World Radio Day was celebrated this week along with an extra special day at Vista.
President Bryan Edwards announced Thursday afternoon that the company has officially acquired 21 new stations in British Columbia.
We spoke to some people behind the scenes at our local Moose Stations to hear about their experiences in radio and their insight into why the local radio stations of Vista are able to gain ground while other media outlets struggle.
You might not hear from them on-air but they are the ones who help keep local content up and running in our region.
Tracy Lamoureux, Ontario South manager, went to elementary school in Whitney and says both sides of her family are from the area.
She believes the number one priority at the Moose and its sister stations is to keep it local.
“The 21 stations that Vista purchased from Bell, they are smaller market radio stations and that’s something that Vista does really well, like our station in Bancroft…because the stations are managed locally and the staff are local.”
Lamoureux says local content can be even more important on days like today, as people navigate the after-effects of last nights snowstorm.
“When things are closing and everyone needs to know whats happening–we can get it out there. I think we’ve seen recently with the fires in L.A. , their only source of communication was radio. We’ve seen floods in Barry’s Bay, where radio was relied on heavily as a kind of a command station. The ice storm that happened in previous years, radio was the source for that. And we still are. You know, we don’t want to have disasters, but when we do, radio’s still around for it.”
Edwards says the acquisition represents a great opportunity for those in radio and that he is looking forward to what’s next.
“In coming together, we create an even stronger, more vibrant network of local radio stations and news portals serving, informing, and entertaining listeners across British Columbia and Canada.”
***With files from Mary Milne
