April 10, 2025
We’re excited to share some great news—we’ve secured $35,000 in funding to support #AltElxn 2025, a national radio initiative focused on covering the upcoming federal election. This funding comes thanks to Rideau Hall Foundation’s “Covering Canada: Election 2025 Fund.”
TLDR VERSION: We invite radio stations to sign up for paid opportunities to participate in #AltElxn 2025. These PAID opportunities are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- 🎙 OPTION #1: Create a Local Pre-Election Program – Create a locally-focused 28-minute show (we’ll help with themes and structure) – honorarium: $500 or more. See more information here.
- 🗳 OPTION #2: Create Live Local Election Night Coverage – Plan on-air election night coverage from your station (with shared national resources) – honorarium: $500 or more. See more information here.
- 🌐 OPTION #3: Join the National Broadcast Production Team – Contribute live or pre-recorded content during the #AltElxn 2025 national feed, shared across 20+ stations as a paid contributor, host, producer or technician – honorariums range between $150 to $500 or more. See much more here.
Or you can just:
- OPTION #4: Air three hours of the #AltElxn 2025 national broadcast on election night and PSAs promoting #AltElxn 2025– compensation $100 or more. See more information here.
➤➤Opportunities are limited, so we encourage you to read about the four options and then sign up as soon as possible using this link.
DETAILS: Opportunities for Participation and Compensation: 2025 Federal Election Programming
As part of our national effort to promote civic engagement and amplify local voices during the upcoming federal election, we are inviting campus, community, and Indigenous radio stations to take part in four paid opportunities under the #AltElxn 2025 banner:
OPTION #1: Create an original, local pre-election show
OPTION #2: Host an original, local election night show, and contribute a piece to the #AltElxn 2025 national election night coverage
OPTION #3: Join the National #AltElxn 2025 broadcast team as a contributor, host, producer or technician.
OPTION #4: Air national election night coverage provided by the #AltElxn 2025 broadcast team
These programs are designed to empower stations and local programmers to produce meaningful, locally-driven content that supports democracy, community journalism, and public discourse. stations that create election programming under OPTION #1 or OPTION #2 will be eligible for at least $500 per program or contribution, paid to the station upon submission of required materials. National team members and contributors (OPTION #3) will be eligible for honorariums of between $150 and $500 or more.
Stations that air three hours of the provided National Election coverage, with no need to produce any of their own content (OPTION #4) will be eligible for at least $100 in compensation.
Please see more detailed descriptions of these options below.
A NOTE ABOUT THE OPTIONS
OPTION #1, OPTION #2, and OPTION #3 are not mutually exclusive, so a station can apply for any or all three options if it has the capacity.
If you apply for any of the first three options, you cannot apply for OPTION #4. This option is intended to allow stations that lack the capacity to produce election content the opportunity to participate in #AltElxn 2025
.ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Final editorial standards will be provided once your station is approved to participate.
- All submissions must include proof of airplay.
- payments will be issued to stations, and stations will make their own decisions on how to distribute the compensation they receive.
The following stations have already expressed interest or participated in the initial working group discussions for #AltElxn2025.
- CKMS-FM Radio Waterloo
- Trent Radio CFFF-FM
- Met Radio 1280 AM CJTM
- Radio Sidney
- CHUO-FM Ottawa
- CFIS-FM
- LocalFM / CFMH
- CICK-FM
Option 1: Host an original election-related show – expectations and compensation
Deadline to Submit Completed Program and Report: April 26, 2025
To be eligible for at least $500 in compensation, participating stations must submit at least 28 minutes of original, locally produced content. Shows should reflect the unique voices, perspectives, and issues relevant to the station’s community and be centred on the 2025 federal election. This can be content explicitly produced for this project or as part of current/ongoing station programming that is election-focused, as long as it meets the technical requirements below.
Content Requirements:
- Must contain at least 28 minutes of local spoken word content
- Topics may include:
- Local candidate interviews
- Election-focused issue analysis
- Community roundtables or town halls
- Culturally specific or underrepresented community perspectives
- Include one pre-recorded stand-alone interview or segment between 2 and 5 minutes long for use in the live-to-air election night coverage (Details to be provided when your application is approved)
- Your station must also commit to playing the PSAs provided promoting national #AltElxn 2025 coverage, or record your own version of the PSA using the #AltElxn 2025 script.
Technical Requirements:
- Must be delivered in broadcast-quality format (WAV or MP3 preferred, 44.1kHz/16-bit) as per our technical requirements.
- Must include a show title, description, segment breakdown, and list of contributors
- Audio must contain the imaging (introduction and conclusion) provided by NCRA/ANREC – to be sent when your application is approved for the project.
Reporting & Payment:
- The payment of at least $500 will be directed to the station, and your station can distribute this money to contributors or station operations, as you see fit.
- Stations must submit a final report by April 26th, including:
- Airplay log or confirmation
- Breakdown of payments, if any, to contributors
- Contact email for administrative follow-up
Option 2: Contribute to national Federal Election Night #AltElxn2025 Coverage – expectations and compensation
Local content must be at least 28 minutes long to be eligible for at least $500 in compensation. It may include live or prerecorded material relevant to your local community that is aired on April 28th between 8 p.m. Eastern and 2 a.m. Eastern.
Stations may choose to participate in national election night coverage by creating original local content incorporated into the national program. If you wish to coordinate with the national AltElxn election coverage, it will run from 8 a.m. Eastern to 2 a.m. Eastern, and you may participate at whatever time suits you.
Content Requirements:
- A minimum 28 minutes of LIVE original local election coverage aired on your own station, such as:
- Local candidate coverage or commentary
- Election night campaign reports
- Interviews, speeches, or remote updates
- Community-driven analysis or reactions
- Provide at least one national “hit”; meaning a pre-recorded segment from your station for the national program to insert between 2 and 5 minutes into the NCRA/ANREC’s national programming, OR join the national program between 01-20, or 30-50 of the hour to present a segment from your station. (This will be coordinated closer to the election)
- Your station must also commit to playing the PSAs provided promoting national #AltElxn 2025 coverage, or record your own version of the PSA using the #AltElxn 2025 script.
Editorial & Participation Guidelines:
- Final editorial standards and support will be distributed once approved
- Must reflect balance, journalistic fairness, and CRTC-compliant practices
Participating with #AltElxn Coverage:
Stations rebroadcasting the national #AltElxn election night coverage can insert short local updates or segments throughout the program without disrupting the overall flow. This provides an easy way to reflect your station’s local election results, voices, or commentary while still airing the majority of the coordinated national broadcast.
We will provide:
- Cue points for optional local content within each hour
- A detailed broadcast clock outlining segment timing
- A “throw” to local coverage at 20 minutes and 50 minute marks
How It Works – Example Using the Hour Clock
Each national broadcast hour is structured to include natural breaks where local stations can cut away briefly. Here’s a sample breakdown from our format:
Sample Hour Format
- :01–:10 – National Intro & Analysis
- :10–:20 – Interview or Panel
- :20–:30 – Local Insert Opportunity #1 or Regional Wrap
- :30–:40 – Interview or Panel
- :40–:50 – Regional/National Wrap-up
- :50–:59:30 – Local Insert Opportunity #2 or Interview
- :59:30–:01:00 – Station ID (you have 1 minute 30 seconds to cut in, do any ID’s or advertisements, if you do not, a basic top of the hour imaging will be played)
Local Insert Example – 20:00–30:00 and/or Segment 50–:59:30
During this time, your station could:
- Cut to a live local host for a 10-minute update
- Play a pre-recorded report from a local polling station or campaign HQ
- Share listener reactions or community commentary
- Read riding-level results with brief analysis
Stations are encouraged to keep their inserts to 10 minutes, leaving time to smoothly transition back to the national feed using the provided cues or bumpers.
Reporting & Payment:
- Stations will be compensated at least $500 per approved submission.
- Funds will be issued to the station upon receipt of:
- Final audio recordings
- Confirmation of airplay and reporting form
