We’re seeing some new faces these days at CKUA. That means that you might hear new voices on the radio, too. CKUA’s summer placements have always been a great opportunity for students to learn, gain experience, and earn some money. And we’re happy to have their help, since summer is a busy time for CKUA. Meet CKUA’s 2025 summer students, Alex and Birdy!
Alex Wilson has joined us as a Music Library Assistant for the summer. She’ll begin the Library Technician diploma program at MacEwan this fall. Originally from Brooks, she has worked at the public library in Lethbridge and always felt that she wanted to return to library work. “I just felt that libraries are where I belonged. I really like working with the public, and I enjoy all the different streams of library work. And libraries have changed with the needs of the community. Libraries are community hubs now. They allow people to reach services that they need.”
She adds, “I felt so lucky to have found the posting for CKUA. I listen to CKUA, and I love music. It really felt like the job would blend my two biggest interests.”
So far, Wilson has been receiving new music, uploading new music to the database, and working on the weekly Top 30 Chart. She’s also creating a spreadsheet to outline all the artists that will be playing at Alberta music festivals this summer.
Her own taste in music is eclectic—another way in which CKUA is a good fit for her. She mentions Penny & the Pits, Big Thief, and Durand Jones & The Indications among the artists whose music she’s been enjoying lately. Before she worked at CKUA, the station was a portal for her to hear music she never would have discovered on her own and says, “Now I feel lucky to have the opportunity to contribute a little something to CKUA.”
Birdy Loughlin will be working as a Production Assistant in Calgary. Throughout the summer, they will be collaborating with Bronson Kashino on the CKUA Summer 90-second on-air features.
Loughlin is a student at Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts). They work in sculpture, including community-minded installations. Sometimes found objects or unlikely things can lead to art projects. A recent project saw them working with a piano, making it the centre of a sculpture project.
Says Loughlin, “The piano was an object that my collaborator, Mantis, and I used in multiple iterations of a conceptual performance art work dealing with a methodology of ‘Duetting.’ Some of the actions performed with the piano involved using it as a site for ritual often standing in as a shrine (Buddhist) or being played unconventionally relating to preconceptions of music — a very “cage-ian” (John Cage) and Fluxus approach.”
Although their studies are not focused on radio, they do enjoy projects that are rooted in community. “My research always veers towards community,” says Loughlin, adding, “Radio fits. It feels natural.”
Loughlin says that they’ve been enjoying bluegrass and classic country lately. They mention Shaela Miller and Skinny Dyck as current favourites, but they say they’re liking some 80s and 90s pop and rock as well. “I always make time to listen to Talking Heads!”
Loughlin is enjoying the opportunity to work in production. “It has been great. I have felt so welcomed.”
Thanks for all you’re doing, Alex and Birdy! We’re happy to have you at CKUA.
