Union Canterbury Christ Church Students' Union
Website	www.csrfm.com

CSR 97.4FM is a community radio station based in Canterbury, England. It is funded by the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, as well as their associated Student Unions. The radio station broadcasts from studios at both universities 24 hours a day^[1], with live broadcasting from 7am - 12pm. Despite being primarily aimed at students it is not purely a student radio station.^[2]

History

Student Radio has existed in Canterbury since 1966^[3], initially on an unlicensed basis. In 1967, UKC Radio started broadcasting legally on an AM licence which covered the University of Kent campus only. Canterbury Christ Church University also had a student radio station, C4, broadcasting on AM on a similar strictly contained basis.

When Restricted Service Licences (RSLs) became available both stations periodically took advantage of the scheme to gain city-wide coverage on FM, albeit only for short periods. Each station allowed the other some airtime during their RSLs.

Canterbury Christ Church University's first RSL broadcast occurred in 2002, under the then Station Manager, Jim Cohen. Test broadcasts established that most of the city could pick up the radio station as well as certain parts of the surrounding countryside. The RSL broadcast lasted 2 weeks and was generally considered to be a great success.

The two student unions, which operated these radio stations, decided to make a single combined bid for the Canterbury community radio licence and were successful^[4].In order to apply for the license Canterbury Youth Student Media (CYSM) Ltd. was setup which has directors compromising of members of both universities and their unions and also the executive committee members. The station launched on January 15, 2007^[1]

On the 22nd July 2011 it was announced that the station was successful in the license extension application and will continue to broadcast for at least another 5 years until 2017.

Management

Management of the station is on three levels. The project is overseen by a board of directors whose members include representatives from CSR FM's funding bodies. A democratically elected committee are responsible for the day-to-day running of the station, including four executive positions (Station, Programming, Marketing, Technical) who represent the point of contact for their corresponding departments. The remaining committee positions are each associated to one of the departments. The committee consists mostly of student from the two universities. The committee is assisted by two full time members of staff, both under contract to the University of Kent Students' Union.

Funding

CSR FM is funded by donations from four funding bodies^[5]:

1. The University of Kent
2. Canterbury Christ Church University
3. Kent Union
4. Christ Church Students Union

Awards

Since CSR launched in 2007, both the station and it’s presenters, have been honoured with four prestigious Student Radio Awards.

Best Live or Outside Broadcast – 2010, Gold^[6] Best Technical Achievement – 2010, Bronze Best Live or Outside Broadcast – 2009 Silver Best Specialist Show – 2007, Gold

CSR also hosts its own awards evenings. One annual awards evening which coincides with the committee elections. These are internally voted awards for different categories and can be won by any of the members of the station. In 2011 CSR launched the John Pigeon Awards. During his career as BBC Head of Entertainment, John Pidgeon worked with top names in the media industry and helped launch careers along the way. Members are asked to write and produce a 20 minute script which is then judged by John Pigeon. A cash prize is given away at an awards ceremony which has been previously attended by Collin Anderson and John Holmes^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} CSR: About
2. ^ CSR: Our Mission
3. ^ About the University of Kent: 1959-69
4. ^ Pioneering radio station set to be launched
5. ^ CSR: Our funders
6. ^ http://studentradioawards.co.uk/winners/10
7. ^ http://www.csrfm.com/index.php/about/

External links

• CSR 97.4FM (Canterbury Community & Student Radio Station)
• University of Kent website
• Canterbury Christ Church University website
• Kent Union website
• Canterbury Christ Church Students' Union website