Co-host Liam Leonard at the mic
The Midweek show is produced by teams of senior and master’s journalism students at Carleton University taking a 12-week course in radio current affairs journalism…and they hit the ground running: There are two instructional classes…and then a “dry run” show…and then we’re live on the air for nine weeks of 90-minute programs.
The dry-run shows are where we’re supposed to make our mistakes, scare ourselves, and learn from the experience so we’ll be more prepared when we actually go live on air to the Ottawa region on CKCU-FM.
To be honest…we did learn some good lessons from making just the right mistakes in our latest dry-run show on Sept. 19 — but in the process we also produced a pretty darned good radio show, too! Co-hosts Laura Atherton and Liam Leonard fronted the efforts of the team — and we’ve decided to post this “practice” show so you can hear it, too..
In the show, we reported how Interval House of Ottawa is letting people seeking shelter bring along their pets, so the hard times that have led them to seek shelter there aren’t worsened by leaving behind a source of love.
T/A Jaclyn Mcrae and producer Hunza Chaudhary
We also tell about about a push to make Ottawa a “Bee City”…and about a bear that went to Market — the ByWard Market, that is. Other stories told about sororities fighting hazing and other forms of bullying, how tough it still can be for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and how some of our neighbours struggle unseen with eating disorders and substance abuse.
The show ends with in-depth documentaries on efforts to clean up local riverbanks, and on a mural project at a local church aimed at atoning for the past and imagining a better future.
All that and more on Midweek — and judging from this practice run, there’ll be lots more fascinating radio in the weeks ahead!