Michael Houston, better known as “tic”, has been in the community radio realm with CKCU FM for a whopping 35 years. His show, Wednesday Special Blend, is celebrating a major milestone with its 1000th episode on March 13th, 2024. The morning radio program, hosted by tic, started in April 2002, but his involvement at CKCU FM began much before. In 1983, he stumbled across a documentary produced by a CKCU volunteer and it was love at first listen according to the host. Two weeks later, tic was a volunteer on his journey to become part of the CKCU FM family. The rest is history, as 22 years later, he is reaching his 1000th episode!
When it comes to contributing to CKCU and the community, tic leads by example. He has a big heart and likes to share about what people in the community are doing, their stories, local music, events, and the odd opinion. He has been instrumental in supporting the annual CKCU FM Funding Drive and contributing to community connection. As well, he is a technically savvy guy who offers support to others with his skills. He’s been an integral part of the CKCU, working hard to make sure Wednesday Special Blend is engaging, entertaining, and informative for the audience.
Michael absolutely loves being on the radio, but he is especially interested and attentive to the technical side of creating his content. He takes pride in making sure his shows are quality sounding and run smoothly for the listener’s experience. After being live in the studio for many years, since the pandemic, tic prefers to record his shows in his cozy home studio. It allows him to focus on the technical quality by reducing any potential challenges that could happen during a live broadcast. He believes that good sound and production are important and add to listening enjoyment.
CKCU FM is far more than just a community radio station to tic. He shared that part of its value is its diversity. The station broadcasts in at least a dozen languages and features special interest programming that you won’t find many other places. It’s a friendly place where people can learn about different cultures, music, and community news. As tic says, “Sometimes you just need to mix things up and try something new!”. That is exactly what CKCU FM offers and is a key reason why he loves being part of it.
– Joy Keke