Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 - Radio, radio

🌤 High 11C

Good morning!

Relatively frequently, we’ll get contacted by artists, musicians, and writers seeking exposure for their hard work. Unfortunately, with limited time and resources, we can’t write and report on every single artist or endeavour. (If, say, a company or charity or non-profit backed up a truck—or small sedan—worth of money so we could pay for a full-time arts reporter, we could do it, but that doesn’t seem to be likely.)

But I do like to talk to as many writers and artists as possible because few topics interest me more than the question of just how the hell they make ends meet. I first got interested in journalism because it seemed to be the one way you could make a living while writing so I’m forever interested how others actually get by while making music or writing poetry or making films. The answer is often kind of depressing: they usually have day jobs that may use the same skills as their art but which are very much not-so-artistic. Nevertheless, our storytellers and artists persist and we’re all the better for it. So hurrah to them.

– Tyler

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 You can check DriveBC’s highway cameras here: Highway 1 (Fraser Valley) | Highway 7 (Silverdale) | Coquihalla Summit | Fraser Canyon at Yale | Highway 3 at Allison Pass/Manning Park 

NEWS

No, video didn’t kill the radio star

In the Fraser Valley’s music scene, if you want something done—whatever it is—you’ll probably have to do it yourself.

That was certainly the case in 2017, when Stephen Munga and his friends decided that the best way to get their music on the radio was to take over the airwaves and start their own radio show.

Six years later, it’s 2023 and a world of algorithmically programmed free music is at your fingertips. But you don’t have to rely on artificial intelligence or your own ability to juggle CDs in your car. Because Munga—a guy who just bought an album on cassette—and other radio lovers continue to inhabit the airwaves.

• Today, Tyler talks to Munga about music in the Fraser Valley, the beauty of radio, and the sound of the valley.

In tomorrow’s newsletter, we’ll talk to a local musician about what it’s like playing loud music quietly in the forest and why we could all do with more air guitar in our lives. And on Friday, we’ll highlight 10 great songs by local artists that have been recommended by Munga. Thanks to Munga, we’ll also be including monthly local music recommendations in our Agenda section.

Nothing shows us that you want more coverage like this than when readers support us and become FVC Insiders. It only costs a couple bucks a week.

Related

Need to Know

🤸‍♀️ Chilliwack gymnast Zachary Clay won gold in the pommel horse / A Langley swimmer won a bronze at the Pan Am Games [Langley Advance Times]

🎬 Cineplex theatres will offer free movies to families Saturday morning during its annual community day; the first movie starts at 9am [Cineplex]

🐐 Four goats that escaped custody last weekend have been returned to their owner [City News]

👴 An exodus of baby boomers from workplaces could unbalance the national labour market [Castanet/Globe and Mail]

🐀 A pest control company ranked Chilliwack the least-ratty of 25 Canadian cities—but when it did the same for BC cities, Chilliwack didn’t fare so well, though it still beat Abbotsford (the list is just based on how often the company is hired in each community) [Chilliwack Progress/Orkin]

🚨 An Abbotsford man whose vehicle crashed into a Langley RCMP building has now been criminally charged [Aldergrove Star]

🎥 Police in Abbotsford are seeking footage related to a hit-and-run Saturday evening [Abbotsford Police]

🌲 One logger says a cheaper, less-labour intensive version of forest thinning could be a more practical way to address the province’s fire risk [Vancouver Sun]

💧 Many Kent residents will be facing higher sewer and water fees next year, plus an increase to the annual fire protection fee [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

⚠ Freezing rain may hit the Coquihalla and Hope-Princeton highways Wednesday night and Thursday [Castanet]

🌱 Imagine Abbotsford claiming its place as BC's hub for agricultural innovation, education, and commercialization. That’s the brighter future that Abbotsford Tech District will make possible.*

*Sponsored Listing

The Agenda

Investment cash will go to future infrastructure maintenance

Abbotsford investment cash likely to be spent on infrastructure replacement/upgrades.

Abbotsford might have reaped an unexpected $11 million investment windfall this year, but the city isn’t cooking up ways to immediately spend it.

As The Current reported last week, the city’s reserves have brought in much more interest revenue in 2023 than had been expected thanks to a combination of higher interest rates and two provincial grants amounting to $150 million that have yet to be spent.

But that extra revenue will go into capital reserves that will be needed to maintain and eventually replace billions of dollars worth of infrastructure, council heard at a meeting last Monday.

“We are still very low on our general capital reserve,” the city’s finance general manager Komal Basatia told council. “The city has a lot of infrastructure to manage and replace…this funding helps to manage that going forward.”

📸 Current Cam

Each week we showcase a different photo from across the valley and invite readers to share their best guesses about where it was taken.

Think you know where this week’s Current Cam was taken? Fill out this form.

🗓 Things to do

Youth crime talk: Criminologist Darryl Plecas speaks about youth crime during the UFV's Exploring Equity Speaker Series Thursday, Nov. 2 from 7 to 8:30pm at the Abbotsford campus. Details online.

Alt-country duo: Jack Garton and Kathleen Nisbet perform their mix of alt-country, rock and bluegrass Friday, Nov. 3 at the Bez Arts Hub. Tickets online.

Author Day: The Clearbrook Library hosts local authors Saturday, Nov. 4 from 2 to 4pm to mark Indie Author Day. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. Details online.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

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