The story of In Our Neighbourhood begins as many program stories do at CKUA: with David Ward. Ward, who passed away in 2022, was both a host and program director during his 40 years at CKUA. He loved talking music with the staff and hosts at CKUA, and host Oskar Zybart enjoyed those conversations immensely.
Zybart says, “David and I spoke often about music. He noticed that I included a lot of songs by Alberta artists in my shows. We talked about creating a whole program of Albertan music.”
Five years later, In Our Neighbourhood continues as a weekly trip exploring home-grown talent. It’s an eclectic all-Albertan playlist, with the best and brightest our province has to offer taking centre stage.
It’s a great context for discovering music by emerging musicians. Zybart loves to play music by artists you might not know yet, including first releases by young artists just beginning their musical careers. The program also includes music by well-known stars such as k.d. lang, Maria Dunn, Tegan and Sara, Celeigh Cardinal, and Ian Tyson, just to name a few.
“This show is a way to celebrate Alberta artists,” says Zybart. “The program is always changing, and I hope, improving.”
Zybart includes a few elements consistently during In Our Neighbourhood. “I always want to feature artists who are playing live in the next week. And I love playing new releases.”
He says, “Albertan music has never been better,” and mentions Shaela Miller, Doug Hoyer, and Comaduster as examples of “world-class artists.”
Zybart’s role as host of In Our Neighbourhood is rooted in his own curiosity and eclectic tastes. “I like so many different kinds of music,” he says.
The analogy of the neighbourhood—local, welcoming, close to home—continues to work well for Zybart, and for the CKUA audience. He notes that the show has had three different timeslots before settling into its current spot at 11am MT on Friday mornings. “We’ve moved around, but we’re still in the same place, too. I hope we are just getting started. It’s a big neighbourhood.”
Congratulations on five years of In Our Neighbourhood, Oskar!
Tune in for a celebration of five years of In Our Neighbourhood on Friday, March 6, starting at 11am MT.
In Our Neighbourhood with host Oskar Zybart
11am – 1pm MT, Fridays
