Pro Bono: Capturing Kingston's Airwaves

Photo by Daniel Chodos

Pro Bono Radio deejays Brendan Stock, Law '08, and Fergal Murphy, Law '08, on the air earlier in 2007.

Pro Bono Radio has provided an entertaining new medium for discussing legal issues since its launch in 2005 by three Queen’s Law students. Teaming with local radio station CFRC, students conduct weekly radio shows regarding a wide variety of legal areas in this Pro Bono Students Canada project.

When Ken Lockhart, Law ‘07, took over Pro Bono Radio in 2006, his vision for the show involved making it both informative and entertaining. “Last year, the show often came off like a law lecture, which is something we really wanted to avoid [in the future],” he said. “We thought it would make for a better show for the listeners [if it was] a little more casual.”

The legal topics explored on Pro Bono Radio are as diverse as the law itself. They include online gambling, the role of media and the courts, privacy rights in Canada, and several other issues. There was even a show in October 2006 about the law as it relates to squirrels, which is a legal area more vast than one might expect.

In 2007, new production manager Tim Matthews, Law ‘08, revamped the show further, airing pre-recorded interviews with members of Kingston’s legal community, including a policy studies professor at Queen’s and a constitutional law scholar. “We’re trying to keep the light-hearted approach to the show that we adopted last year,” he said. “We’re focusing on legal issues that people outside of law school will find interesting.”

Pro Bono Radio now employs 11 volunteer student-deejays, who usually work in teams of two under Tim’s direction. For the most part, the deejays have no formal radio experience, but most agree that putting together a show is a great learning experience. “The show [is easiest] when we have a couple of people on air who get along well and have some knowledge of the law,” said Fergal Murphy, Law ‘08, a deejay for Pro Bono Radio in 2006-07.

CRFC has a listening area of 150,000 people, and provides the community with an alternative to mainstream radio. Their web site (www.cfrc.ca) contains archives of the last three months of its shows, including Pro Bono Radio. Whether you want to become part of the show or just want to learn a thing or two about the legality of issues from the uniqueness of aboriginal rights to stealing nuts from neighbourhood rodents, it is certainly worth checking out!

Pro Bono Radio shows are 30 minutes long, and air live on CRFC 101.9 FM every Thursday from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm.