91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ

I would like to begin by thanking the funding provided by the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund, which enabled me to pursue my summer internship. As a Cultural Studies student who works closely with physical and digital media to track patterns in human interaction, I was granted a unique opportunity to hone these skills through my internship at CKUT 90.3 FM. For three months, I explored three goals: taking advantage of the city’s summer events through community engagement, incorporating writing into practical contexts, and exploring a niche for archiving. I’m pleased to have achieved them as a Partnerships and Outreach intern. From sifting through dozens of magazines to communicating with sponsors, my projects demanded urgency and innovation.

From my first moments at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, I was drawn to CKUT 90.3 FM’s status as a non-profit, freeform community radio station—a haven for alternative music and profound conversations on-air. Yet my position taught me that CKUT’s labor of love goes beyond programming. As a Partnerships and Outreach intern, my duties combined internal and external interactions: behind-the-scenes communications with CKUT’s 21 partners and community-based event planning and reporting. This balance between the station’s private and public sides allowed me to enjoy a wide variety of tasks. I wrote about the city’s events for the website, organized the station’s archives, and ensured advertisements were sorted and aired properly.

There was seldom a static day at the station, and my internship undertook an eclectic and project-based approach. Some of my responsibilities included scanning magazine clippings for various media projects, creating social media posts, writing concert reviews, and sorting advertisements. Each day was a new opportunity to engage with Montreal’s community firsthand. Curating images from magazines urged me to examine cultural patterns throughout the years, while organizing ads urged me to engage with city-wide events. One long-term project stretched through all three months: scanning fourteen pages of magazine clippings (from CKUT’s vintage archives and elsewhere) to assist with redesigning the media kit, physical promotional materials, and social media content. My success with these pursuits was made possible under the supervision of Sophie Marisol, CKUT’s Partnerships coordinator. It was a delight to work in her office—to collaborate with someone who’s academic and career trajectory has followed a similarly creative path. Em D’Orazio, the Funding and Outreach coordinator, was also a large contributor to my positive experience. The three of us collaborated on advertisement creation, notably a series of handouts for the back-to-school season. I also enjoyed reporting on the city’s events because I could engage with a vast community of activists and creatives.

While I was beyond pleased with this internship experience, there were some communication challenges. As everyone’s schedules are chaotic during the summer, I found it difficult to prioritize one-on-one planning time with my supervisors. Contacting certain people during periods of travel, meetings, and divided responsibilities was also tricky. Yet when it was impossible to consolidate with supervisors in-person, I found it helpful to take advantage of digital resources: Slack messages and virtual meetings. Weekly ‘steering’ meetings also streamlined the CKUT team’s goals in light of clashing schedules.

Despite these hiccups, I began to savor the unpredictable, spontaneous nature of my role. Moreover, the projects I completed with Em and Sophie proved relevant to my English degree, as they urged me to think critically about inclusive language when creating advertisements and engaging with the public. This position also challenged me to evaluate the real-time impact of my work on the community, integrating critical analysis, deadlines, and public reception. Unlike traditional university assignments, my internship added a practical edge to my writing. Planning to attend graduate school in a communications-related field, my internship felt like a pivotal step towards my academic trajectory.

I experienced a revelation: relationships are the foundation of everything, especially in worlds as insular as academia and art. I did not receive academic credit for my internship; however, I received funding from the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund. The grant funded necessities such as my monthly OPUS card, rent, and food. I’d like to thank the Arts Undergraduate Society for supporting the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund—they have fueled many busy days at my sunny desk in CKUT’s back office. I hope to carry this light—and the magic of radio—with me during my time at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ and beyond.

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