Radio Richmond hosting radiothon, open house
Radio Richmond is looking for the community’s support as it celebrities its fifth anniversary with the second annual Billy Samson Memorial Radiothon and open house on Sunday.
Radio Richmond, CITU 104.1 FM, is the community radio station out of Petit-de-Grat and its mission is the preservation and promotion of the Acadian culture. There will be live shows all afternoon with Travis Landry, Janice Joyce, Billy Joyce, Dora Samson Boudreau, Thérèse Benoit, Howard Sleep and other Radio Richmond personalities. There will be special guests and a silent auction.
Radio Richmond is asking the public to help by pledging a donation. Donations can be honored at St. Joseph’s Credit Union in Petit-de-Grat through direct deposit, or by phone at 902-226-2288.
Donations can be made the day of the radiothon by calling 902-226-0981 or 902-226-1041. Bids on auction items can be placed the day of the radiothon by calling the same numbers or by dropping by the studios. Bids can also be placed on Radio Richmond’s Facebook page.
Billy Joyce, the station’s general manager and sales manager, was dealt with with a serious medical condition last November that required surgery in January and months of
“I’m hoping the community will recognize the worth of what we bring to the community and make a donation they can afford.’’ Billy Joyce
recuperation. With Joyce absent, the station suffered financially.
‘’It was a long year, conference calls from my hospital bed and working from home doesn’t make it easy to sell advertising, and when you’re in a competitive market such as ours and no government funding available for operations, it makes survival of our station challenging,” Joyce said in a news release. “I’m hoping the community will recognize the worth of what we bring to the community and make a donation they can afford.’’
Auction items are being added daily to Radio Richmond’s facebook page and include a Toronto Maple Leafs Jersey signed by Curtis Joseph, a hand-crafted 18-wheeler fabricated by Patrick Fougère of River Bourgeois, and an autographed hockey stick from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
Radio Richmond also offers a wide variety of local music, presenting local artists such as Robert Bouchard, Kenny Petitpas, Weldon Boudreau, Decota McNamara, Delores Boudreau, Evelyn MacRae, Eastbound, John Curtis Sampson, Adam Cooke, Leona Burkey and JP Cormier. Radio Richmond also offers shows that are geared towards other cultures in the area.
Samson, a program director at the radio station, was a strong supporter of community radio in Isle Madame during his life and the station he helped get off the ground decided to honour his memory as launched its first radiothon last year.
The radiothon and open house runs from 12-6 p.m. Sunday on 104.1 FM.
Telile Community Television and on Channel 536 on Bell Express Vu or Bell Fibre Op Channel 58 for people outside of its catchment area.