In May, Rawlco Radio announced it would provide $10,000 to 20 Saskatchewan musicians or groups, for assistance in recording new albums.
The response was big -- in both quality and volume. More than 240 musicians sent in their tapes, and Rawlco was so impressed, it increased its financial commitment to include 29 recipients.
Once quality was assessed, Meckelborg also considered the artists' track records.
"Not to say that (track record) was a requirement, but it was a good indication of whether it was going to be effective giving them the money . . . (whether) a little bit of help was all they needed to get to the next level. A lot of the time, that was the deciding factor."
Hollis Brown of Tango Sierra said his group was hoping to record this fall or winter, but the September deadline that came with winning the $10,000 moved things up.
Producer Kenny Greer's schedule came into the timing; he is touring with the Roadhammers and Tom Cochrane, and recording and mixing for both.
"We've actually flown Greer in twice in the last two weeks," said Brown. "It rushed things for us, but 10 grand is a really nice headache."
Brown added that radio at one time was somewhat disconnected from local artists, but that is changing. With its investment in recording -- and its promise to play the new CDs on radio -- Rawlco is proving that it does run community radio stations, he said.
In Saskatoon, Rawlco stations include C95, 650 CKOM and Rock 102. The company also owns stations in Regina, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Meadow Lake and Edmonton.