On the airwaves
Every Friday afternoon, William Snelgrove takes to the airwaves of CJSF 90.1 FM to play a selection of music for his listeners.
The opportunity arose through William’s participation in the Employ-Ability pre-employment program at Neil Squire Society. Participants in the program evaluate their personalities, skills, values and interests and also research different opportunities to decide which path they would like to pursue.
“William expressed a real interest in radio announcing. We wanted to make sure he knew what the role would entail,” says Anu Pala, a Job Developer with Neil Squire Society.
After learning more about the skills and responsibilities involved in working on the radio, William was eager to find an opportunity to be on the air.
William Snelgrove shares interesting information about the music he plays every Friday on CJSF 90.1FM.
A connection was created with Simon Fraser University’s co-op radio station CJSF 90.1 FM and one of the station’s radio shows called “Jambalaya”. Inspired by the Cajun dish, “Jambalaya” features a mixture of many different musical styles.
He visited the radio station for an introductory meeting to learn about the work that goes into programming, producing and announcing on the radio. William, who is blind, was already efficient working with computers by using a screen reading program called JAWS.
In March, William did his first show and he’s been on air every Friday since then. To prepare for the show, he chooses the music he will be playing from the radio station’s collection. He then researches the artists and songs he will be playing to find interesting details to share with his listeners. Brittany Sully from POLARIS Employment Services Society, joined William in the DJ training required by SFU. Brittany encourages William to select the music and research the artists. William prepares his notes for each show using JAWS. SFU has provided brailling for the control panel. Brittany is present in the booth to assist with the production of each show.
“Right now, I’m focusing on talking more on the air between songs and finding more information about the music and artists I play on the show,” says William. “The people at the station are very nice. It’s been a great experience so far. It really helps my confidence.”
“He’s demonstrated resourcefulness and creativity and comes up with all sorts of interesting facts about the artists and music he plays. He’s really enjoying it, and we’re thrilled to see it,” says Chris Wright, Employ-Ability Program Coordinator. “This is a great opportunity to expand his skills and knowledge about the field.”
Through this experience, William is building a portfolio of his work to show off the skillshe’s developed.
“It’s already going great and I think it will just get better,” says William.
To listen to William’s show, tune in to CJSF 90.1 FM on Friday afternoons from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. You can also listen online by going to www.cjsf.ca and clicking on the power button at the top left corner of the website.
