Happy National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On this day, Sept 30th we honour the children who were lost to the residential school system, the Survivors and their families. Let us all commit to continued learning, reflection, and action toward reconciliation. For this day and surrounding days, several CKCU Programs will highlight music and information about Indigenous issues and artists including: Stranger Songs, Coast To Coast, Alan Surmachynski and others to be announced, stay tuned/keep it locked to the Mighty 93.1FM.

A funeral service will be held at the Orleans United Church (1111 Orleans Boulevard, Ottawa) on Sunday September 21, at 1:30 PM.

For more information, please visit Dignity Memorial’s website.

CKCU Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the arrival of a new Station Director, Lia Kiessling.

Lia holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Carleton University and is a longtime listener and supporter of CKCU FM. After 17 years in Switzerland working in communications, advocacy and membership roles at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Internet Society and MSC Cruises, she is back in her hometown of Ottawa to join the CKCU community.

Lia brings decades of experience managing large teams of volunteers and overseeing complex budgets. With a long-standing passion for grassroots media, Lia is thrilled to be returning to a field that aligns so closely with her values.

“Lia also brings extensive fundraising expertise,” says Corrie Rabbe, Chair of the CKCU Board of Trustees. “The Board was especially impressed by her transparent, collaborative leadership style and her clear, inspiring vision for CKCU’s future. We’re confident in her ability to lead the station effectively and to navigate the challenges of today’s rapidly evolving media and economic landscape.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining CKCU — the community radio station I grew up listening to,” said Lia. “For 50 years, CKCU has been at the heart of Ottawa, supporting local people to be active in their community and have a voice in the media. I’m deeply grateful to the Board for their trust and I’m honoured to help carry that legacy forward.”

“It’s been a true privilege to serve as CKCU’s Interim Station Director,” said Anne-Marie, who has been
involved in local community radio for nearly 25 years. “I leave with a full heart and immense pride, having
met — and even exceeded — our fundraising goals in both 2023 and 2024. Together with our incredible staff and devoted volunteers, we reconnected CKCU with the community — from event tables to live broadcasts — and even relaunched the CKCU Kids Summer Radio Camp, a joyful mix of chaos, laughter, and learning. I’m confident that with Lia Kiessling now leading the way, the station is in excellent hands.”

As the leadership torch passes from the Interim Station Director to a permanent one, Corrie Rabbe shared, “On behalf of the CKCU Board, staff, and volunteers, I want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Anne-Marie Brügger, who stepped into the role in 2023, and led the station with outstanding professionalism, dedication, and integrity. Having restored a strong sense of purpose and excitement at CKCU, she leaves the organization on solid financial and operational footing. We are sincerely grateful for her efforts in raising the profile of our community radio station and strengthening its future.”

CKCU’s Live Off The Floor session for June feature sets by DJs Lamb Fatale and Fembottt. They share some of their current favorite music selections and encompass a range of moods doing so. 

We’re very excited to share a new CKCU FM project we’ve been working on —please welcome Live Off The Floor! This monthly series revolves around connecting with music, music makers, and the music community of the Ottawa area and beyond. Artists are invited to CKCU’s Studio B for an intimate live set that’s filmed in one take. Each month, we will be releasing new sessions of the series on the station’s YouTube channel for you to watch and enjoy. For the launch and first installment, we invited three of Ottawa’s finest DJs to the studio to kick things off with gusto and beats! Don’t miss out—check it out, and give the CKCU channel a follow while you’re there so you don’t miss out on upcoming new Live Off The Floor sessions!

After two amazing years on the air, we bid a heartfelt farewell to Riley Murphy, co-host of CKCU FM’s Thursday Special Blend. In the summer of 2021, Riley joined us from Georgetown, Ontario, bringing with her the curiosity, creativity, and compassion that define a great journalist —and a great co-host.

A student of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, Riley balanced her academic workload and volunteering her time and talent to community radio. Whether diving into local stories, sharing music, or guiding thoughtful interviews, she brought a bright energy and professionalism to the studio that made every Thursday morning better. Listeners could also hear her lending her voice to MidDay, the School of Journalism radio program. In a standout moment, Riley represented both CKCU FM and her Carleton peers, as a host of the 2024 World Radio Day live broadcast, done from Ottawa in February. The broadcast was a proud reminder of her skills, poise, and passion for community media on the world stage.

Riley’s final show on CKCU FM airs April 24, 2025, as she hosts her last Thursday Special Blend. Though we will miss her behind the mic and at CKCU, we know her future is full of promise.

Congratulations on your graduation and all you have accomplished in the past few years, Riley! Thank you for making CKCU FM such a significant part of your journey. You have given countless hours and brightened the 93.1 FM airwaves on Thursday mornings with much success. You learned with us and grew immensely. We can’t wait to see where your storytelling takes you next.

As we celebrate 25 years of Asian Sounds, I find myself reflecting on my journey with CKCU, which began in the late ’70s when I was a journalism student at Carleton University. At the time, CKCU served as a training ground for journalism students, offering a hands-on experience that was both exciting and transformative. I fell in love with radio and its power to inform, connect, and inspire.

My journey in broadcasting started with producing radio shows for Dr. Dehejia’s Indian Morning. His knowledge and engaging presentations sparked my passion for radio, leading me to explore opportunities in Singapore and India. Radio was in my blood—my aunt was a producer and anchor at All India Radio, and together, we produced a drama in Pushto. That experience was both challenging and rewarding, as I wasn’t fluent in the language, but it was a memorable and enriching endeavor.

Fast forward to the mid-’80s, I returned to CKCU, picking up where I had left off. Volunteering for the Tuesday show, I received immense support and encouragement from the community. A few years later, I set out to create my own program—Asian Sounds. My initial vision was to move away from traditional Bollywood music and focus on a talk-show format. However, listener feedback made it clear that music was an essential part of the experience, so we adapted, finding a balance between engaging discussions and a rich musical selection.

Over these 25 years, my husband, our children, Meenakshi and Tejeshwar (TJ) and I have had the privilege of meeting a diverse array of people—from jazz musicians to Indian celebrities visiting Canada, and young talents eager to share their artistry. The community has always embraced Asian Sounds, whether to promote events or simply experience the thrill of being on air. We often invited guests to co-host, providing a platform for many emerging voices.

Beyond entertainment, Asian Sounds has remained committed to supporting the community, actively participating in fundraising efforts for mainstream charities such as the Cancer Society, Diabetes Canada, and the Heart Institute. Whenever the community needed a voice, we were there.

As we mark this milestone, I am deeply grateful for the journey, the friendships, and the unwavering support that have made Asian Sounds what it is today. Here’s to many more years of sharing stories, music, and connections.

By Jagjeet Sharma

HEY KIDS! WANT TO TAKE OVER THE AIRWAVES AND EXPLORE THE WORLD OF RADIO?!?

Have you ever wondered about the world of radio and what goes on behind the scenes during live broadcasts? Do you think it would be cool to interview guests, create a radio ad, learn about audio recording and use special effects, or host a live radio show? 

Kids, ages 10 – 14, can spend a week at CKCU Radio Camp this summer and get to do all these things! You can learn the skills and secrets of the world of radio using professional broadcast equipment to record and create your very own content. But that’s not all! In addition to learning audio recording and editing skills, and developing your radio skills, CKCU Radio Camp attendees host a live two hour radio show on the final day of camp! Read more.

Radio Camp has been a huge success! Listen to the Radio Campers amazing programs here.

Sitting in a soundproofed studio at CKCU, Baljit Nagpal compares how he hosts his radio program, Aap Ki Farmaish, to being a chef in an Indian restaurant.

“Everybody cooks butter chicken, okay?” Nagpal said smiling.

But, he continued, if you like a particular place’s butter chicken recipe, you will go back to that location every time. In this regard, Nagpal said he’s a chef — but, for music programming.

Aap Ki Farmaish is structured around weekly themes that Nagpal’s community has come to expect. Often, Nagpal tries to blend new and old music to keep his listeners both happy and open to contemporary tracks.

This year, Aap Ki Farmaish — which translates to ‘your request’ — made its way into the top five most donated to funding drive shows at CKCU.

Nagpal said he begins raising money a month before the official funding drive start date by shooting off a hundred emails. In the emails, Nagpal said he includes personalized messages to the recipient — a gesture he said has given him credibility among his community.

For the past 10 to 15 years, Nagpal said this technique has worked best and lets him stay ahead of the frantic two week funding drive hustle. These pre-pledges give CKCU thousands of dollars before the phone rooms even open and other programs start to advertise the drive.

As the drive launches, these pre-pledges ease the burden and amount of work Nagpal has to do over the air waves.

Recently however, Nagpal said it has become harder to secure a stable listenership due to the rise in on-demand programs and streaming services. He noted that people nowadays don’t have the time to listen live since they have other, more “important activities” to attend to.

Despite this, Nagpal boasts happily that he has listeners from all over the world which grow his already strong following.

Aap Ki Farmaish airs weekly on Tuesday’s from 7 to 9 p.m. and consists of Baljit Nagpal, Anupama Potdar, and Prashant Maharishi.

By Simon McKeown