A new radio show is hitting the air Thursday evenings on CJSW. “That’s So Gay Radio”, created and hosted by Hanna Kassa, aims to bring LGBT radio content to mainstream listeners who are tuning in from 6 to 7pm.
Kassa, 31, pitched the idea for a queer-friendly one-hour radio program – offering half music, half interview time – to the University radio station amid a committed 12-year tenure of volunteering for various CJSW shows.
“Over the winter I did a morning show with [a lot of] interviewing and found I was more interested in covering GLBT events,” she says. “I saw a gap in programming; then over the summer I thought, why can’t I do it myself?”
Kassa was inspired to create a program that would serve to engage any listener, regardless of orientation, “raising awareness of the different things happening in the community …and encouraging interaction and participation,” she says. “GLBT content should not be separated or segregated from the community at large.”
“That’s So Gay” had its first airing on September 23rd with a discussion on the Fairy Tales International Queer Film Festival and the Calgary International Film Festival. The September 30th time slot devoted half of its air time to the current fall and upcoming seasons of activities hosted by Apollo Calgary Friends in Sports.
The program aims to showcase events that may be oriented toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community members, but are welcome and open to everyone.
“The music maybe unites people,” she says, on the diverse range of tunes she intends to intermix with interview content. “My experience, having volunteered on so many shows in the past, exposed me to lots of different music… I just like the good stuff.”
Expect tracks from soul divas like Erykah Badu and the Roots to new Arcade Fire and Thievery Corporation; Kassa provides an eclectic fore of tunes, “like most CJSW shows,” she says.
As the show is still in its infancy, interview subjects and playlists will be scheduled week-to-week for some time. Kassa is happily receiving interesting and topical suggestions and recommendations via E-mail.
“The show’s coming together, and evolving,” she says. “If [the suggested content] is what people want to hear, I’ll find an angle to cover it.” 