Listener Appeals

Used during our fund drives, listeners can tell our audience why they listen to and/or support CHLY 101.7FM! Maybe it's the eclectic mix of music, maybe it's our diverse talk programming, maybe it's something else! We want to hear from you! In 60 seconds or less, tell us where you're listening from, why you listen, why you care, and tell folks where they can donate. We'll play your message on the the air!

You can use the form on this page to upload your Listener Appeal (record it as a voice memo on your smart phone!) or you can read your Listener Appeal script over the phone by leaving us a message on our listener line at (250) 740-1017.

Your appeal should contain:

  • Your name: Full name, first name, nickname, what ever you are comfortable with.

  • Where you are listening from: This reflects our broadcast community! Be part of it!

  • Why: why you love CHLY, why we need funding, what programs you might love.

  • If you are already a supporter, what kind of supporter you are. You don’t have to be specific with the amount, but if you are monthly sustaining donor or a regular one-time donor, it’s a nice way to encourage others to help!

  • Where to Donate: “donate today at C-H-L-Y.ca/donate” should wrap up your appeal.

Example Scripts for Listener Appeals!

Below are some example scripts that you can work from.

“Hey there friends. This is Cassandra Blondin-Burt, speaking to you from Gabriola Island. I'm here to thank listener from Nanaimo and around the world for tuning in to CHLY, and chly.ca. It is because of the support from people like you, stations like this can continue to broadcast local relevant content, giving a voice to our community and letting us better know each other. Real life content that isn't marred by too much advertisement and giving us what mass media can't: events and stories in our everyday lives. So let's keep on tuning in and sending support so that they can keep doing what they do best, bringing us content as evolving and dynamic as our Island communities continues to be.”
—122 words at 50-55 seconds (Read at a slower pace).

“Hello this is Stewart, listening from Denman Island. I love CHLY for it’s diverse mix of music! Be it b-sides from back in my day, new sounds from new artists locally, across Canada, or from around the world. They always bring me new and interesting sounds! My favourite programs include the Sweet Spot, Blues Before Breakfast, and Songwriter’s Circle. The talk shows are always interesting too. I support chly with a monthly donation of about $10/month which is pretty painless! If you enjoy CHLY, you should donate what you can at chly.ca/donate. Make a difference, and keep the music coming!”
—103 words about 50-55 seconds.

Why you might love CHLY

  • We’re not for profit. All money raised goes back into running the station, and pursuing new projects. We don’t have corporate stakeholders and we can’t be sold to further corporate greed.

  • We’re locally focused in our news, talk, and in our music selections.

  • We run PSAs free of charge for non-profit community groups to raise awareness of what they do.

  • We’re pretty darn independent!

  • We have programming and music you don’t hear elsewhere on the airwaves in Nanaimo or on the Salish Sea.

  • We give members of the community a voice on the airwaves!

  • We spread the word and make connections.

  • We are local, supporting local!

  • We are filling a niche not filled elsewhere.

  • We are a learning environment.

  • We can be heard over a large broadcast range!

  • We support local events with affordable non-profit advertising and event partnerships.

Why we need funding

  • Program development! Producing well sourced local news costs money. We want to do more local news and reporting within our broadcast community, and listen support helps cover that cost keeping any news programming we produce independent from corporate sponsorship.

  • Wages for our small core staff. We have two staff members who work really hard to hold things together and support our 60+ volunteers! Community support gives us the finances to compensate them fairly.

  • Overhead. Internet, hydro, rent, software costs, etc.

  • Equipment replacement. We have a server to replace, a transmitter loan to repay, and we’re going to need newer computers soon.

Program List

Want to mention one of your favourite programs in your pitch? Find a list of our programs here.

Pronunciation Guide

  • Nanaimo – “NAN-nigh-MOE”.

  • Salish – “SAY-lish” (Also, be careful to avoid saying Salish ‘She’ instead of Salish Sea).

  • CHLY 101.7FM – C-H-L-Y one-zero-one point seven FM. (We avoid the use of “chili" as it creates confusion).

Recording

  • If possible, a nice pro recording set up is ideal.

  • Recording using your smart phone’s voice memo app is more likely. If recording your voice memo at home we recommend that you record it:

    • In your bedroom closet. Hanging clothing will decrease ‘room noise’ and you’ll get a better recording. You can also get the same effect under a heavy blanket!

    • Hold your smart phone’s microphone (usually found next to the speaker at the bottom of your phone) about six inches from your mouth at a 45° angle. This will help to avoid plosives (ie popping Ps) into the microphone of your phone.

    • Listen to your recording on a pair of headphones to make sure it sounds pretty good, with no distortion or plosives.

Submit Your Recording and/or Sound Bed

You can attached several files with different takes, all of which gives us more material to work with for your recording. If you are a musician, you can also attach a couple songs that you think would be great as a sound bed under your recording!