Tom Richmond in the CHSR control booth. (Tom Bateman/AQ)
Richmond says he would stay if things change
Community radio may have to say goodbye to a legacy.
In wake of the resignation of station manager Mary Anne Harrison, Tom Richmond, program manager of CHSR, is scheduled to leave his position in less than two weeks.
According to an email CHSR member Travis Burns sent out to all members of the station, Richmond resigned because he didn’t like the recent interim station manager – a paid staff member.
However, Richmond said the resignations have nothing to do with each other.
“It’s a personality thing,” he explained, but said nothing more.
“If I were to give you [a name], it would be really bad…I never in print say why I’m leaving.”
Richmond said his leave from the station – and his move from Fredericton – will ultimately be determined by the radio station.
“I hate to use the term, ‘neither confirm nor deny…’” he said, “but really, at this point I just can’t.
“My leaving day is the sixteenth,” he said. “My lease ran out yesterday [Aug. 31] on my place. I moved out. All my stuff is in storage. I’m couch-surfing for the next 16 days.
“If something changes, then something changes.”
Richmond said he’d rather not leave though.
While he has only spent a little over a year of his 34 year radio career with CHSR, Richmond has grown very proud of the small station. Not only does it play nearly 30 per cent more Canadian content than required by the federal government, he said CHSR is also the most modern campus radio station in the country.
Burns said a lot of the station’s development is because of Tom’s work.
“For any of you who have been with the station any length of time, you know how dedicated and essential Tom has been in bringing our station to where it is now,” Burns wrote in his email to the CHSR membership.
“I believe Tom is also essential in our station moving forward, without him we have no one trained to do the podcasting or operate Hal.”
Richmond’s days are never boring. If he’s not training new volunteers, he’s doing technical maintenance. If he’s not doing that, he’s coordinating with Gallery Connexion’s next exhibit. If he’s not doing that, he’s helping STU’s third year students with their on-air assignment.
“Basically, if you’ve heard it come up on the radio, it’s basically to my credit, or my fault,” he said.
Richmond said he will miss the way different people connected at the station.
“You get the person who does the bluegrass show, talking to the person who does the psychedelic show, and they find that they’re both into…collecting aspects of music,” he said.
“It’s amazing the people you think have nothing to do with each other, and all of a sudden…it’s awesome.”
