SHOW PROPOSALS

To submit a show proposal, email it to the Programming Coordinator (cjsfprog@sfu.ca). The proposal will be reviewed by Programming SubCommittee which is made up of CJSF executive members, one board member and volunteer programmers. We meet once a month, and part of our job is to carefully review any show proposal that is submitted. If you are submitting a show proposal, its your job to clearly communicate to us the details of your show idea. Before you submit your proposal, heres some information that will help you prepare it.

There are 3 general types of programs: music, spoken word and a mix of the two. Music: Normally, a music show fits into a particular genre of music, such as dancehall, hip hop, classical, metal, jazz, world music, blues, electronic, etc. Some music shows play music from a variety of genres, especially when the music played has some common thread other than genre. Theres almost always spoken word content on music shows but this is in the context of the music played and makes up less than 20% of the shows content. Spoken word: These programs are primarily composed of talk. Spoken word material can focus on any number of topics from social/political/cultural issues, arts & entertainment, the environment, youth, etc. CJSF will not air anything that promotes any particular religion, or which violates our code of conduct or CTRC regulations. Other than that, the amount of subjects that can be covered is limitless. Music can comprise up to 20% of a spoken word shows content. Mix: Some shows play more music than allowed on strictly spoken word shows, but contain far more spoken word than music shows. These shows often integrate the music and spoken word elements together to get their message across.

Remember we are NOT commercial media! Unlike commercial media, we dont try to appeal to a mass audience. Instead, the shows on our program schedule offer a diverse range of music, perspectives, and topics of discussion. As a campus/community station we are accessible to and representative of people and communities that do not normally have fair and equal access or representation on commercial media. A show proposal that doesnt support this mandate is unlikely to be approved by the PSC. The PSC is also particularly interested in programming that represents ideas, music and issues that are not currently represented in our program guide.

Any show proposal has two parts: the written proposal and the audio demo. The written proposal: This is an outline of what you want to do on the air, based on a set of questions from the PSC. Before writing this, its a good idea to discuss your ideas with the Programming Coordinator, Music Coordinator, or Spoken Word Coordinator because they can help you develop an idea for your show, or warn you if CJSF already has a show doing something too similar. Once youve written this proposal, you can submit it by email to this address: cjsfprog@sfu.ca (please attach it as a word document if possible) The audio demo: The audio demo is like a pilot episode of your show. In addition to demonstrating what your show will sound like, your audio demo needs to include all of the usual requirements of any show on CJSF, such as public service announcements, station IDs and a completed program log. All of these requirements are discussed in on-air training. Audio demos should be between 25-30 minutes long. You can save your audio demo on our server in My Audio 1 or My Audio 2 in a folder named after your proposed show name. Once it is saved there, you should email the Programming Coordinator at cjsfprog@sfu.ca with the location of your audio file. If you have any questions about how to do this, ask a staff member. Your completed program log can be submitted in person to the Programming Coordinator or into the Programming Coordinators mail box.

Why are the written proposal and audio demo submitted separately? Sometimes people want to get feedback from the PSC before committing to doing on-air training. If this is what youd like to do, you can submit a written show proposal to the PSC right away, and if it is approved, you will be able to sign up for Stream B training. This is more targeted training than Stream A training, which is what people complete if they have not yet been approved for a show. When you finish Stream B training, you can then submit an audio demo to the PSC. On the other hand, if you want to submit the written and audio demo at the same time, thats okay too, as long as you have completed on-air training.

When to expect feedback about your show proposal: The PSC normally meets during the third week of each month, so that any new shows can be added to the program schedule at the beginning of the next month. The date of the meetings will be posted up at the station, or the Programming Coordinator can tell you when the next meeting is. If you submit a show proposal at least a week prior to the PSC meeting, you can expect feedback from the PSC within a week after that meeting. If your show proposal is submitted less than a week before the next PSC meeting, it is possible that it wont be reviewed until the next months meeting.

What kind of feedback to expect: Show proposals are very carefully reviewed and discussed. Within a week of the PSC meeting, the Programming Coordinator will want to arrange a meeting to discuss feedback from the PSC with you. If the show is approved, you can expect to have an in-person meeting with the Programming Coordinator to not only discuss feedback from the PSC, but also to go over policy and expectations for having a regular show on CJSF. If the show is not approved, there will always be an explanation, and often suggestions for how to resubmit a proposal that is more likely to be approved, or you will be encouraged to contribute to an existing show on CJSF.

SOME TIPS: You must have attended a station orientation before your proposal will be reviewed. If you havent done that yet, attend one! If you are interested in doing a music show, once youve passed training, its useful to practice first by programming some Jumbalaya slots. Be realistic. A regular show is a big commitment! Dont over commit yourself by trying to cover too much in a show- think of what is practically possible. Elaborate show proposals are impressive on paper, but were more concerned with how that translates to reality. If you don't already have a co-host, consider recruiting one or more. Cohosts can share the work and back each other up when one can't make it. Spoken Word programs are more exciting and dynamic if several people participate. The Spoken Word Coordinator or other staff may be able to introduce you to potential collaborators, just ask! Consider gender-equity. Women are consistently under-represented as programmers, and in the music played on campus/community radio. Look over our program guide and listen to the station. When you write a show proposal remember were looking for diversity in our programming, not many programs that are all doing more or less the same thing! We also want to make sure were not doing the same kinds of programming as the other campus/community stations in our listening area, CiTR 101.9 fm, and CFRO 102.7 fm. Try to familiarize yourself with the shows on their schedules, and make your show unique! The music library is a very useful resource, explore it! The Spoken Word Department has all kinds of useful resources to develop your spoken word skills from microphone technique, to recording live interviews. If you want to learn how to do pre-recorded multi-track audio pieces for your show, you can sign up for Production Training.

We have several shows that work on a collective basis that are always looking for volunteers. This is a good opportunity to get on-air skills, especially spoken word skills. Talk to station staff to find out more!

The Written Proposal: Please fill out this written proposal and send it to cjsfprog@sfu.ca. You can submit it in an attached Word document (preferable), or just in the body of your email. Personal Information (provide information for each person involved) Name: Address: Phone number(s): E-mail address: If applicable, list any related skills, experience, associations, or training you have that will strengthen your ability to do your proposed program:

Show information Name of Proposed Program: What type of program will it be? (music, spoken word, or mix) What days and times would you prefer to do this show? (do not base your answer on what appears to be available in the program guide, as the program changes month-to-month) What length of program are you proposing? (30min, 1 hour, or 2 hours) What will the frequency of the program be? (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or a finite series) Describe the program you are proposing. For music shows, include what genre(s) you plan on playing. For shows with a strong spoken word element, include how you will structure the show. Why do you want to do a show on CJSF? On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is extremely committed and 1 is not at all committed, how committed are you to making sure that your program is on-air

every week that it is scheduled to broadcast? Feel free to comment on this commitment. Who do you think your audience would be? How will you engage with that audience / what do you have to offer that audience? How will you ensure that perspectives other than just your own will be included in the program? List here no less than 25 sample features for your proposed program: (NOTE: for music shows, give 25 samples of artists, and beside that also list a sample song, its year of release, the genre, and whether or not it is Cancon. For spoken word shows, list 25 specific sample topics of discussion, plus resources you might use to cover that topics adequately, such as who you would interview, or where you would go for research. For mix shows, list a combination of music and topics)