BY WESLEY BUTLER
To help benefit the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, 88.3 CJIQ is holding “28 Straight,” a live broadcast lasting from 3 p.m. on March 13 until 7 p.m. on March 14.
The idea to hold this event was conceived by second-year broadcast radio students Tyler Smith, Allie Lehman, Kristina Di Pasquale and Phil McMahon.
“We wanted to do something local, and since we all have a soft spot for animals, we figured we’d benefit the humane society,” said Smith. “It’s not going to be an easy task, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a successful run.”
Smith, Lehman, Pasquale and McMahon will be in the CJIQ studio for the entire broadcast. Two of them will be on air at a time, taking breaks every 30 minutes.
The broadcast will consist of standard CJIQ music and highlights of global news, with the humane society being mentioned three times an hour. Listeners will be directed to its website and given instructions on how to make donations through PayPal or MasterCard.
“The humane society is already promoting our event on their website,” said McMahon. “When people go to donate, we want them to tell the society that the reason they donated is because of the 28-hour straight broadcast.”
Midway through, a representative from the society will go to the CJIQ studio to inform listeners of what the humane society does and how donations will help it out.
“The event is basically a 28-hour public service announcement,” said Lehman. “We’ll constantly remind listeners of why we’re doing this in the first place, and why the humane society is important.”
This is the first year CJIQ has ever done a broadcast lasting as long as the 28-hour event and it hopes to continue benefiting charitable organizations in future years.
“If this goes well and more people donate to the humane society, we’ll propose this to future students,” said Pasquale. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a live broadcast that takes place for two days, but it could be structured differently and for a different cause.”
The Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society is one of the largest humane societies in Ontario, holding over 62 dogs, 165 cats and an assortment of birds, small mammals and reptiles. It was founded in 1927, and provides humane education, law enforcement and sheltering of animals in Waterloo Region. It strives to provide safe environments for animals in need, ensuring they’re all treated with respect and compassion.
To make a donation to the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, visit www.kwhumane.com.
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