“When I first started [in journalism], an editor told me, ‘radio is like theatre in your mind’,” recalls Arndt Peltner, founder and host of Radio Goethe. “You have an open stage, and you can fill the stage however you want.”

A syndicated show featuring German, Austrian, and Swiss music, Radio Goethe is broadcasted on Simon Fraser University’s CJSF 90.1 FM on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. Peltner’s show and the Armenian Variety Show of Vancouver Co-op Radio (CFRO 100.5FM) are two of Vancouver’s many community radio programs showcasing radio’s undying power in preserving culture.

The treasure of radio

“You don’t need a lot of technology to go on the air [with] the radio,” Peltner says, noting radio’s accessibility in comparison to television and print media. “With radio, you need a transmitter, a generator, and a microphone, then you spread your word.”

Based in Oakland, California, Peltner moved to the United States from Germany in 1996 to work as a freelance radio and print correspondent. Prior to journalism, he studied social work, eventually interning at a facility for abused children in San Francisco. His care for others and passion for storytelling was then translated into radio journalism.

“I found my way to radio because [it] is the best part of journalism,” he says. “You can have somebody [telling] a story, or you can have sounds, or you can work with music and different voices and effects.”

Peltner’s early connections with radio were heavily influenced by American programs, including American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. Growing up in a part of Germany that had an American military presence, he was part of the large German “shadow audience” listening in on the American forces network. For him, these stations were a novelty at a time when Germany only had public radio programs.

“A lot of people listened in and learned English and got their first direct contact with American culture, language, and how Americans think in some ways,” he recalls, noting how the exposure to different music genres from rock and roll to soul left a lasting impact on his approach to radio.

Genre diversity is reflected in Peltner’s playlists for Radio Goethe, which features rock, electronic, pop, and even medieval music. First broadcasted through KUSF College Radio at the University of San Francisco, Radio Goethe’s musical selection, particularly the German band Rammstein, soon attracted listeners beyond the Bay area. He then offered the show to other stations in Canada and the United States, spreading his appreciation of German music.

“One of the free spots people had [in government-controlled East Germany] were so-called ‘medieval markets,’” he says, explaining the history behind the medieval genre. “You had these bands playing there with bagpipes and all these old instruments and made songs that were critical of the government.”

Peltner notes that this genre continued to grow after Germany’s reunification, as musicians combined medieval sounds from old instruments with contemporary genres, including rock and electronic. Rather than drawing from commercial charts, his musical selections is guided by personal taste, cultivated from years of research. For Peltner, the ability of radio to capture sounds, inciting emotions, makes it a connecting force.

“We have community radio stations with a lot of different voices, a lot of different opinions, you hear a lot of music from around the world,” he says. “It’s a treasure.”

Preserving culture

Vancouver Co-op Radio’s Armenian Variety Show (Tuesdays at 6:00pm) is co-hosted by Meghrig Sulahian and her high school-aged daughter, Aya Chapanian– with Sulahian’s husband and Chapanian’s father, Rafi Chapanian as the operator. The show was founded in 1978 by Ohan Andonian, a board of trustee and member of the Armenian Cultural Association, which continues to be the main sponsor of the program. Committed to preserving culture and building community, the current team volunteers several hours a week to share Armenian culture with their listeners.

“One of the purposes of the Armenian genocide is to annihilate the Armenian people and their belongings and their culture,” Rafi says. “So, what we are doing here [is] we are preserving our culture away from our country, which is western Armenia…currently under Turkey.”

Sulahian was the first from the family to join the show, reaching out to then host Dr. Harout Tossonian asking to volunteer. She started co-hosting the show with Tossonian in 2013, and Rafi joined as operator two years later. Aya began by making announcements for the radio when she was around 3 to 4 years old. She has since taken a larger role, reciting poetry in Armenian and delivering the health programming.

“The radio never felt like a chore…it always came from my heart,” says Aya. “I enjoy going to the community and people coming up to me and appreciating how much they enjoy listening.”

True to its name, the Armenian Variety Show covers diverse topics, including culture, health, cuisine, arts, and poetry. It features news from Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian diaspora. Delivered in English and Armenian, the show also highlights a quote of the day, community events, and occasionally, games.

“I read an article and there’s this very Armenian word, and I ask my listeners, what does it mean in English,” says Sulahian. “And whoever wins gets a gift card, just like a nice interaction and engagement with our listeners.”

A lively community

Rafi creates playlists mixing traditional and modern Armenian music. According to him, contemporary artists are refreshing traditional Armenian songs with instruments not originally used in its production, such as the guitar and saxophone. He highlights the Duduk, made of apricot wood, as a traditional Armenian instrument.

“Armenia songs are usually about love, telling a love story, upbeat, nice, especially in the contemporary new music,” Sulahian adds, noting how each song shares its own story. “We do have lots of patriotic songs as well, given the history.”

She also notes that some songs are melancholic, reflecting the Armenian genocide and the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The show has also featured interviews with members of the Armenian community and the broader Canadian society, including Adrian Dix and Harjit Sajjan. For Rafi, the radio remains a unifying tool bringing together the local Armenian community.

“We have a large number of elderly people in the community who cannot go out of their home, so they wait for every Tuesday at 6pm to listen, to educate themselves of what is going on in the community,” he adds.

For the team, the show’s impact on their audience is deeply rewarding. Listeners often text them after the show, asking for the names of songs on Rafi’s playlist. Sulahian also recalls listeners sharing that they were dancing in their living rooms while listening to the show. As for the show’s development, Rafi would like to see more involvement from the younger generation.

“It takes a village to build a community,” says Sulahian. “I can’t explain the feelings and the satisfaction – that’s the only reason I’ve been doing this for the past 11 years.”

For more information on Radio Goethe, see www.cjsf.ca/contents/radio-goethe and www.radiogoethe.org/en.

For more information on the Armenian Variety Show, see www.coopradio.org/shows/armenian-variety-show and www.acaofbc.com/copy-of-about-us