2012.07.25 | CWA Canada Local 30213 | Canadian Media Guild
Guild strikers launch internet radio station
Striking Canadian Media Guild members at MBS Radio have launched Radio Free Saint John, a web-based station that has the most live local presence in Saint John. The station was up and running last week for a soft launch and opened officially today.
The Guild and the local labour community have been urging businesses to suspend their advertising on the struck stations Big John, K-100 and CFBC. They have also urged listeners to tune out the MBS stations. Now those listeners and advertisers have an alternative.
There has been significant local media coverage of the new station, including by CBC New Brunswick.
The striking employees are urging anyone in the area to visit Radio Free Saint John, which is located in the strike headquarters at 201 Union Street across from the struck stations, and to join them on the picket line.
You can stream Radio Free Saint John on your computer by clicking the "Listen Live" link at www.RadioFreeSaintJohn.fm. You can also download a free app for your smart phone from Winamp. Once it is installed, go to Home, click on Shoutcast, search for Radio Free Saint John … and enjoy!
Employees at Big John, K-100 and CFBC have gone 12 years without an across-the-board wage increase. Some of the employees hired in recent years are earning as much as one-third less than the people who did the jobs before them. They went on strike June 25 after eight months of negotiations failed to produce a first collective agreement.
Follow developments on the CMG website and on Twitter: @cmgatmbs .
Video courtesy Canadian Media Guild
Gary Stackhouse, the host of the "Big John" morning show, and president of the Guild at MBS Radio in Saint John, attended the CMG national convention in Toronto at the end of May. Delegates from across the country pledged support for their media colleagues.
For interviews or more information, contact Dan Oldfield, CMG Senior Staff Rep (dan@cmg.ca) at 416-347-2093 or Karen Wirsig, CMG Communications Co-ordinator (karen@cmg.ca) at 1-800-465-4149.