Original Thoughts - May 2013

In this issue:

• CKUA's Party in the Park on May 25th - and you're invited!
• A big Fundraiser Thank-You!
• Volunteer Corner
• Lurking in the Library
• Meet Megan Clark
• AM Frequency

CKUA's Party in the Park on May 25th - and you're invited!

Come celebrate the official public opening of CKUA’s new home in an iconic and historic Edmonton landmark!

On Saturday, May 25 from noon to 5 pm, CKUA is hosting a free family party featuring live performances, special guests, tours of the storied music library and much more, both inside the studios at 9804 Jasper Avenue and in the park on the west side of the building. The party will happen come rain or come shine.

Please visit our website for more details and we look forward to seeing you there - no RSVP required!

A Big Fundraiser Thank-You!

We’d like to extend a huge THANKS to our CKUA Family for helping us make this Spring Fundraiser a great success!

Your donations are what keep this incredible station running. This fundraiser we were simply overwhelmed by the tremendous show of love and support. Thanks to you, we raised $529,571, all of which will go towards continuing to bring you incredible radio.

886 people stepped up to become CKUA donors for the very first time. Donations are the lifeblood of CKUA and new donors are essential to our long term sustainability. You are now part of a family that includes thousands of others from around the world who financially support this great station.

Another essential part of the CKUA family is volunteers. This Spring Fundraiser, hundreds of volunteers gave their time to answer phones, fill musical requests, sort and enter data, make phone calls and food for all participants. We are so fortunate to have your support!

From everyone here at CKUA – THANK YOU. You make it possible.

- Katrina Ingram, Chief Operating Officer

Volunteer Corner

In their own inimitable fashion, CKUA's valiant volunteers spent National Volunteer Week doing what they seem to love to do: putting in countless volunteer hours at their radio station and making our Spring Fundraiser a smashing success.  They streamed into the building as of 7 am on April 18 and continued until 6 pm on April 28, working away on the phones or managing the pledge room, keeping the food and drink flowing, resuming duties as Library Runners and generally keeping the place in high spirits.

An enormous thank you goes out to our very special volunteers - the fundraiser food donors new and old, who provided us with meals and snacks throughout the fundraiser.  To see who they all are, check out The Daily Special, or pick up one of the food donor recognition cards when you're next at the station - and feel free to thank them by patronizing their establishments when you decide to eat out!

So it's onward to the summer season - and what better way to ring it in than with a volunteer party on May 25? The volunteer shindig will start as CKUA's Party in the Park celebrations wind down, around 5:30pm.  There'll be food and drink - and of course music - so get set to enjoy an evening dedicated to the best and most loyal volunteers ever. 
- Susan Campbell, Volunteer Coordinator

Lurking in the Library

Spring Campaign 2013 was the first campaign in our new home that included the Library. It was a resounding success and led to musical requests being filled by our loyal library runners who, if they did not run, definitely had moments of hustling and possibly even bustling.  The library runners also helped out considerably by working on repairing LP jackets that were cracking from heavy use. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts and fantastic work!

After the influx of traffic in the library there is always clean-up to be done, with shelf reading and refilling being two of the major duties that are time sensitive (pictured, from back to front: Kyle Vaughan, Heather Martin, and Simon Slater.) Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this campaign such a fantastic success, both as it was happening and after the fact. And now, to get the library ready for the Party in the Park!

- Arianne Smith, Library Technician

Meet Megan Clark!

Megan worked with CKUA as a library intern last year, and we were fortunate enough to hire her full time as an Associate Producer as of May 6th. With a newly minted Master's degree in Library Science from Halifax, Megan made the move to Edmonton a couple of weeks ago and has been settling very well into her new role. 

"My internship in 2012 was very exciting, and also very comfortable," she says. "It's really nice to return and compare the new building with the old, where it was great to see this history of CKUA. But the new place is a real treat - the equipment is so nice."

When Megan was in Grade 3, she and her friend Chelsie used to make little radio shows on her cassette player. They were 'spoken-word' programs - basically, Megan and Chelsie talking to each other. When she was a little older, she accumulated 8 years' experience in campus/community radio, along with a stint as producer at CKDU in Halifax - so we think she will feel right at home!

Megan will take on the role of Arts & Culture Guide Announcer/Producer, and will eventually work on other programs as well. We are delighted to welcome Megan into our family.

AM Transmitter

You may have heard that our AM transmitter will be shut down due to a variety of financial reasons, explained in detail on our website along with a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

We would like to work directly with anyone affected by the loss of the AM service to find solutions to ensure continued access to CKUA. If you will be affected by this, and you have not yet contacted us, please do so through our online listener feedback form or you can email us at am@ckua.com. We will be following up soon after we've evaluated all possible options.