Solidarity in the Struggle to Get Marty Burke on the Record

It's both heartening and humiliating that I share this press release. On the one hand, it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my struggle to get a sit down interview with Conservative Candidate Marty Burke, but on the other hand it's sad to think that Burke is discounting so many potential voters, or at the very least not letting himself be vetted by people who might be critical. 

If Burke can't handle Guelph Politico or Royal City Rag, I doubt he's going to find the National Press Club more accommodating. I once again implore Mr Burke, or his surrogates, to break the wall of silence and engage us, members of the non-mainstream media. In this case, we're literally asking for it. 

Here's the press release from CFRU:

For Immediate Release:

The team behind CFRU's Federal Election Radio (Mondays 7-9 a.m.) have made numerous efforts to get Conservative candidate Marty Burke to join us for an in depth studio interview.

The Green Party's John Lawson joined us on April 4 (7-8 a.m.) and Liberal Frank Valeriote on April 11 (8-9 a.m.). The NDP's Bobbi Stewart is scheduled for April 25 (8-9 a.m.). We'll also be airing short interviews with other candidates in the race.

We've been very pleased with the response we have received from the candidates in this election. However we are very disappointed that Conservative candidate Marty Burke has not responded to e-mail invitations and a personal office visit to come on the show to discuss his candidature. It should also be noted that in 2008, Conservative Gloria Kovach was one of the first candidates to respond, and, indeed, our first guest.

For over 30 years, CFRU 93.3 FM has been Guelph's alternative media source. As a Campus & Community Radio Station, CFRU is proud to broadcast over 75 shows in over seven languages that are programmed by several hundred volunteers. CFRU broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year on FM, through cable on Rogers, and on the internet through your computer anywhere in the world.

The CFRU election radio team is a group of campus/community radio programmers that have covered Guelph elections at all levels of government for the past five years. Election Radio's mandate is to provide fair, balanced and wide ranging coverage to help listeners make an informed decision on election day.

Hosted by Scotty Hertz, Oliver Rockside and Jan Hall, Federal Election Radio takes place every Monday from 7-9 a.m. on CFRU 93.3fm. You can also listen to the show online at http://cfru.ca. We will also be providing live coverage on election night as the results come in.

To listen to archived shows, visit http://www.cfru.ca/archive.php. For more about CFRU's Federal Election Radio visit us on Facebook.