Hey folks! Another month, another newsletter, another time for you to learn about all-things CFCR in this very auspicious month of August!
This month we have the inaugural “Face for Radio” segment. Going forward, it will serve to spotlight our many amazing CFCR volunteers. A new volunteer will be chosen for each month’s rendition. Email me (Madi) at [email protected] if you’d like to nominate someone (or yourself if you’re feeling spunky) to be featured in a future edition of “Face for Radio”.
Joe, in his “Adventures in Managing” series, recounts his time spent getting to know CFCR legend Ron Spizziri. Ron, for those of you unaware, has been a part of CFCR since before there was a CFCR! For more on that, Ron has spoken about how he first came to be involved with community radio in the September 2025 edition of our newsletter, which you can find—along with all the other previous editions of Frequency Modulation—at cfcr-community-radio.beehiiv.com.
Read-on to learn about a new show airing on CFCR; to support Saskatoon’s public art funding; to listen to a new album from a Saskatoon band; and to learn about and support our highlighted sponsor of the month.
Face for Radio - Volunteer Highlight
Skyler Klyne
“I really enjoy working with CFCR, on and off the air, to champion Canadian indie artists and support local Saskatoon organizations through community outreach.
I believe in the mission of community radio and feel that local media and diverse voices on-air should always have a place in the world. I am currently the Wednesday host of Canadian Waves, as well as a fill-in host, when needed, on a variety of programs.”
Skyler Klyne is our featured volunteer and has been volunteering with CFCR since September 2025. He began as an off-air volunteer helping us digitize the local music we have in our music library and as a voice talent in our production department. He was one of the volunteers helping donors at the station and over the phone during our 2025 FM-Phasis campaign. He’s tabled at community events, such as the Punks for Pups show and the Fringe Festival, and he also worked at our FeBREWary event!
Skyler began filling for Green Eggs & Ham and Canadian Waves shows and is now a permanent host of Canadian Waves. Tune in live on Wednesdays from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. or stream previous episodes here. Skyler joined the Board of Directors in May, and we’re thrilled that he’s using his voice and passion to help shape community radio in our city.
It hasn’t even been a year, and Skyler has already contributed so much to CFCR in so many different ways. Thank you, Skyler!
Skyler’s Media Recommendation is Canadian artist Jeffrey Straker.
Check out Skyler’s Instagram where he posts regularly about the CFCR shows he’s doing!
If you’d like to nominate a CFCR volunteer to be featured in a future edition of Face for Radio email Madi at [email protected].
New Program
Tune in on Fridays from 7:30-9:00 p.m. to hear CFCR’s newest program Diversion. Host Fabian Minnema will treat you to music, interviews, and more! The first episode features a conversation with Shannon Josdal, the Executive Director of TD Sask Jazz Fest. If you missed it you can stream it here. Follow Diversion on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Saskatoon Needs Your Help to Save Publicly Funded Art
On Wednesday August 12 Saskatoon’s Governance and Priorities Committee will consider a motion to remove the Civic Capital Project Public Art Funding Streak from the City’s Public Art Policy entirely.
Learn more about this by reading this article from Saskatchewan Arts Alliance.
If you’re a fan of having art in our libraries, recreation centres, bridges, and other major city projects, please consider making your voice heard. Saskatchewan Arts Alliance has made it easy — just fill out your name and address on this form and your message will be sent to your councilor. If you have some extra time you can personalize your message if you choose.
Please don’t put this off. Your statement must be sent tonight.
Album of the Month
Don Law Vol 1
You can feel the dichotomy of prairie life played out in Don Law's music, with a sound that is in your face with volatile vocals, towering guitars, melodic bass lines and powerful expressive drums.
Listen to their latest release, Vol 1, right here!
Adventures In Managing
One of the first things I did after joining the CFCR team was dig into the archives and learn as much as I could about the people and events that helped shape the station into what it's become today. One name came up repeatedly: Ron Spizziri.
Eventually I met Ron at the station while he was hosting Hot Buttered Soul (which he has hosted over 964 times and counting!). We hit it off quickly and realized that we had quite a bit in common, so we set up a night to listen to records and talk music.
Ron's place is a retro dream! An incredible time capsule! Even better? His wife, Diana. She made me feel welcome and at home the moment I arrived.
After a beverage or two, we ordered pizza and got to the music. Our theme for the evening was "rock," so I brought along some shoegaze, girl-rock, and post-hardcore. Ron educated me in 60s/70s psychedelia. I especially liked listening to his collection of Love records, a mid-60s band from Los Angeles. He must have enjoyed my boygenius vinyl since he asked to borrow it.
The more we chatted, the more I learned about his love for music. At one point, he showed me his incredible ticket stub collection. I was in awe, but he downplayed it all and said something like, "We accidentally went to those shows. We didn't really know who we were seeing. It wasn't until years later that we realized we had experienced something special."
As the night went on, he told me about his adventures helping CFCR get on (and stay on!) the air. Then he pulled out an envelope of printed photos. Two standouts for me included a picture of Ron and members of The Cult after a 1986 interview, and a photo of CFCR's very own Jay (host of The Songwriters) and Johnny (Friday afternoon host of So Many Roads) in their early-80s band, 17 Envelope. I later asked Jay if he could recall the venue. He thinks it was a spot on 20th called Sneaky's.
It was well past 1AM by the time I got home. We had spent over six hours sharing music we love and making plans to meet again. Ron's a remarkable guy and a great host—at home, and on the air.
-Joe Manafo, Station Manager
CFCR 10% Sponsor Spotlight
Broadway Theatre hosts live music, film, dance, theatre, and both community and private events. The Broadway Theatre plays a significant role as a community arts and culture centre.
You can support The Friends of Broadway Theatre, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the theatre, by donating, volunteering, or becoming a member.
Present your CFCR Membership card and save 30% on movie admissions!
CFCR acknowledges that we broadcast from Treaty 6 Territory, the homeland of the Cree and Métis Nations, and the traditional territories of the Dene, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota. We pay our gratitude to the First Nations and Métis people who have called this ancestral land home for generations, and whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our community. On a foundation of reconciliation, recognition, and respect, CFCR is committed to reaffirming relationships with one another, and to establishing new ones.
Thanks for reading Frequency Modulation. If you would like to share this edition, or peruse previous editions, visit cfcr-community-radio.beehiiv.com.