by Corey Matsumoto and Eva van Loon

The recent uncertainty surrounding the future of CJMP 90.1 (JUMP FM) raises questions: Why is a free and open public forum for ideas, issues, and critical viewpoint so greatly under-utilised? Can JUMP FM be turned around to become a flourishing broadcast centre?

It occurs to us at Immanence that there are parallels between independent community radio and independent community print media What Bruce Girard, communications strategist and founder of comuica.org, said about community radio stations goes as well for us: they are community-based, independent, not for profit, pro-community, and participatory.

Could a symbiotic relationship between community and independent media be the key to their success and longevity? Community media face the challenge of survival in a well developed, billion-dollar advertising industry. Community media can also benefit from advertising, but ads that try to persuade people to act in ways contrary to the principles of community media compromise its role as an independent community voice. That can limit the scope of advertising. For community radio, the CRTC also dictates a maximum quantity of six minutes’ commercial advertising per hour, as well as requiring ownership by a non-profit organisation.

Structuring community radio in this way protects the station from editorial persuasion by advertisers as well as preserving the medium’s right to decide what it will air, even if material contradicts the interests of advertisers. The downside of this protection is the need that immediately arises—to find other revenue sources. Like community radio, Immanence, devoted to being a “safe room” for anyone to discuss and explore the re-invention of Powell River, enjoys a limited scope of ads—local businesses and organisations.

These potential advertisers are precisely those who suffer first when times turn hard. In a depressed economy, businesses looking for the best bang for a slashed advertising buck are less likely to choose independent media with their short signal range or low distribution rates. (At Immanence, of course, we consider our long-term exposure and low rates to be the best top-of-mind advertisement deal in town!).

But aren’t independent community media much too valuable to be left vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy?

By offering membership, independent community media can offer advertising and sponsorship rates affordable by even the smallest local businesses, with dual benefits: bringing in more ads (= revenue) while creating more rounded representation of the local business community.

JUMP FM does have a membership program in place, although not to full potential. But, before the station can build a strong community membership, it must provide enough quality programming to attract new members. It is not an easy dilemma. Could the first step be a benefit system to entice members?

Some organisations have met this challenge with amazing results. A community radio station based at the University of Calgary. (CJSW 90.9 FM), offers “Friends of CJSW” cards for a minimal annual fee that gives cardholders discounts at over 90 participating businesses. Shopping exclusively at participating businesses can save much more money over the course of a year than the cost of the card. (Indeed, even someone who never listens to CJSW might buy a card, just for the discounts.) Participating businesses benefit from increased consumer traffic flow, and thus increased sales.

Can this model can be adopted by community media and the local business community here in Powell River? A cross-marketing membership-based system tied to local independent media not only can strengthen our community financially, it can increase cohesion among local consumers, local businesses, and media.

The upcoming May/June 2009 issue of Immanence marks the magazine’s 2nd anniversary. To celebrate, we invite your feedback on the following proposed solutions to widen our scope of funding and thus strengthen our independent community voice:

A. “Immanence on Your Doorstep”—a subscription service aimed primarily at 1) those who value the content of the magazine and don’t want to miss an issue, 2) those living on the outskirts (or out) of town who seldom come across the magazine, and 3) those who want to share a piece of their Powell River community with out-of-town family and friends.

B. Business subscriptions—the difference from private subscriptions is that business subscribers receive substantial discounts on advertising within the magazine.

C. Membership-card program with mutual benefits between Immanence members and local businesses. Look for details in the May/June issue.

Immanence will continue to release the same number of copies with every issue. As the number of subscribers goes up, the number of free copies available goes down. The goal is to move primarily to a subscription-based distribution within two years.

To kick off the program, the first twenty subscribers to Immanence will receive “2008, A Year of Immanence”, an entire collection of issues published in 2008 along with a complete index of the nearly 200 articles and letters. The first five subscribers will also receive the 2007 collection, including a reprint of the rare inaugural issue published in June of 2007.

What do you think? Are we nutty or what? Contact us by emailing editor@immanence.ca or calling 604 414-4676 with comments or ideas of how independent community media can evolve.