Get out your microphones, audiophiles, there’s a new opportunity for Canadian radio freelancers. Accessible Media Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that produces media for Canadians with disabilities – that’s anywhere from 5 to 8 million people across the country who have difficulty accessing mainstream media.
Until recently, AMI’s on-air programming has been produced mainly by volunteers and has consisted of articles from newspapers and magazines that are read aloud. But Russell Gragg, AMI’s National Managing Editor, says the organization is expanding and refining their audio programming and is looking for more original content for the service.
AMI is seeking primarily news-based radio pieces, but is open to arts-related stories as well – they’ve covered both TIFF and the Halifax Pop Explosion music festival in recent months. Gragg says stories dealing with disability and accessibility issues are always an easy sell at AMI, but pitches need not be limited to disability-related topics.
“We recognize that Canadians with disabilities don’t necessarily want to be defined exclusively by their disabilities,” he says. “Just because you have a vision impairment, doesn’t mean that all you want to hear about is news about the blind.”
The organization has bureaus in eleven cities but is seeking freelancers from every part of the country. And Gragg says successful pitches may lead to other assignments.
“We want to be able to have a core group of stringers across the country that we can assign stories to,” he says.
Freelancers for AMI need their own digital recorders as well as access to (and a decent working knowledge of) a digital editing suite – even a freebie like Audacity would be adequate. Freelance rates for this new initiative will be set over the next few weeks. Gragg says they’ll be “competitive,” and offers as a ballpark figure somewhere in the range of $150-$200 for a 3-minute news piece.
“We’re not a union situation,” says Gragg, “but we recognize the value of quality programming and quality journalism so we are prepared to pay for it.”
AMI is distributed nationally on digital and satellite television. They also stream online on their website and will soon be available on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Whether you’re an experienced radio journalist looking for new venues or a journalism student seeking radio experience, you can contact Gragg with your pitches at Russell.Gragg@ami.ca.