Students to run radio station for children

Press, 19 December 1981, Page 6

Students to run radio station for children

A radio station for children will begin broadcasting in Christchurch on Monday. The station Udll be run by Canterbury University’s Radio U, which .will devote the period from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to "Channel 6,” which will broadcast programmes for children aged from eight to 43. A Radio U committee member, Mr J. McLaughlan, said that the children’s station would run seven days a week until January 30, with a short break from Christmas Eve until early January.

’ Originally," an information service for the Children’s Holiday Activities Programme had been planned but the idea had. developed into having a separate radio; station for children’ broadcasting music, holiday-activi-ties information, documentaries,' news back-grounders, and stories. ■ The stories would not just be children’s stories: New Zealand authors would read their works and Christchurch Teachers’ College had lent dramatised-story tapes'. • A children’s talk-back ses-

sion was possible and listeners would be invited to send in contributions and suggestions. Mr McLaughlan said, “We thought it would be a really good way to say we are independent and do our own stuff.” Radio U this year had its own broadcasting equipment for the first time, since it had first gone on the air. Eight students have been employed under the Government's student-employment scheme to run the station.