What does it take to make great radio happen? First, you need the building blocks. Powerful technology. A vast music library. Next, add some wonderful people to the mix. Volunteers, staff, and hosts who work hard and love music. Finally, a supportive community is essential. The music we share needs to reach the people, and we are so grateful for CKUA’s audience. They are enthusiastic listeners and generous donors! Let’s meet some of the people who make CKUA what it is!
Arianne Smith-Piquette, Content Director
Arianne Smith-Piquette is CKUA’s Content Director now, but when she began working at CKUA more than a decade ago, her work was wholly focused on the music library. “It’s a special library,” she says. “It’s a physical collection and an archive, but it’s also a modern and dynamic collection.” One of the first projects Smith-Piquette worked on was the mammoth job of digitizing the back catalogue—some 60,000 CDs.
The digitization project began in 2010. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how new music was sent in to the station. Most of the audio moved to a digital submission format. The digitization work done before 2020 allowed CKUA to be ahead of the curve. The hosts, who were suddenly all working from home, relied on remote access to the music library. Digital access became essential. As the digitization project evolved, its benefits became apparent to all.
Now all the hosts can access digitized music, organizing songs as they build a program. Notes can be added to include artist biographies, festival appearances, and more.
“We don’t have every single song that’s ever been recorded, but it is a special and curated collection,” says Smith-Piquette. “Having digital files is good, and it’s the fastest way of getting music into the library and into the announcers’ hands. The library sends out a new music report bi-weekly, and we have weekly meetings where hosts can talk about what new music they are discovering. Everyone who works here is a music nerd, and to give them that chance to talk about what they are excited about is valuable. It keeps us up to date with the current releases. It’s a team effort.”
Mark Rodgers, Host and Technical Producer
Mark Rodgers has worked full-time at CKUA since 2019, and his time is split between hosting and production. His Saturday program, Open Nights, requires him to be focused and prepared, and he brings that same attention to detail to his production work. He does double checks, confirming that the audio quality and tech info are good for show promotions, playlists, and pre-recorded shows. He also works on audio for fundraiser messages. “I’m a production guy. A radio host. I like doing promos for shows. A 30-second promo is a challenge, because you’re trying to get someone to listen to your show, but you only have 30 seconds to pitch it.’
Rodgers calls making show promos one of the “layers” of technical producing. He might enjoy hosting more than anything else he does at CKUA. In his production studio, Rodgers looks to a bright orange sign that says, “I’m just doin’ my rock ‘n’ roll duty,” something he says often while he’s hosting his program. “Open Nights is the funnest thing ever!”
Laurie Iverson, Events and Volunteer Manager
“We have about 150 volunteers at CKUA,” says Laurie Iverson, Events and Volunteer Manager. “They help us with in-person events and other things here in the building. One of their big jobs is to thank all the people who donate to CKUA.” Iverson notes that over the past year, CKUA volunteers made more than 4000 thank you calls. “We want the donors to feel appreciated!” she says.
“Volunteers also do tracking during fundraisers, keeping the hosts up to date on the rising total,” says Iverson. They help us with events and celebrations, like live broadcasts, and in-person at festivals. Volunteers are also tour guides for school groups or other guests in the building. They show people around and show them the significance of CKUA. People see the technology, the studios, and the places we work.”
“Volunteers donate their time. Having them at events, supported by our team, really does help instill and create community around the radio station,” says Iverson. “And that aspect of community is one of the most important things about CKUA! “
Alex Hall and Ryan Breitkreitz, IT and Broadcast Services
“I lead the IT and Broadcast Services department,” says Alex Hall. This team of six includes broadcast engineers, IT professionals, and a project coordinator. “They work together to make operations run smoothly.” The broadcast engineers are mainly responsible for the 16 transmitter tower sites throughout the province, plus the studios and sound booths in the Edmonton and Calgary studios. The IT professionals are responsible for all interconnected systems: infrastructure, servers, computer hardware and software, plus the workings of the CKUA website and OnDemand platform. The project coordinator makes sure that all the teams at CKUA have the tools they need to do their work and communicate with each other.
One member of the IT and Broadcast Services department is IT System Administrator Ryan Breitkreitz. He knows that CKUA’s hosts are creative, but they also need technology to make the magic happen. “I provide them with the equipment they need to do their job, and then I support them in any way that’s needed,” says Breitkreitz.
The technology that CKUA relies on is intricate, expensive, and crucial for day-to-day operations. This is most evident in the server room, a locked and temperature-controlled section of the office at CKUA’s Edmonton building.
“The server room is where everything happens.” says Breitkreitz. “It’s the centre of the operation. It’s where all the servers are hosted, and where all the networking equipment and satellite equipment are hosted. If that wasn’t here, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
The technological expertise provided by the IT and Broadcast Services team is both inward and outward facing. “We are a service unit,” says Hall. “I refer to internal staff, and our community as customers. We are serving them. We want to make sure that listeners are happy and staff are happy.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting some members of Team CKUA. They make great radio happen, every day. Now we’re inviting you do your part, too. CKUA is donor-supported, and your generous support is essential to our daily operations. Because you value great radio, donate today. CKUA’s Spring Fundraiser starts April 25. Please donate at CKUA.com
