Andrea Langlois et al - Islands of Resistance - Pirate Radio in Canada

ange of musical genres; and a jazz show could include a wide selection
within a particular style or time period. Each category was assigned
variable ratios specifying what percentage of songs played were
required to have been released within the last month (new releases), or
within the last year, as well as the ideal number of total hours on the
weekly schedule the station could accommodate for each category. In
addition, the CRTC’s cultural policy guidelines specified that we were
required to broadcast 30 percent (now 35 percent) Canadian Content
(CanCon). Such classifications, which have been somewhat modified
by the CRTC over the years, were acceptable if two of the following
three criteria were present: the song contained music or lyrics that
were composed by a Canadian, the instrumentation or lyrics were
principally performed by a Canadian, or the entire performance was
either performed or recorded in Canada. While, at the time, I appreciated
the sentiments of these well-intentioned guidelines — established
by the CRTC in an attempt to preserve Canadian culture and prevent
it from being washed away by the tidal wave of American culture that
floods in daily from south of the 49th parallel — as I will comment
upon later in this essay, after my experience with pirate radio broadcasting,
I have re-evaluated the necessity for that regulation.
There were also variable spoken word obligations for music shows.
For example, open format programs were required to include about 10
minutes per hour of commentary whereas exploration and jazz shows
included 15-20 minutes. Shows scheduled between midnight and 6
a.m., however, were not regulated by the CRTC and therefore were
allowed more freedom for experimentation, but, as we shall see, this
time slot later became an opening wedge for corporate-produced programming.
That scenario, however, appears further down the road.
Reggae Riddims
Freedom Soundz • 55
In 1988 we enthusiastically embraced the new possibilities available to
us for creating grassroots programming. That was the year one of my
Jamaican-Canadian friends and I submitted an application to CIUT’s
music committee to co-host a music show called reggae riddims. The
committee subsequently invited us to attend one of their meetings
to discuss our proposal. According to its mandate, the committee
would then make a recommendation to the program director and, if
approved, the applicant would be assigned a slot on the schedule as