Matthew Lorenz is a Fort McMurray donor who used to listen with his parents and now listens with his young family.
“I started listening to the station with my parents,” says Lorenz. “They enjoyed the variety of music that you can hear on CKUA.”
He says that his parents’ eclectic musical taste shaped his own. They avoided mainstream music, preferring oldies, classical music, and selections from different genres. “They liked everything,” he says, “and that bled onto me when I was little.”
Lorenz mentions Mulligan Stew and Friday Night Blues Party as favourites from when he was growing up. Fast forward 30 years and now he shares music with his own son, Grayson, who is almost two. Lorenz and his wife, Lindsay, are making sure that music is at the centre of their son’s childhood. Get on the Good Foot and Alberta Morning as current household favourites. Lorenz adds, “And when Baba was around, and he played Indian music, I’d end up listening to that, too.”
The jump from listener to donor was easy for Lorenz, who works in media himself. “I’m a videographer and a filmmaker,” he says. “I see the decline of radio, but I also see how well-loved CKUA is. I see that and I wanted to support that. And I listen so often, I just would feel bad not helping out.”
He says when people around him lament the loss of locally-made radio, with real humans at the microphone, he tells them to check out CKUA. “It’s personal radio, with people who care about what they’re doing.”
He knows that his generation might be more likely to find CKUA through streaming or the app instead of via the FM dial, but that’s fine. “Whether it’s a radio signal or a digital signal, it’s about being able to connect with something that is real.”
The immediacy of connection with CKUA also appeals to Lorenz. “I can text CKUA and someone gets back to me right away. I recommend it to people because it’s a community. You can tell with the way the programs are run, and how much freedom people have to create what they want. It feels organic and real.”
Lorenz says little Grayson likes anything upbeat. “My wife plays him some newer music, some hip-hop stuff, but then we’ll put on Get On the Good Foot and he stops whatever he’s doing. He starts waving his arms and dancing around.”
We thank Matthew, Lindsay, and Grayson, for making their support of CKUA a family affair.
It’s easy to join the crew that keeps the music playing. Get in touch today at CKUA.com/donate.
