After a well-deserved reading week break, Midweek returned to the airwaves with a smaller than usual team due to internships… and a different newsroom leader!
Master of Journalism student Martin Halek stepped into the role of senior producer this week as Professor Nana aba was away in Toronto for research. Halek is a Midweek alum and former TA for the course, with his work having been featured with the CBC and Vista Radio. He was happy to return to his radio roots and coach our team for the day.
Hosting our show this week were Simone Brown and Jadie Leung, who were accompanied by some furry friends in the recording booth. Our production team was set to go minutes before we were on the air as our reporters listened eagerly in the classroom across.
Following the violence that had taken place in Puerto Vallarta, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand announced that over twenty-six thousand Canadians were registered in the popular tourist region at the time. Hannah Wanamaker spoke with Jean Daudelin, a specialist in Latin American conflict, to discuss the incident and its impact.
Later, Maia Tustonic debriefed Carleton’s recent “Curls and Coils: The Politics of Black Hair in Canada” panel, which focused on how Black people’s hair is a form of political and self-expression.
Laura Gillis attended a musical “Name That Tune” fundraiser for the Ottawa Cancer Foundation, where she heard from participants and organizer Nick Fundytus about the importance of the cause.
This February marks Heart Month, which is a time to raise awareness about heart health and support the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s work. Kaitlyn Ostapyk spoke with Lianne Laing, president of the institute’s foundation, to learn more about it.
We had three live tape talks this week featuring our reporters: Leia Fourney discussed a new single released by Saskatoon-based rock band The Sheepdogs, who will also be performing at Bluesfest this year, Marley Bradfield talked about the rising concern about costs of tuition and education following OSAP changes, and Jadie Leung spotlighted a Carleton student’s research on Japanese-Canadians in the sixties.
Our team also had a variety of arts stories centred around music and entertainment, featuring voices from local artists and experts. Maia Tustonic interviewed singer Stephen Dowd about the pros and cons of integrating AI and artistry, Simone Brown introduced us to slam poet and R&B artist Maya Spoken, and Kaitlyn Ostapyk spoke with Keon Jones, one of the founders of Sidestep, a new student-led organization aiming to create space for new talent in Ottawa.
Halfway through the show, we even had some special visitors come to the studio to catch us live in action. CKCU volunteer and host of Canadian Spaces, Chris White, brought one of the station’s co-op students to see how a live news broadcast works in real time. We always appreciate the support we receive from our local broadcasters here on Carleton’s campus.
You can listen to past episodes of Midweek on CKCU-FM or via our podcast.
Credits
Show Producer: Sophie Blake
Chase Producer: Alexa MacKie
Music Producer: Aidan Kallioinen
Copy Editor 1: Kaitlin Gruehl
Copy Editor 2: Audrey Pridham (TA)
