The newest centenarian in town at the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization in Alberta, Canada is attracting a lot of attention. The organisation, which serves adults age 55 and older, focuses on recreation, well-being, nutrition and education as well as providing support to older area residents in their homes.
The new 100-year-old newcomer will be reaching out to the community - if not the world.
Radio Station CJOC, 94.1 FM, is marking its centennial year on the air by forming a partnership with the senior group's amateur radio club, honouring radio's roots in the years before the birth of its broadcast counterpart. The result of that partnership is the newly renamed CJOC Amateur Radio Club and Radio Room, which the commercial station has pledged to support. The ham club has the callsign VE6LSC.
The club predates its partnership with the broadcaster: It was established under a different name in the 1970s inside the senior centre. Its shack is a museum of sorts displaying vintage equipment that provides a visual narrative of radio history.
This new effort, in the digital age, is anything but backward-looking: It has a promise from the commercial station that it will promote the hams' activities through its social media channels and on-the-air coverage. CJOC-FM is also supporting training efforts to involve more people in broadcasting as well as amateur radio - as its second century of radio begins.
