Vancouver Foundation

For more information about Roundhouse Radio visit roundhouseradio.com. To support projects that help connect and engage people in your community, call Kristin in Donor Services at 604.629.5186 or visit vancouverfoundation.ca/give. Photo: Courtesy Rob Kruyt/BIV F a l l 2 0 1 6 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l p a g e 1 9 Every weekday at 10 a.m., Minelle Mahtani sits down at the mic in Roundhouse Radio's East Vancouver studio. One after- noon in July 2016 her guest was Kemal Hadzic, a TransLink bus driver who makes unique efforts to connect with his passengers every day—including making balloon animals. She says her show, Sense of Place, is an exercise in connecting disparate voices, through which she hopes to create understanding of our differences through conversation. It's that type of programming that Don Shafer, the co-founder and President of Roundhouse Radio (98.3 FM in Vancouver), hopes will draw a large number of listeners—but also realize a more noble ambition. "We're getting people to be more aware, more acquainted with things in their community–things they haven't been exposed to or don't know about," says Shafer. Roundhouse Radio, which took to the airwaves in November 2015, is a business, not a non-profit community station. But with revenues that allow for a full-time staff of 15 including experi- enced producers, and "an NPR-like sound," Shafer believes he can build a sense of community by putting unique and often unheard voices like Kemal Hadzic on the air. Shafer, a 40-year veteran broadcaster with experience launch- ing such stations as Rock 101 and CFOX, was born and raised in the U.S., and moved to Montreal in 1975. He worked in radio stations in Toronto, Winnipeg and finally, Vancouver, which had an indelible impact on him. "ere's really no city like it, in terms of its tolerance, its diversity and definitely its beauty," he says. It was with that affection for the city that Shafer first kicked around an idea for a new talk radio station. Together with Barb Snelgrove, a long-time LGBTQ activist and veteran of Vancouver's commercial radio scene, he first discussed the idea for PrideFM—a station that would target Vancouver's LGBTQ community. But in 2012, Vancouver Foundation published its Connections and The founders of Roundhouse Radio aimed to create a meeting place where people could share perspectives —and give listeners a sense of connection By Jacob Parry Tuning In Engagement report, which contained a survey showing that the number one concern for people in metro Vancouver was a grow- ing sense of social isolation. At the time, much media attention was focused on the topic of urban loneliness, and Shafer and Snelgrove decided to broaden their mandate. ey talked about creating a dynamic, relevant, and inclusive local meeting place to share ideas and opinions on lifestyle, art, theatre, food, history, science, and music. "Initially we thought the station would be LGBTQ, but as friends pointed out, that would be exclusive, not inclusive," says Shafer. "I thought a non-traditional talk station with a local focus would work, and so urban isolation fit prominently into our application." Roundhouse Radio was named after the community centre in Yaletown, but the name has wider significance as well. "Every city has some kind of roundhouse where the trains come together," he says, "I thought that it would be a great name for a radio station. We could be a place where community comes together." After almost a year on the air, the model is showing traction—Shafer says around 10,000 listeners a week tune in online and a much larger number over the radio. Moreover, Shafer feels like he's achieved his goal in creating a place where voices, often disparate and in tension, can hear each other out. "Some stations choose to aggravate discussion, and while that can draw attention, I didn't want to do that," says Shafer, "If I shout at you, it may not have an impact. If I engage you, then I think we'll have made a difference."

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