Carleton Music Showcase Special Edition!

Carleton Music students Robyn Lichaa, Sarah Peters and Anastasia Wasylinko talk about their experiences as students (from the challenges to misconceptions) and share some music from their upcoming concert that will take place at Live On Elgin on April 1st!

Listen on FM/stream Tuesday (26th) at 1PM or Sunday (31st) at 6PM or On Demand anytime:
Carleton Music Showcase Special Edition

Wednesday Special Blend Airs 1000th Show

Michael Houston, AKA Tic

Michael Houston, better known as “tic”, has been in the community radio realm with CKCU FM for a whopping 35 years. His show, Wednesday Special Blend, is celebrating a major milestone with its 1000th episode on March 13th, 2024. The morning radio program, hosted by tic, started in April 2002, but his involvement at CKCU FM began much before. In 1983, he stumbled across a documentary produced by a CKCU volunteer and it was love at first listen according to the host.  Two weeks later, tic was a volunteer on his journey to become part of the CKCU FM family. The rest is history, as 22 years later, he is reaching his 1000th episode! 

When it comes to contributing to CKCU and the community, tic leads by example. He has a big heart and likes to share about what people in the community are doing, their stories, local music, events, and the odd opinion.  He has been instrumental in supporting the annual CKCU FM Funding Drive and contributing to community connection.  As well, he is a technically savvy guy who offers support to others with his skills. He’s been an integral part of the CKCU, working hard to make sure Wednesday Special Blend is engaging, entertaining, and informative for the audience. 

Michael absolutely loves being on the radio, but he is especially interested and attentive to the technical side of creating his content. He takes pride in making sure his shows are quality sounding and run smoothly for the listener’s experience. After being live in the studio for many years, since the pandemic, tic prefers to record his shows in his cozy home studio. It allows him to focus on the technical quality by reducing any potential challenges that could happen during a live broadcast. He believes that good sound and production are important and add to listening enjoyment.  

CKCU FM is far more than just a community radio station to tic. He shared that part of its value is its diversity. The station broadcasts in at least a dozen languages and features special interest programming that you won’t find many other places. It’s a friendly place where people can learn about different cultures, music, and community news. As tic says, “Sometimes you just need to mix things up and try something new!”. That is exactly what CKCU FM offers and is a key reason why he loves being part of it. 

– Joy Keke

Celebrating Vintage Love’s 20th Anniversary

Love, whether shared, found, grieved, or lost, surrounds us through the melodies of love songs. Vintage Love beautifully displays this essence with its blend of Reggae and Caribbean-centric tunes, offering a tranquil space of positive vibes. Its calming ambiance invites all to unwind, feel hopeful, and embrace the warmth of love’s lasting spirit.

O’shea in the CKCU FM on-air studio

O’shea Adagio brings us this sanctuary every Saturday night from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM on CKCU FM, and has for the past 20 years. Always having a fascination with music, his mother was a classically trained pianist so his childhood was defined with music. Moving from St. Catharines to Toronto, to Ottawa for school, O’shea attended Carleton for Law and Sociology. While he was attending, he volunteered for CKCU for a short period. Although it didn’t stick, after graduation, with encouragement from his family and friends, O’shea made a demo and pitched Vintage Love to CKCU FM. It was an immediate hit. The show has been loved ever since reaching highs such as winning the Best Reggae Radio Program for Canada’s “Caribbean Music & Entertainment Awards”.

Over the past 20 years, O’shea has built up a community that eagerly awaits his show and it brings him immense joy to provide this. He says “The world has so many unhappy and crazy things going on that it is important to take a break and think of the people you love and the good things in life that helps you get through the unfavourable times”. He aims that his show provides this space to reflect and relax. O’shea and Vintage Love remind us that love and goodness is all around and sometimes we just need a second to see it.

– Marissa Guido

In Celebration of Int’l Women’s Day

Heavy Friends (Saturdays 8-10PM)
Comin’ thru CKCU March 30th & celebrating International Women’s Day with a fresh selection of bops, beats, and such.

Rabble Without A Cause (Wednesdays 11AM-midnight)
New releases from Marianne Trudel, Rhonda Taylor, Anna Webber, Karoline Leblanc, Susana Santos Silva, and the Anni Kiviniemi Trio

Saturday Morning Show (Saturdays 7-10AM)
International Women’s Roots Music w/ Teresa Bandrowska

Dave Dalle Thursdays 2-4PM)
Iranian singer Maliheh Moradi’s “Our Sorrow” which addresses the injustice women face in Iran today. Sarathy Korwar “Live in Mumbai”

Black & Blues (Sundays 9 to 11PM)
“Lu’s Jukebox” featuring blues, R&B & soul covers plus original songs by the legendary singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams.

Inside Jazz (alt Sundays 4 to 6 PM)
Mary Halvorson‘s latest album CLOUDWARD and Michele Rosewoman’s 1987 record QUINTESSENCE. 

The Rites Of Spring (Tuesdays 7:05 to 8 AM)
Celebrating great women composers for International Women’s Day

Black History Month Programs:

In A Mellow Tone (Wednesdays 9-11PM)
February 6 – The history of Africville in music
February 21 – A profile of Nina Simone
February 28 – Spotlights on jazz pianists Al Tanner and Hilario Duran

Heavy Friends Saturdays (8-10PM)
Feb 17 – 30 Princes of Reggae: Buster, Jazzbo, Jammy, Far I…

Bedtime Stories alt Tuesdays (10-11PM)
Feb 20 – Dub Poets Mutabaruka from Kingston, JA and Benjamin Zephaniah from Birmingham, UK

Saturday Morning (7-10AM)
Host Teresa Bandrowska features music from Black artists in Canada and beyond.

Roots & Rhythms (Sundays 8-9PM)
February 18 – Part 2 of the music of Ray Charles 1959-1961
February 25 – Part 1 of the music of The Meters

Black & Blues (Sundays 9-11PM)
Feb 18 – Toronto pianist Bobby Dean Blackburn
Feb 25 – Taj Mahal

Inside Jazz (alt Sundays 4-6PM)
February 11 – Sun Ra Arkestra’s SOUND OF JOY and Art Ensemble of Chicago’s PEOPLE IN SORROW
Feb 25 – Gene Ammons and Hank Mobley

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Celebrating 10 Years of ‘Night Trax’ with Michael Guyton

Professor Mike, a.k.a. Michael Guyton

He was allotted an overnight slot from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., with the show officially launching on January 20, 2014. But his achievements don’t stop there: competing in bocce, basketball and bowling, Mike is a Special Olympics athlete, with two gold medals and one silver medal under his belt.

Radio broadcasting particularly enthused Michael – or more aptly, Professor Mike, as he is known on air – as he longed to incorporate music of the past, into the modern musical landscape. He focuses on an eclectic range of tracks and timeless hits recorded between the years of 1970 and 1989, using his own batch of LPs and 45s.

In order to satiate every listener’s musical appetite, Mike dabbles into different genres like rock, disco, R&B etc. “Night Trax” stands out as a revitalisation of late night live radio – employing a human voice to foster interactivity and fuel a connection that transcends airwaves.

Mike is like CKCU’s very own radio companion – ensuring that anyone who listens in is part of a community. While Guyton is both an athlete and radio host, he is above all an inspiring individual, who continues to champion positivity and inclusion through “Night Trax”.

– Lynn Robchinsky

THANK YOU!   

CKCU FM would like to thank you for your generosity during our 2023 Funding Drive. Thanks to you, we will continue to create and curate a wide range of programs on the FM dial at 93.1 in Ottawa and online at CKCUFM.com. We couldn’t do it without you. Funding Drive time is when we get direct feedback from our listeners. All of us hosting programs thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind words and monetary support. 

This year, we have reached 90% of our goal. That is fantastic but if you’ve forgotten to donate, you can still do so by clicking the Donate Now button. Here’s to another year of quality programming on CKCU FM. 

Anne-Marie Brugger 

Interim Executive Director, CKCU FM 

University radio stations in Ottawa face funding challenges 

Lynn Saxberg – Published Oct 30, 2023 / Photo by Jean Levac

Both CKCU at Carleton and CHUO at University of Ottawa have long histories in Ottawa. 

CKCU-FM, the community radio station that broadcasts from the campus of Carleton University, kicked off its annual funding drive on Friday amid challenging conditions for college radio in Ottawa. 

At the same time the station dubbed The Mighty 93 (for its 93.1 FM frequency) is redoubling efforts to fund-raise after three difficult years, the folks at CHUO-FM, the station broadcasting from the University of Ottawa at 89.1 FM, are scrambling to figure out options following a referendum in which students voted to defund the station. (More about that in a moment.) 

Adding to both stations’ struggle is the social-media blackout on Canadian media outlets put in place by Meta to protest the federal government’s Online News Act, Bill C-18, which would require tech giants to pay for news links. To Meta, independent radio stations like CKCU and CHUO are considered media outlets. 

“Bill C-18 has been detrimental to community radio across the country because Meta is blocking our ability to promote any of our independent content, whether programs or events, including our funding drive,” said Anne-Marie Brugger, a longtime Ottawa community-radio volunteer recently hired as CKCU’s interim executive director. She is filling in for Kwende Kefentse, who became the station’s first executive director in 2020 and is on parental leave until next spring. 

“We have to come up with different ways of getting the word out on social media because we cannot use our Instagram or Facebook,” Brugger said. “Those accounts are pretty much paralyzed.” 

CKCU has set a goal of raising $165,000 in this year’s drive, which runs until Nov. 12. Two-thirds of the station’s funding comes from a student levy, while the annual funding drive is designed to provide the rest. “Our funding drive is vital this year and the goal will be really important to accomplish,” Brugger said. 

One of the problems for the station while trying to raise money during the pandemic was the fact hosts had to pre-record programs, which made it impossible to engage listeners on the spot, challenge them to donate and then immediately react with thanks when donations came in. As Brugger said, “Live radio is way more fun than recording your programs in advance.” 

Her first move when she arrived at the station in September was to re-open the office on the fifth floor of Nideyinàn, formerly known as the Unicentre, and encourage staff and volunteers to return. “I’m in the office every day,” she said. “Staff are coming in and volunteers are coming back. Things are picking up.” 

 With folks back in the office, listeners can again dial and donate or make pledges online. There are daily prizes for donations of $75 or more. Several fund-raising events are also planned. …. read the full article here

From the Interim Executive Director

Message to the volunteers from the Interim Executive Director

Greetings to you, dear CKCU volunteer. My name is Anne-Marie and I have been appointed as Interim Executive Director until the New Year. I have been an active volunteer in Campus Community Radio here in Ottawa for over 20 years and I serve on the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) Board of Directors as well as that of the Ottawa Arts Council (OAC). I’m thrilled to be here at CKCU in this leadership role. I’ve met several volunteers since my start date at the beginning of September. You can find me in the CKCU office every day from 10 am to 4 pm. Drop by to say hello!

I thank you very much for your time and dedication to CKCU FM. You are CKCU!  You are “Real People” creating “Real Radio” and “Connecting Community”.

Funding Drive 2023

“We Are CKCU” is the theme of CKCU’s 2023 Funding Drive. The Funding Drive campaign will run from October 27 to November 12, 2023. “We” are over 100 volunteers, a small core of staff – plus thousands and thousands of listeners. Together, we can make this Funding Drive one of the most successful ever!

Whether it’s in person, over the air, or virtually, I look forward to meeting each of you over the coming weeks. 

Anne-Marie Brugger