Profile Edmonton October'11

The CJSR office is underground and it used to be a bank. That’s got to be the most pirate-radio sounding thing I’ve ever heard.

The bank vault is where we broadcast. There are two studios—recording studios where we do some shows, make ads and record bands.

How did you become a host for CJSR? I ended up getting involved in CJSR about five years ago. When I was at the U of A I desperately wanted to be a radio DJ. I grew up listening to a neighbour’s show that was on CJSR. It seemed so cool to me. These guys were playing music that you otherwise would never hear on commercial radio. It was unique and it was music that I was drawn to. The opportunity wasn’t there at that time. I came on as a guest host on Hit and Run Radio about five years ago. A friend of mine who was doing it thought it would be nice to have a fresh voice. Between his musical tastes and mine it ended up being this fun and eclectic drive time show. That guest host spot turned into a permanent thing. I began volunteering at CJSR doing my own show co-hosting from three to five pm after that.

And the show you host now?

It’s called Rock and Roll Must Be Destroyed. It’s on every Wednesday from eleven to midnight. It’s a rock focused show—anything new and anything old.

What kind of stuff do volunteers do beyond hosting—for the mic shy out there?

There’s everything from filing records to producing and recording ads—which is one of the ways I got involved. Sometimes you have events requesting a live DJ. The opportunities are almost endless. It’s more about finding the right fit.

How can people get involved?

CJSR hosts these volunteer orientation sessions. You can check their website for those dates. They’re for anyone who wants to look into it. Additionally our doors are always open for anyone who wants to come in and find out how they can get involved. There are some really great people here doing really cool things behind the scenes.

How do you pay the bills?

I work for the City of Edmonton in their special projects division doing traffic control.

It was something that always interested me. It made sense to go into it, but it’s a very serious—serious—job.

Just like radio.