CJSW 90.9 FM

When one grows out of their snobby hipster phase, they spend their time away from researching obscure music websites and following music trends before they even become trendy. And with CBC Radio 3’s disappointing revamp due to cuts to their funding, I’m left with having to listen to an Ipod that hasn’t been updated in over a year.
OVER A MOTHER@#$*@# YEAR.
So after getting sick of it I turned to radio. I never paid much attention to CJSW, until I went on a date with one of their HOT hosts (whatever I’ll brag about that shit in a Unilocal review) and since then I’ve left it in my car and on any radio within my reach.
I really enjoy the variety of CJSW. For a Non-​profit organization they bring more entertainment value than any radio station of reach. Whatever happened to Vibe? The INTERNETS happened to Vibe. Anyways I love starting my drives having thrown mid-​song into a track I’ve never heard of. Most days CJSW throws a song in that catches or enhances my perfect mood:
Bossa Nova on a Thursday afternoon when I’m having a killer day? Yes please
Underground Hip-​hop hardcore anger on a Tuesday morning when I’m questioning WHY I HAVE TO GO TO WORK? Fuck the system
Romping house music too keep me away after I came from the club? Eases the pain of rejection and makes that after-​bar falafel EXTRA good.
Furthermore, they are eager to support various arts communities. They’ve helped promote several events for people in my circles in the past and I’m glad they continue to make a significant impact in bringing everyone together.
+100 points on Sunday Mornings. They have RADIO FILIPINO!
Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge ³⁰⁄₃₀

«Ew no, of course I don’t listen to the radio. What do you take me for? A Nickelback fan?!»
This phrase often slips out of my mouth when questioned if I’ve ever heard some crummy generic Top 40 song I would never wish upon my worst enemy. And, while I like to consider myself an honest person, I secretly actually do listen to the radio. Only to CJSW 90.9 though, a station after my own heart.
In a world where most every Calgary radio station is the same, playing the same dozen songs with superficial dialogue to the point where I would rather undergo Clockwork Orange like torture than listen to any of them, CJSW is a shining beacon of hope for radio.
Stationed at the University of Calgary, this radio station is full of rad folks (mostly volunteer run), who collectively care about producing unique, quality radio for the greater good. I can’t say enough good things about CSJW. What are my favourite programs? Probably Mind Folk’d, Dirty Old Country, Folkcetra, Halfway Home, Yeah, What She Said, and What Will the Neighbours Think. Every time I am in my car, I am usually tuned into CJSW. I love catching some good folk music and talk radio in the mornings when I am usually grumpy. Cheers me right up.
The only bummer, is when I happen to be an area of Calgary that doesn’t have the greatest reception for this station. That is why you should all donate to their funding drives and support local radio. For example, the Friends of CJSW card is great; CJSW has many friends. Some of the perks include discounts at Oolong Tea House, Phil and Sebs, The Yoga Passage, Bodhi Tree, Hop n Brew, Purr, Swizzlesticks, etc. Okay, so maybe I just listed all of my favourite places but there are SO MANY MORE. Another perk of supporting CJSW is that one day maybe their signal will be so strong, that I will NEVER ACCIDENTALLY LISTEN TO 90.3 AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS THE WORST STATION ON EARTH.
K thanks.
Review ³⁵⁄₃₀ of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012

I have to admit: While I listened to CJSW a little during my University days, I never really kept up with it after I convocated. Then again, to be fair, I’m not much of a radio guy myself. In fact, when I went to University, CJSW was stuck in the basement of old MacHall, and now, they’re in the upper level in a new space.
Anyways, just the other day, I was asked to guest on a show (specifically, Aubrey’s Shindig!) to talk about one of my volunteer endeavors. So I’ll approach this review as a radio station guest.
The doors lock down early, so you’ll need to rely on someone to get you in. There are couches in the lobby that you can sit and chill at, and a waiting room closer to the studio.
The staff are friendly, and they regularly joke and rib one another. It was amusing listening to the banter as I waited for my segment to come up.
The studio is clean and tidy (or at least it was when I was there). There are at least three stations for guests and one host, each equipped with microphones and headphones.
Behind the studio lies the largest collection of vinyl records I’ve ever seen, all sorted by musical genre. I can only imagine what that collection’s worth.
I had a blast doing my segment, and they even gave me a PSA to read on air (which terrified me, as I initially didn’t know what to do with the sheet of paper they gave me, which probably resulted in about 5 seconds worth of dead air live, oops!), which I thoroughly enjoyed doing once I figured out what was expected.
I can say for sure that my pleasant experience was to do how warm, friendly, and professional the people working at the station were. Hopefully I’ll get to do another segment there one day in the future.
¹⁵⁄₃₀

CJSW 90.9 FM is Calgary’s musical and intellectual refuge. An oasis of originality in a sea of benign classic rock and top 10 dance stations. Listen on-​line and enjoy your work day even more!

CJSW SLAYS. The only comparable station is X92.9, and even they’re too ‘big’, with commercial advertisers. The Roadhouse advertises with them — barf!
On to the good stuff with a handy list. If you’re not listening to your iPod, Sirius, or CD collection (I still have CD’s in my car: S), then I guarantee CJSW will be your go to station from this point on.
1) Real DJS — and by real, I mean they sound like real people you can actually have a conversation with. Not super rehearsed, they don’t use a sex-​phone operator voice, they even make mistakes! Ooooo! Real = Awesome. :))
2) A huuuuuge variety of genres in their programming. Maybe some people really do want hard & classic rock all the time… not me! They play just about everything, that you actually want to hear. NO Meatloaf, NO Miley Cyrus :))
3) They are huge promoters of local & indie music, often having artists into the studio, and getting the word out about shows that perhaps can’t afford a huge amount of marketing. Good deeds :))
4) Cool news! Actual news that I want to hear about. BBC in the AM, valuable twitter content, Top 5 tunes lists, event listings, and other bad-​assery :))
5) Friendly Biz — a variety of other cool & local business’s donate to the station, in order to be featured on the CJSW website, and then offer discounts to owners of the CJSW friends card! Clearly a great bonus for students, and other punters alike. Get a friends card by donating $ 25 to the station :))
This is independent radio at it’s finest. Check it out!
KLM

CJSW is undoubtedly the best radio station in Calgary. And you can listen to it on the internets! The totally eclectic mixes, the strange DJs and personalities and the fact that it is a non-​profit radio station which means NO ADs all combine to make it totally awesome.
FYI: Most of the personalities are volunteers, which means they are bringing their super cool tastes to the city out of goodwill. Programming is hugely eclectic: from German Polka to obscure French Hip-​Hop to underground metalcore, there is literally a program for everyone. I love to listen to find out about new music, and to discover new sounds. But sometimes I just can’t take it. For example, German Polka will never be my thing. But that’s cool, because you can just tune in on the next hour, when a whole new program begins.
Other awesome points:
–Huge variety of Canadian music. They take Cancon seriously, and they don’t use Nickleback on replay to fill the gap.
–Every genre imaginable
–Huge library of music that actually gets used, so you hear new music all the time

Whenever I’m on the road in new places I search for public radio, or better yet, college radio. So, when I’m back on the rez (Siksika Nation), it’s cool to catch CJSW. Or if I’m drivin’ round Cow Town (Calgary), I’ll bump CJSW.
I remember:
–Bumpin’ some reggae while storming down a dirt road in the prairie.
–Listening to M.I.A. for the first time while driving the 22X into Calgary.
–Cruisin’ to one of my favorite Radiohead songs while driving over the Bow into downtown.
I remember.
So tune into CJSW on your radio dial. Stream it over the intersplice. Or if you are down, drop some coin in support for this awesome resource.

Heya Hey!
I would personally like to thank fellow Unilocaler Katie C for recommending this station. I have been so frustrated with other radio stations on my radio dial and if I have to hear that Miley Cyrus song one more time, I may have to jump off the 14^th street Bridge and into the freezing waters below. But wait sound carries better in the water so forget it.
So thank you CJSW, in just a two day span I have heard a very relaxing reggae set. I don’t usually listen to reggae but the two radio hosts here were warmly entertaining and oh so charming. I have tuned in with Lindsey at nine-​ish to hear some of the hottest alternative music, from Ladyhawk to Cranky. Then just last night there was a French music set, that cranked off peculiar Kraftwerk music with French vocal remixes. It was really wild, it was like someone took a 32 LP of Tour De France and played it on speed 72.
There are no commercials here folks and usually the sets last around an hour, so your ears are inundated with a real diverse collection of music. I was able to add to my music memory list, artists that I really dig and haven’t heard before.
This is the best radio station for me hands down, I ain’t lifting my finger to change my radio dial now.