The Wavelength
Monday December 12th, 2022 with Joe "40th Anniversary" Reilly
40 years ago this night (well December 13th at 2 a.m.) I made my radio debut...so we celebrate with special guests and great tunes.

40 years ago I made my FM radio debut here at CKCU-FM (it was at 2 a.m. on December 13th, 1982.) So I dug up my first ever playlist, a tape of the first hour of that first show and called up some dear friends that helped me on my journey to CKCU and through my first years at the station in order to reminisce with them and to thank them for all they did to help and support me along the way. First up we talk to Diane Laursen who was the Program Director when I arrived at CKCU. Diane interviewed me after a public recruitment event in Porter Hall back in 1980, when I first started at Carleton University. I didn't get (and frankly didn't deserve) a call back after that interview because my musical taste was not broad enough at that point in time. So I spent almost 2 years exploring new music (courtesy of a friend's guidance) and then came back in 1982 to give it a second shot and made it in. Diane helped guide me through my first artist interviews and helped me hone my interviewing skills over the years. She had the idea to create The Guest List in 1984 and invited me to co-host it with her and I've been working on that show since the day it launched. Thanks for everything Diane and thanks for calling in tonight. Next we talk to Monique Lanoix who was the Assistant Program Director when I arrived on the scene and Monique guided me through seven months in the closed circuit program, where new recruits trained to go on air - honing our presentation skills and expanding our musical knowledge and appreciation. Monique helped many new announcers during her years as the APD and I thank her for all the hard work she put into me by introducing me to a wide variety of music and being very patient as I worked to improve my skills. With Monique on the line tonight, I play a tape of my first on air appearance with Monique helping me through the process. Next up, my good friend Dave Seally called in to talk about the early days of our friendship, when we met working at the Dominion Store at the St. Laurent Shopping Centre in the late 70s/early 80s. Dave and I rode OC Transpo from Dominion to our homes near Elmvale Acres and on those bus rides Dave introduced me to a broader array of music by giving me clippings from the Globe and Mail about groups like Joy Division and sharing mixed cassettes of groups like The Clash, Talking Heads and XTC. Between 1980 and 1982 Dave helped me to expand my musical palette and that exposure to many new bands and artists helped me to successfully get into the closed circuit training program at CKCU in the Spring of 1982. As I recount with Dave, my time at CKCU led directly to my position as Managing Director of the Ottawa Jazz Festival from 1987 to 1989 which in turn led to me getting involved in producing and promoting concerts and festivals in region. The Jazz Festival position also led to me meeting my wife Beth Green so in many ways Dave's friendship and his musical introductions helped alter my life path in amazingly positive ways. So it was a pleasure to have Dave on the show tonight to thank him for that. Finally, I reminisce with Mick Kern - one of CKCU's most innovative and fun producer/hosts in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mick came up through closed circuit before me and we met at CKCU. His show with the Rev was an amazing part of the CKCU program schedule in the 80s. Mick and I were roommates for two years from 1986 until 1988 and he also left an indelible mark on my musical taste and my outlook on life. We talk about the days in CKCU's closed circuit and how we made it to the FM airwaves following different paths, and he talks about how his time at CKCU also altered his life path in a positive way. Thanks Mick for lots of great times and hours of great radio here at CKCU. I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. It's hard to believe I've been making and hosting radio here for 40 years now. It remains fun and an integral part of my life. Thanks for listening.