| It’s hard to imagine life in Calgary without CJSW 90.9 FM. The campus and community radio station has brought diversity, culture and quality music to the city for half a century.
This year CJSW will be celebrating a milestone anniversary – 50 years as a radio society and 20 years on the FM dial. The station began as a campus radio club in 1955 and could later be heard throughout the city on cable 106.9 until finally getting its FM license on January 15, 1985.
In its illustrious history, the station has provided spoken-word and music programming spanning every imaginable genre, and even influenced Calgary fashion trends with its highly coveted funding-drive T-shirts. CJSW has had an impact on every facet of the local arts and music scene, capturing the independent spirit of a city sometimes lost within its conservative corporate culture.
Hundreds of volunteers who brave the waves each and every day are the main reason that the station is so special. With only four full-time staff members (station manager Chad Saunders, music director Derek McEwen, program director Jane McCullough and office co-ordinator Kenna Burima), the station runs on the efforts of people who have a passion for radio and community.
Allen Baekeland is one of the original CJSW volunteers and started at the station in 1977 with his first radio show "The Rebellious Jukebox."
"Back then (CJSW) was a direly funded student-radio club populated by music geeks and a few straight arrows who were pursuing a career in journalism or broadcasting," he says. "But it had a great album library with a well-stocked beer fridge and a friendly activist vibe – just like it still has, minus the beer fridge."
At that time, CJSW had little campus or community support and was constantly struggling to stay on the air. Baekeland became the station manager in 1979 – the same year the University of Calgary Students’ Union (SU) tried to shut the station down.
"The whole year was a series of battles with the Students’ Union over programming policy, our right to broadcast on campus (and) the pitiful budget," he remembers. "At their final meeting that April, the SU voted in camera to close the station and sell off its assets. One SU member sympathetically tipped me off to their plan, which was to change the locks on the station door overnight so that the station membership would be locked out."
Baekeland decided to sleep in the office and lock himself in the booth, much to the dismay of campus officials.
"Sure enough, at two in the morning, a locksmith came and changed the locks," he continues. "But in the morning I got up and turned on the station as usual, making a special point of turning the roof speakers atop MacEwan Hall on full."
He blasted the Pete Seeger song "We Shall Overcome" and rallied together the other station volunteers and local media. The two-day peaceful yet effective protest forced the new SU executive to examine the future of the station. They formed a committee and ended up increasing the station’s budget, which helped get CJSW on the FM dial four years later.
Although much about the station has changed, CJSW has always maintained that activist spirit. One of the station’s most recent additions is Lindsay Bowman. Her Tuesday morning show "Step into My Office" has been on the air since 2003, the year she enrolled at the University of Calgary.
"My first show was terrible," she says. "Although I suppose everyone’s first show is. I kept accidentally playing the wrong songs, pressing the wrong buttons and talking too fast. Come to think about it, I still do all those things."
That sort of candour, combined with a range of personalities and musical interests is the reason why so many people tune in.
And it seems as though the city is listening. The station raised over $173,000 in just one week during its latest annual funding drive. Bowman recognizes the impact CJSW has had on the city, especially when it comes to the local music scene.
"It’s very rewarding to see how supportive the community is of us," she says. "CJSW is one of the main ways that local musicians can get exposure and that Calgarians can discover local music, whether it be by simply hearing a song or finding out about an upcoming show or CD release. Without CJSW as an outlet over the years, the local scene would not be anywhere near where it is now."
CJSW has many events planned to commemorate the anniversary, including a special-edition issue of the station’s sorely missed Vox magazine coming out this month, a CJSW compilation CD scheduled for spring and special returning guest hosts to tie in with programming devoted to the 20/50 anniversary.
With dedicated volunteers and a devoted following, it seems CJSW can look forward to another 50 years of radical radio.
"All my early dreams for the station are being realized," Baekeland says. "The current staff and crop of volunteers may be the finest in the history of CJSW. And with the success of recent funding drives, the community at large agrees. It is still an immensely accommodating place for forward-thinking, talented young people."
CJSW will be celebrating their anniversary with a series of concerts. On January 14 at Broken City The Ex-Boyfriends play with The Parkades and The Sacred Heart of Elvis (both of whom have reunited for this event) and on January 15 at The Hi-Fi Club the Ramblin’ Ambassadors will be joined by Lorrie Matheson and special guests.
CELEB TOP FIVE
Allen Baekeland’s Top Five favourite records of 1977:
1. In The City by The Jam.
2. The Clash by The Clash.
3. Low by David Bowie.
4. Marquee Moon by Television.
5. Pink Flag by Wire.
Lindsay Bowman’s Top Five favourite records of 2003:
1. Lost in Translation Soundtrack by Various Artists.
2. No Cities Left by The Dears.
3. Infiniheart by Chad Vangaalen.
4. Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? by Metric.
5. Here Comes the Indian by Animal Collective.
Rare on air
Rewinding to some of CJSW’s best broadcast moments
You’ve heard the shows and bought the T-shirt, but now it’s time to meet the volunteers. Here are just a few of CJSW’s most memorable (and embarrassing) on-air moments.
· Allen Baekeland, "The Rebellious Jukebox" (1977 - 1984): "My interview with Iggy Pop in 1981 right after he played the Ballroom. I can’t tell the whole tale without embarrassing a few people I know, but it went from a retarded farce to eventually a cool little chat about everything but music. At one point he heckled me, off-air, of being frightened of him and I pointed out my height and reach advantage over him, which made him laugh. I was definitely scared of him – he was pretty coked up."
· Leo Cripps, "Reggae Roots Revival" (1985 - 1991), "Caribbean Linkup" (1992 - present): "One memory that really stands out was playing a song one evening and a lady calling in crying and just thanking me like crazy for playing the song. It was the song she and her husband had danced to on their wedding day some 40 years prior. Her husband had just passed away, but hearing the song brought back such joy, she had to call. Those are the people that keep me doing the show, 20 years later."
· Kevin Woron, "Megawatt Mayhem" (1985 - present): "Having three-fourths of Metallica live on air. I had to lead their tour bus up to the station before they went back to the Max Bell arena. When the tour bus pulled up, a crowd gathered around and James Hetfield was first off. It was like watching the Red Sea part for Moses. Years later, Lars, who missed the first interview, co-hosted an hour of the program. The other favourites had to do with the station IDs by Lars (‘You’re listening to CJS-fuck!’) and one with Steven Tyler where he goes brain dead in the read and I give him a whispered hint and he goes ‘Megawatt Mayhem on CJSW – that’s what I said!’"
· Suki Davis, "Amazon Upbeat/St. Suki Davis Show" (early to late ’80s): "I was playing a particularly poignant ballad and I remember singing along with much gusto. The red light on the phone flashed and a caller told me ‘Your mic is on.’"
· Martin Kemp, former host of "Folkcetera" (1991 - present): "Calgary folk group Tinderbox was a regular funding drive guest on ‘Folkcetera’ and one year Kris Demeanor made up a song which they performed live called ‘Martin the Money-Grubbing Folkie.’ A true classic."
· Kerry Clarke, "Alternative to What" (1987 - present): "There are many, like pronouncing chihuahua exactly as it’s spelled. There are many funny programmer stories while I was program director. One of the longtime programmers quit his show as I was making changes to it he didn’t like. So, this generally demure guy had his one rebellious act – he nailed himself into the booth for his last show and took over the shows of the programmers for the rest of the evening."
· Bob Keelaghan, "Bob Anonymous" (from registration to graduation): "A teenage girl once phoned me during a show where I was impersonating myself. She told me that the real Bob Anonymous inspired her to become the editor of her school newspaper. It was shocking and heartwarming at the same time, especially since that little girl was Joan Crockatt, who went on to be managing editor at the Calgary Herald."
· CC Burger, "Listen to Something Else" (1980 - 1992): "I used to listen to the incredible Alan McFee’s CBC radio show ‘Eclectic Circus’ on the drive up to the station before my shift. One night I was so struck by his brilliance that as soon as I got on mic, I began a harangue at our audience over their choosing to listen to college crap instead of radio from a real genius. There were quite a few people in the station and as I ranted, a crowd began to grow outside the windows of the control room, with everyone looking at me like I lost my mind. After five or 10 minutes, I figured I wasn’t getting through to them, so I turned our off-air receiver to CBC and patched it into the board so we were broadcasting the last hour of McFee’s show. Kind of amazing the shit you can pull off sometimes and not catch hell for it."
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