2025 is the ten-year anniversary for two beloved CKUA hosts. Amy van Keeken and Oskar Zybart both started their work on the CKUA airwaves in 2015.
We asked them about their early days in the host chair, the people who helped them when they started, and what might happen if they switched places for a day.
Do you remember the first song you played in your first CKUA program in 2015?
Amy van Keeken: No, I don’t, sorry!
Oskar Zybart: I sure do. The name of my first CKUA series was Zed Air, which aired overnight on weekends from 2015-2016. My webpage (zedair.net) shares the same name, and that’s where I host the playlist archive for all my CKUA shows, so it’s an easy question to answer. The first song I played on Zed Air was Björk’s “Army of Me”, which was part of a longer Björk feature I did throughout that month.
Who were the people at CKUA who showed you the ropes or helped you feel more at ease on the air?
Amy van Keeken: Sarah Hoyles, Elliott Garnier, Grant Stovel, and David Ward were all people who helped me feel at ease on air and helped me transition from campus-based community radio at CJSR to the CKUA airwaves. David Ward once encouraged me to “be myself” when hosting, and that advice has really stuck with me. Filling in for Monica Miller was an early assignment and I carefully modeled my fill-ins after her expert curation. I also learned so much from Monica just by listening to her incredible programming. She so easily traversed genres and styles and always made it make sense musically. I also loved how she would explore new releases with curiosity and openness. Her programming and approach inform the way I program, and I am so grateful for her mentorship. I am grateful for all the support from so many people at CKUA and CJSR along my radio journey.
Oskar Zybart: I remain very fond of a bunch of CKUA pals and peers who made me welcome in my early years at the station, but very few of them were involved with my on-air work at that time. Two come to mind, though. David Ward, our Content Director in 2015, saw potential in me and put me on the air. Without his involvement I would never have been given that opportunity. Our Content Director, Arianne Smith-Piquette, was our Library Technician back in 2015. She also participated as a recurring guest on my show, and would supply fun music recommendations and library oddities that I added to the mix.
What music were you listening to, the year you started at CKUA?
Amy van Keeken: I was buying and listening to records, lots of local records, lots of older psychedelic rock records and definitely lots of old country and folk records. In 2015 I was still co-hosting Twang n Thangs at CJSR with my co-host Thea Bowering. I would spin from my own collection and from the stacks of country vinyl at CJSR.
Oskar Zybart: I was listening to a lot of Frank Sinatra, Richard Hawley, and Comaduster in 2015. I was also listening to significant amounts of classical music, as I was frequently needed as a fill-in host for CKUA’s classical programs at that time.
What has been your favourite on-air moment or memory since 2015?
Amy van Keeken: Sitting in the booth with Karen Howell as David Ward expertly did a live tribute show to Monica Miller will always be a treasured memory.
Oskar Zybart: It’s hard to pick just one memory, but writing and producing my four-part CKUA documentary series about the life and music of Frank Zappa back in 2021 remains a highlight.
If the two of you were to switch hosting shifts for a day, what would you do? Amy, what flavour would you bring to In Our Neighbourhood or The Score? Oskar, what tunes would you spin on Far Out, Twilight, or This Just In?
Amy van Keeken: I’d love to showcase some of the great Alberta artists of the past on In Our Neighbourhood and for The Score. I’m a big fan of Dutch harpist Lavinia Meijer. I’d spin a few tracks from her 2022 album Are You Somewhere, which features some original compositions and some interpretations.
Oskar Zybart: This one is kind of funny because Amy and I have sort of done this as hosts of the same series. When Twilight originally launched, the series didn’t have a permanent host—it was a different person each week. Amy hosted the first week, and it was my turn about a month later. After a few months of new voices, Amy returned as the permanent host of the show. During my week as host, I selected works by Delerium, Edith Piaf, Sigur Rós, Lisa Hannigan, Marissa Nadler, Lenny Breau, Jim Findlay, and lots of other great artists I’d happily play again.
Congratulations, Amy and Oskar, on a decade of wonderful programming on CKUA. We look forward to the next ten years!
Amy van Keeken hosts:
Twilight
10pm – midnight MT
Mondays – Thursdays
Far Out
6pm – 8pm MT
Wednesdays
This Just In
9am – 11am MT
Fridays
Oskar Zybart hosts:
The Score
8pm – 10pm MT
Wednesdays
In Our Neighbourhood
11am – 1pm MT
Fridays