Interview by Chloe Hoy
Who are you?
Christine Powell (Chrissy P), year 4, Psychology (Arts)
2016-17 Vice President on the Student Executive
The show:
Fresh Slice, rock n’ roll and indie music, a little bit of punk. We try to play a lot of new and a lot of local music. Airs Fridays, 1-2pm
How did you first become involved with CiTR?
I had been curious about CiTR when I first came to UBC, so I would poke my head into the station sometimes. I didn’t start volunteering until my second year – working with the music department and listening to submissions, and writing reviews for the playsheet. That got me interested in the local music scene, and then it also made me join the Student Executive as the Volunteer Coordinator the following year.
What is your favourite part about being a student programmer?
It makes me designate time to focus on this thing that I love and I’ve really enjoyed building a knowledge base in an area I find super interesting, but might not necessarily research on my own.
What opportunities have you been given as a CiTR member and programmer?
You can go to shows for free. The biggest opportunity for me has been meeting other people who are interested in the independent music and arts scene as well. I’ve made some of my best friends through the station.
Why would you recommend youth and fellow students be involved in campus-community radio?
There aren’t a lot of places on-campus where you can feel that your opinions are heard. CiTR offers not just a way to voice the things that you’re interested in, but also incentive to dive into those things. It’s the why and the way.
What does radio mean to you?
For me, I wake up every day and I can’t get out of bed until I listen to the radio. For someone with a very short attention span, radio is a way for me to digest and receive information that I want to seek out, but may not hold my attention in written form. When it comes to music programming, they are playlists designed by real people, which is something I can’t find elsewhere. Also it’s specific to the area and the community I’m living in, I think that’s really special. On top of that, the human voice is so powerful and so captivating that to separate words from the human voice – is putting the information through a filter that I don’t think necessarily needs to be there. Character matters so much for me in writing, that I think it’s almost sacred to have the person who wrote the piece speaking to you directly.
Bonus: Who are a couple of your top playlist picks?
Local: Hazy, Swim Team
Other: Crack Cloud (Calgary, AB)