About CHLY 101.7FM

This position has been filled.

CHLY 101.7 FM is a campus community-radio station of Nanaimo and Vancouver Island University (VIU) students. Beginning as a student club in 1994, and gaining not-for-profit status in 1997 as the Radio Malaspina Society, CHLY-FM was approved for a broadcast license by the CRTC in 2001. Our station is located in the Traditional Territory of the Snu’ney’muxw First Nation, broadcasting from Nanaimo, a small city of approximately 105,000 people located on Vancouver Island.

CHLY has a small staff and over 60+ volunteers made up of Community Members from our broadcast community, and Student members from VIU’s Nanaimo Campus. CHLY offers alternative coverage of every genre and perspective, with a mandate to support niche programming, local and Canadian artists and underrepresented voices. Each week, locally produced and syndicated programs are broadcast on CHLY 101.7 FM in three different languages. CHLY can also be streamed online, with some programs available via podcast.

What is the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI)?

The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) program was launched by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and funded by the Government of Canada. The program is focusing on diverse, local communities that may be under-served in the Canadian news landscape. The goal is to increase the production of community and civic news in those areas and to make that news more accessible across the country. We’re elevating original, local community news.

The LJI exists to create original, civic journalism and cover subjects of public importance to society. One of the expectations of Heritage Canada is that all of the journalistic content that is being created by LJI journalists be made available to the public and media outlets via a Creative Commons license.

This position is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.

Job Description

CHLY is seeking a motivated and dynamic reporter with a solid foundation in journalism to cover local news in Nanaimo, as well as Ladysmith, Gabriola, and the Comox Valley (Courtenay, Comox, and Cumberland).

In this position, you will produce four local stories a week for distribution via our website, airwaves as well as Canada-Info.

You will also take a leadership role in organizing and building the station’s News Department, by assisting in coordinating and training volunteers interested in news and journalism at CHLY 101.7FM. This job is ideal for a passionate journalist whose dream is to build their own news department.

This project is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.

Qualifications & Requirements

The applicant ideally:

Is a resident of the Nanaimo area.
Holds a degree or diploma in Journalism, Communications or Arts from an accredited academic or technical institution OR have equivalent experience in broadcast, print/digital journalism or writing (minimum 5 years of journalistic/radio experience);
Has excellent radio, interview and communication skills;
Has excellent writing skills and research. You love storytelling–from the initial pitch to the publication;
Has strong people skills: You are a great listener, speaker and interviewer,
Is deadline-driven and have an eye for detail;
Has knowledge of community and regional concerns or news and a passion for local journalism;
Has strong skills in both a team setting and with independent work;
Has audio production skills and understanding of the radio community environment;
Has critical thinking and the ability to analyze issues and to remain impartial;
Has social media savvy, for both posting and research purposes.

Other Qualifications & Requirements

An understanding of diversity, different perspectives and sensitive/complex issues;
A desire to drive news and interest in reporting on a range of topics (can include a list of your station’s reporting beats or news needs like city hall, courthouse, band council or issues like affordable housing, employment, environmental concerns, mental health, poverty, Indigenous rights, LGBTQ+ rights, etc.);
Attend editorial meetings with station and LJI coordinators as needed.

We’re looking for dynamic, determined journalists who care about local, community and civic journalism.

Tasks & Responsibilities

The applicant will work with a small team in a non-profit broadcasting environment to:

Through a lens of civic journalism, report on local issues in Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Gabriola Island, as well as Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland;
Create audio content for the station’s airwaves and posting to Canada-Info following content expectations for the Local Journalism Initiative;
Multiple social media posts a week, sharing the published work from Canada-Info;
Provide additional journalism support as needed at the station (ie: hourly news hits, news research, news writing, social media support, and support for existing programs);
Attend weekly editorial meetings (30 to 60 minutes per week).

Other Details & Mentoring

Will report to the Executive Director (ED) of CHLY and receive mentoring and direction from them and other staff;
Will report to, receive direction and training from, and receive editorial input from the National Editors associated with the LJI project nationally.
Staff and station volunteers will provide on-site, hands-on training on station equipment.

Applying

If the above sounds like work you would love, please apply with a cover letter describing why you want to work at the station, a current resume and a few examples of your work. CHLY 101.7FM encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates, including (but not limited to) women, BIPOC individuals, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and people living with disabilities.

Send resume (with a cover letter + and examples of your work, both print and audio) by June 28th, 2023 to: jesse.woodward@chly.ca Subject line: CHLY Hiring Committee LJI - Reporter

Term: 8-9 months (approx 39 weeks), depending on start date.

Salary: $25/hour for 40 hours per week.

Work Hours: Monday to Friday on-site. Hours are flexible to facilitate field reporting. Limited remote work is possible with approval from the Executive Director.

Anticipated start date: July 4th, 2023.

Anticipated end date: The contract must end by March 31st, 2024.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. CHLY is an equal-opportunity employer.