It is with great sadness, that CKCU regrets to inform you of the passing of Janis Lockwood. On June 5, we lost a towering figure in the station’s 45-year history. Janis was here from early days, helping to pull a fledgling campus-based community radio station up by the roots.
Her on-air presence showed all of us how radio should be done. Her support for local artists showed many a musician that it could be done. Her ever-engaging “old school mix for music lovers who refuse to be confined by narrow categories” was the best of CKCU. Off-air, too, Janis represented the best of CKCU. More than a trusted volunteer and host, she was instrumental in keeping us going through times both good and bad. As funding drive coordinator. As a former member and chair of the Board of Directors. As a tireless advocate for the station and, during those bad times, the driving force behind a decisive effort to save us from ruin.
It is no exaggeration to suggest that CKCU owes its continuing presence on the airwaves, online and in our hearts to the dedication and determination of Janis Lockwood. More than a radio host; though, in that, too, she showed all of us the way. On behalf of the many who owe her a debt of gratitude, the Board of Directors sends condolences to Janis’s partner Fred, her family and to the many friends whose lives she touched. If you are reading this, you know that you are one.