You are never alone: A Message from CKUA CEO Marc Carnes

Dear members of our CKUA community

As the reality of COVID-19 and the ways it’s touching every aspect of our lives continues to sink in, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with Andy Donnelly, host of CKUA’s The Celtic Show, a little while ago. He remarked at the beauty of our medium to reach out to people, to lift our spirits, and to keep us connected when we need it most.

While we collectively navigate the ever-changing world around us, our thoughts are with all of you. Our pledge to you is to continue reaching out, lifting spirits, and keeping you connected through the power of music, arts, and culture, wherever you may be.

What does this mean for your listening experience over the next little while?

The health and safety of our staff is paramount, and so we have adopted the recommended social distancing and isolation protocols, as set out by Alberta Health Services. As you can imagine, it causes a slight problem when access to broadcast technology and infrastructure is an essential part of radio.

But fear not, for we have an incredible team of creative, administrative and technical specialists working on backup plans, should hosts become isolated at home. It means trying some out-of-the-box ways to keep our hosts connected. Additionally, we may have to pre-record some shows that you are used to hearing live, and sometimes we may have to dust off an older show for rebroadcast should the occasion call for it. As matters related to COVID-19 are developing fast, it could be a little bumpy while we adapt in real-time, so please bear with us, as we endeavour to keep you connected to familiar voices and keep programming, as fresh as we can for you given this unique set of circumstances.

We will keep you informed via on-air and online channels as changes develop. We will also endeavour to keep you informed about matters that unfortunately have had such a significant impact on our many music, arts, and cultural partners, and artists everywhere. If you can, buy records and merch. Buy gift cards. If ever there was a time to shop local and support your local creative community, it is now.

It’s also worth noting that due to the timing of this pandemic, a question we have received from some of our listeners and donors relates to the state of our annual April fundraising campaign. Our plans have obviously been upended by our collective condition but we will update you, our supporters who keep CKUA running in good times and bad, about our next campaign very soon. If you feel compelled to donate to CKUA at this time, please do so here and let me be the first one to say thank you on behalf of all of our listeners for providing a gift to us at this very important time.

To our healthcare professionals, community leaders and everyone who has done their part to help keep us healthy and safe, thank you for looking out for our fellow citizens, and our beloved CKUA community.

Take care, and be well
Marc Carnes

P.S. – My handwashing song is “Truckin’” by the Grateful Dead. What’s yours?