BY DRAGAN MARICIC
A new station is coming to Sheridan later this fall called Sheridanlife Radio. It is a collaborative initiative created by Media Fundamentals and Journalism students, the SSU, and the school’s administration in the media programs.
Sheridan students will have the opportunity to host their own shows and podcasts. They will learn hands-on how to produce content for radio. This idea started with a small group of students who pushed for a radio club.
Amelia Sher is a graduate from Sheridan’s Journalism and Media Fundamentals programs and is currently Sheridanlife’s programming director. “I just want students to get out there and be confident in their creative work,” says Sher. “Any student musicians, creators and innovators, your work is appreciated and your voices are valued.”
Sher pitched the idea of starting a radio station at Sheridan to the SSU.
“I am employed through the student union but I work for the students,” says Sher. The idea started when Sher and a small group of students would meet quietly in the Learning Commons. When these students showed an active interest in starting a radio club she decided to pitch the idea to the SSU.
Club president Hanna Kryvun and vice-president Phil Caron join Sher as the heads of Sheridanlife. Sher, Kryvun, and Caron are running workshops where their message to people interested in joining Sheridanlife is to be themselves in this niche industry of radio. Tyler Bogaert is the station’s tech director.
Associate Dean of Film, Television and Journalism Maija Saari credits the creation of Sheridanlife radio to the students.
“Students drive the bus when creating opportunities like these,” says Saari. “Courses take forever to be implemented compared to what the students can turn out on a dime.”
Saari explains that collaboration is key to a lot of the student run initiatives at Sheridan. “Our goal as administrators is to be flexible and supportive as opposed to waiting for a course to be made,” says Saari.
The team of students involved in Sheridanlife and the administration helping to facilitate the needs of the station share similar goals for what this initiative can become. Both sides share the goal to have more of a presence in radio at Sheridan as a medium, to grow from a small terrestrial frequency to a station all of Oakville can tune in to.
There are already a few shows being added to the stations programming. Vice-president of the station Phil Caron will be hosting a sports news show called The Rebuild. Alan Pisano pitched the idea for his business podcast, called Life Business Radio. Pisano studies Finance at HMC, which inspired him to host a show on business.
Renovations to the SCAET building in the journalism section were made with the radio station in mind. The station was made so that all students involved can access it without having to be in the Journalism program. There is also the possibility of getting community partners involved to help the station grow.
The Sheridanlife radio club is currently accepting applications for shows and is holding weekly orientation meetings to discuss ideas on how to develop content. “My goal is to really get it out there that this club is by students for the students,” says Sher.
“It’s their voice that matters.”
