CJSW

cjsw blog

David Barsamian in Calgary

February 14th, 2012 by marc

The host of Alternative Radio will be in Calgary on March 2nd as a part of the Calgary Public Library’s celebration of Freedom to Read Week.

March 2nd
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Doors will open at 6:30

John Dutton Theatre

Central branch, 616 Macleod Trail SE

About David Barsamian

David Barsamian is the award-winning founder and director of Alternative Radio, the independent weekly audio series based in Boulder, Colorado. AR can be heard on CJSW every Wednesday at 11am as well as every Sunday at 7am.

He is the author of numerous books with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Eqbal Ahmad, Tariq Ali, Arundhati Roy and Edward Said. His best-selling books with Chomsky have been translated into many languages. His latest books are How the World Works and What We Say Goes (both with Noam Chomsky) and Targeting Iran. David’s interviews and articles appear in The Progressive, Z and other publications.

He is winner of the Media Education Award, the ACLU’s Upton Sinclair Award for independent journalism, and the Cultural Freedom Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation. The Institute for Alternative Journalism named him one of its Top Ten Media Heroes.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to the audio from David’s visit to Calgary back in 2010.

Language & Politics: Orwell’s World & Ours

Language is central in framing and informing political debate and in shaping public opinion. Join David Barsamian, founder of Alternative Radio, as he helps to celebrate Freedom to Read Week. David will look at the ongoing relevance of some of Orwell’s concerns, particularly the use of euphemisms and the passive voice, as they relate to the world of contemporary journalism and reporting.

Visit the Calgary Public Library’s site for more information on David’s visit.

Black History Month 2012

February 1st, 2012 by marc

February is Black History Month here in Canada. CJSW is proud to bring you special programming all month long. Check out some of the stingers put together by our volunteers, and make sure to check back here throughout the month as more updates come in…

Anderson Ruffin Abbott:

The first Black Canadian to become a licensed physician sat at the death bed of Abraham Lincoln.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Anthem:

A brief history of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” which has been referred to as the “African-American National Anthem”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Black Economic Freedom:

The road from slavery to Black Economic Freedom.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Carter G. Woodson:

The founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ella Fitzgerald:

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten Collection

Jazz Vocalist Ella Fitzgerald has been called “The First Lady of Song”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Frederick Douglass:

Frederick Douglass escaped a life of slavery to become one of the leading figures in the abolitionist movement.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Harriet Tubman:

Harriet Tubamn, a former slave, later used the Underground Railway to help free more than 70 slaves.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Jackie Robinson:

The first African American to play Major League Baseball’s impact extended well beyond the sport.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Kay Livingstone:

Kay Livingstone spearheaded the development of The Canadian Negro Women’s Association.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Leadbelly:

Perhaps the most influential folk and blues musician of all time.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Malcolm X:

The influential civil rights activist was also an important figure in the Nation of Islam.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Marcus Garvey:

The Jamaican-born Garvey has left an indelible mark on the face of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Elijah McCoy:

The original “Real McCoy” was Canadian. His patents changed the face of how steam engines operated.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Martin Luther King Jr.:

His methods of non-voilent protest were crucial to the advancement of the American Civil-Rights movement.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Muhammad Ali:

One of the greatest athletes of all time was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

NAACP:

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909 and has been an important voice for Civil Rights since then.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Nelson Mandela:

The former South African President led the nation’s fight away from racist apartheid-era legislation towards a fully representative democratically elected government.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Nina Simone:

Jazz musician Nina Simone not only made some of the twentieth century’s greatest music, but was also an important presence at Civil Rights meetings and marches in the 1960s.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Origin of Black History Month:

Listen to hear about the founding of Black History Month.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Slavery in Canada:

Much has been said regarding the history of slavery in The United States, but it is important to understand the history of slavery in Canada.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Spike Lee:

Writer and director Spike Lee has led an accomplished career making films with a social conscience.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Carolyn Mark & Geoff Berner Live on CJSW

February 1st, 2012 by Kat Dornian

Make sure you tune in for a live on-air performance by the remarkable Carolyn Mark and Geoff Berner on My Allergy To The Fans this Friday. Carolyn Mark is a rowdy country lady capable of kicking up quite a storm and not sticking to any one style, ever. She’s shared the stage and studio with many-a-band including the fabulous Neko Case. Now her and Geoff Berner are in town to raise a little storm of their own. Geoff is a talented songwriter and accordionist with a leaning towards merging klezmer and punk rock. His music is always interesting and lively. If you can’t check them out when they play the Ironwood on February 3rd, then don’t miss them on My Allergy to the Fans between 2 and 4pm.

Photos courtesy Ken Clarke.

CJSW Station Manager job posting

January 31st, 2012 by Mitchell Bundy

CJSW Radio – The University of Calgary Student Radio Society – is now hiring the next Station Manager to handle all of the business operations of one of Canada’s most established campus and community radio stations.

The Station Manager is responsible for managing all aspects of the station including the strategic development of short and long term goals for the station and maintaining strong working relationships with advertisers, community partners, and funding agencies in order to promote CJSW programming and sponsorship related activities. Most importantly, they will provide leadership, supervision and guidance to the staff and the 200+ volunteers that devote their time and energy to CJSW.

Successful applicants will have a thorough knowledge, experience and appreciation of all aspects of campus / community radio, from non-commercial music to news and spoken word programming. Knowledge of CRTC regulations, copywriting and production, and having on-air broadcasting experience is necessary. Experience managing a non-profit organization, supervising volunteers, a progressive attitude and good stress management skills are a must. A post-secondary education is an asset.

Applicants should have a strong business background with experience in fundraising, managing budgets, bookkeeping, audited financial statements and accounting, as well as experience understanding payroll and HR management services.

The next CJSW Station Manager will have ideas about new web-based platforms to deliver CJSW programming and information. The manager is a fun and dynamic leader who will assemble creative ways to tackle the existing and future challenges that CJSW faces in an ever-changing media landscape.

In return for your extraordinary talents we offer a fun, one-of-a-kind environment, a decent salary and some lovely benefits.

Please submit your cover letter and resume outlining why you want to be CJSW’s Station Manager via email to cjswadm@ucalgary.ca or by mail to:

CJSW Hiring Committee
Room 312 MacEwan Hall
University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, Alberta
T2N 1N4

Application deadline is Friday February 17, 2012 at 4PM.
More information, including a full job description, can be found at cjsw.com
CJSW is an equal opportunity employer.

Download the full job description (78KB PDF)

Megawatt Mayhem Announces Theme-Song Contest

January 11th, 2012 by Kat Dornian

Megawatt Mayhem, one of the world’s longest running Heavy Metal radio shows is looking for a new theme song! We want YOU to submit your song for a chance to be picked as our new theme song to be heard at the start of every show, every Saturday night at 10:00pm MST on CJSW 90.9FM and around the world on CJSW.com

Fast or slow, funny or evil, we would love to hear your musical ideas and submissions. Our last winner was Kevin Kurek of Destiny’s Calling and after several years it’s time for a face lift as we celebrate 25 years on the air.

The criteria are…

-It must be Metal! (any genre will be considered)
-No less than 30 seconds long, no more than 2 minutes.
-Can be instrumental or with words.

If you choose words on your theme song it should ideally (but not necessarily) contain the following words (not necessarily in this order) No excessive vulgarity please!

Kevin Woron, JP, CJSW 90.9FM.

The deadline is August 30th with the new theme to be introduced in September of 2012 on our 26th Anniversary show. Don’t delay, enter today for your chance for your song to be around the world every week on CJSW! Good luck!

Please contact us for additional information.

Joshuawood@shaw.ca
anarchy@shaw.ca
www.megawattmayhem.ca

Best of 2011

January 11th, 2012 by Kat Dornian

Thank You’s

November 9th, 2011 by Kat Dornian

The 2011 Funding Drive was such an enormous success and we’d like to send a huge thanks to everyone who helped out in any way they could.

Volunteers
The lead up to the Funding Drive is a crazy time in our house, the success of which is not without the tireless efforts of many volunteers: new and seasoned. First off, a huge thank you to all the volunteers and captains who came down to the station to answer phones. We would like to give extra thanks to the following volunteers who went over and above the call of duty:  Todd G for serving as uber captain every morning of the drive, Dave N for coming in for the late shifts, Zoe P for helping out almost every day and picking up lots of incentives and everyone else who put in their 200% to make sure things ran smoothly. So, thank you Bryson, Spencer, Nathan T, Dave, Reza, Aaron, Dustin, Nevile, Marco, Taryn & Rich, Mark, Aubrey, Kevin, Paula, Richard Freeman and his gal, Paul, Adam, Lucie, Nathan, Kristopher, Baron, Benny and everyone else!

The staff also went over and above the call of duty spending many volunteer hours, on top of their regular duties, making sure things went smoothly: Joe, Marc Kat D. & Hayley pulled out all the stops this year!

We also had a crew of high school students from the Westmount Charter School, so we would like to say thanks to all the students and their teacher, Jaime Good, with a special thanks to Daryl & Dylan Leman for suggesting this idea in the first place.

Finally, a special thank you to the Alumni. We had a number of Alumni come in and host shows during the drive. Not only was this good for nostalgia sake, but the seasoned vets showed the newbies a thing or to about hosting a show during funding drive.

Food
Of course, volunteers need to be fed so we’d like to thank Noel and his crew at Boogie’s Burgers, John & Megan et. al at Tubby Dog, Mhari from Mission Diner, Dan Northfield at Local 510 (especially for delivering to us!!), Spencer and the rest of the Palomino crew, Philip and his lovely staff at Cafe Koi, Dick at The Hop and Brew, Dan Clapson and Dave Hockey from Higher Ground, Lindsey and the gang from Broken City, Jane & Robert Steckle from Fat City Franks, Leslie from Subway in Kensington, again Dan Northfield from the Drum & Monkey, Erin from Vastu Chai & the entire Roasterie staff.

Thank you to the volunteers who picked up and delivered the food: Zoe, Bryson, Spencer, Marco, Nigel, Nathan and Nevile. Finally, a special thanks to the staff who provided many breakfasts: Joe, Kat D., Hayley and Marc. Delish!

Live Drive Shows
If you didn’t notice we put on a ton of shows during Funding Drive and, you know, it takes a lot to make those shows happen. Thanks to all the venues, musicians and artists who made it happen: The Palomino, Market Collective, The Ship & Anchor, BassBuss, James from YYC Food Trucks, Habitat, DJ Double D and The Sublink, Cantos Music Foundation, The Globe Theatre, Calgary Underground Film Festival, Dickens Pub, Broken City, Tubby Dog, Black Phoenix Orchestra, The Moa Moa’s, Rockets and Dinosaurs, Extra Happy Ghost!!!, Lucid 44, the Gooeys, Bemanic, Double D, Danny Diamond, Erwin the Intern, Lodestar and Supernumerary, Bass Charger, Wax Romeo, Audit, Mama Miche, Slim Pickins, Small Town DJs, The Magnetic North, Clinton St. John and the Sacred Chester Marching Band, KOTD Exhibition Battle, Cash Flow and J Thadeus, Deezuz, Sargaent & Comrade, ContraVerse, DJ Swann, Geist, Miesha and The Spanks, Chris Nevile, The Ex-Boyfriends, Pine Tarts, Beaver Squadron.

Artists
Huge thanks to Dirty Donny for the incredible funding drive artwork, Joel Monea for making the CDs look amazing, Tim Huesken for a bad-ass looking board game and Megan Kirk for some awesome gorilla glam t-shirts at the wrap up party.

Grand Prizes
On November 18th we’ll be drawing for a few really great Grand Prizes provided by Fiore’s, Patrick Palardy at Public Lunch Studios, Lifesport, Calgary Folk Music Festival and Magic Tours. Helping out the band challenge is Lorrie Matheson at Arch Audio, Casey Lewis at EchoBase Studios and Patrick Palardy at Public Lunch Studios.

Local Incentives
There were also a bunch of businesses that helped us out with donations of incentives. We’d like to recognize Swizzlesticks, Calgary Folk Music Festival, Red’s Diner, Fat City Franks, Tubby Dog, Trends Fashion, Alberta Views Magazine, The Arusha Center, Goodchild Cartel, Sloth Records, Frilly Lilly, Dick & Jane’s, Shelf Life Books, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, GIRAF, CUFF, Sled Island, Calgary International Blues Festival, Calgary Reggae Festival, Silk Road Spice Merchant, The Roasterie, Calaway Park, Sunnyside Grocery, Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese, HOME Tasting Room, Local 510, The Commonwealth, The Hi-Fi, Vox Box Studios, Light and Soul, The Ship & Anchor, Lisa Braun, …

We couldn’t have gotten all the awesome goodies like t-shirts and cooler bags together without the help of Ryan from New Dog, so thank you!

Music And CDs
People across North America helped us out with a bunch of CDs. We’d like to thank Sub Pop Records (Sasha), Bloodshot Records, Planetary (Kelly), Domino Records (Mona), Distribution Select, Nettwerk Records, Urbnet, Team Clermont (Shil), The Neckers, The Magnetic North. There were also a bunch of people helping us with the compilation CD. Big thanks to Dave Horrocks (Infinite Wave Mastering), Seth Goldberg (DMA), David Read (Vinyl Record Guru) and all the people who helped put the CD together by engineering live sessions and listening back to them all: Mike Gratton, Kevin Woron, Caitlin Mosher, Cailean David, Jason Tawkin, Hayley Muir and Kat Lord.

City Hall
We would like to thank Mayor Naheed Nenshi and his Communications Advisor Daorcey Le Bray for their help putting together the amazing Funding Drive stingers.

Win the Smithsonian Jazz Collection

October 20th, 2011 by Myke Atkinson

Smithsonian Jazz Collection

We will be giving away five Smithsonian Jazz Collections to five lucky listeners who pledge on specific jazz-related programs on CJSW. Valued at well over $100, the package includes six CD’s with over 100 tracks that trace the history of Jazz as well as a 200 page book detailing the stories and characters behind the music. Here are the details of the contest:

  1. Every listener who pledges $60 or over on the following shows are entered into a draw for 1 of 5 Smithsonian Jazz Collections.
    • Some Velvet Mornings
    • Breaking the Tethers
    • South Louisiana Gumbo
    • Morning Joy (Tuesday and Thursday)
    • AM Mixtape
    • Syncopation Nation
    • The Morning After
    • The Blues Witness
    • Lift the Bandstand
    • Soapbox Derby/The Get Up
    • My Two Cents Flat
    • The House Blend
  2. The draws will be done on-air at 9:55 am, starting on Monday, November 14th and ending Friday, November 18th. We will track down the winners after the draw.
  3. This is a bonus incentive for anyone that pledges on CJSW’s jazz shows. You will still receive all of the regular pledge incentives you receive from the station and any provided by the specific shows you donate to.

Make a pledge now!

Mayor Naheed Nenshi Funding Drive Stingers

October 20th, 2011 by marc

Check back here every day during the 2011 CJSW Funding Drive for a new stinger featuring Calgary’s Mayor…

Mayor Naheed Nenshi and his Communications Advisor Daorcey Le Bray in their 2011 CJSW FD Swag. CJSW thanks them both for their help in this year’s Funding Drive.

Make a pledge now!

NEW: Power Costs

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct Link to .mp3

“Disgusting”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct Link to .mp3

“Bad Business”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

“Top 5″

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

 

“Campaign Promise”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

“Former Newsreader…”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

“Ride…”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

Teaser: “Very Important”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

Kickoff:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Direct link to .mp3

2011 Report to the Community

October 19th, 2011 by Myke Atkinson

Holding Steady and Gearing Up!

2011 was a great year for CJSW. We won our 13th consecutive “Best Radio Station” FFWD Weekly readers choice award. The CJSW News and Spoken Word team won “Best Podcast” for the daily podcast Today in Canadian History and “Best News” for our 2010 Calgary municipal election coverage at the National Campus and community Radio Association awards in Halifax. CJSW Station Manager Chad Saunders was recognized by the Consumer Choice Awards as “Business Man of the Year” for 2011. CJSW has been nominated for “Biggest Champion of the Local Scene” at CMJ this week in New York. Several DJs reached significant milestones as broadcasters, including Kevin Woron who celebrated 25 years hosting Megawatt Mayhem (one of the world’s longest running metal shows!!).

These outstanding achievements could only be accomplished by a dedicated and devoted collection of staff and volunteers. Their efforts have allowed CJSW to solidify our reputation as a well-respected and important media institution in Calgary. CJSW is no longer “just another community radio station” – we are an established, stable and fun media outlet, one that is recognized locally, nationally and around the world for its programming, news coverage and continued commitment to the community.

CJSW continues to experience exponential growth online. There has been a 400% increase in visits to cjsw.com over the past year alone. We average about 44,000 visitors a day and over 16 million people annually! New servers have been added to handle the demands and three separate upgrades to our server network have been implemented to better serve the station’s online listeners. Upgrades to the website are continuously occurring and a new improved site will be launched over the next few months. A CJSW mobile app is also under development and will hopefully make its debut shortly after the Funding Drive mayhem starts to wind down so be sure to check back once the dust settles.

With a completed technical brief in hand, CJSW is exploring options to increase our broadcasting tower’s power from 4000 watts to 20,000 watts. This increase in power would help correct the interference issues we have within the city limits and strengthen the signal to the outlying areas that enjoy listening to CJSW on the FM dial.

Even with all these accomplishments noted, the campus and community radio situation across Canada and in the US has not been a happy story. Toronto’s CKLN, based at Canada’s leading journalism school Ryerson, lost their FM radio licence this year in the wake of management conflict and dwindling and divided community involvement and support. Now only online, CKLN is struggling to find a new home (they were booted from campus this summer) while maintaining a presence in the local community.

In the US, a number of college stations have closed up or been sold off to commercial interests as campus administrators “belt-tighten” budgets. Notably, the University of San Francisco’s KUSF-FM 90.3, Rice University’s KTRU-FM 91.7, and Vanderbilt University’s WRVU-FM 91.1. In all three cases, the universities sold the broadcast licenses of their traditional free-form, student-programmed college stations to buyers who switched them to classical-music formats.

On the flipside of the spectrum we have local and national commercial radio which continues to insult the intelligence of listeners. Amp 90.3 ran an on-air contest for women to “win” breast augmentation surgery. The Bear in Edmonton is giving away a Russian bride as a prize for their latest “contest.” What next? Give away a baby? You bet! An Ottawa station is giving away fertility treatments for one lucky couple.

CJSW is radio that is thoughtful engaging without the use of gimmicks, publicity stunts or poorly thought out contests to attract listeners. We work hard and watch every dollar spent to never to find ourselves in a position like our friends at some of these other floundering stations, and have taken many steps to protect CJSW against these types of actions. Your support is paramount to continuing CJSW’s organizational strength and sustainability.

Funding Drive 2011!

From Friday October 21 through to Friday October 28, CJSW will be asking for your generous support to ensure that we have the financial resources to keep bringing you great programming each and every day. This is the only week during the entire year that we take to the airwaves to ask you for your support. We want you to get caught up in the excitement and fun so that you too feel a part of Calgary’s campus and community radio station.

Please take the time to explore the website, tune into your favourite shows and maybe try listening to one you might not know about. Tell your friends about CJSW. Head out to one of the great Funding Drive events scheduled this year. Most importantly, we hope that you take a moment to call the pledge line at 403-220-5000 or donate online to support CJSW Radio so we can keep bringing you great radio.

Thanks very much and thanks for tuning in!

CS Signature

Chad Saunders, CJSW Station Manager