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Feb 3, 2020

5 min. read

CAA members Rick Roschuk and Trish Bennett on the importance of community and good music.

Nothing takes you back to a time, place or feeling better than a song. That's what Rick Roschuk, DJ for Winnipeg's CJNU 93.7FM's Saturday Morning Potpourri show, loves most about nostalgia radio.

Connecting with people is what first drew CAA member Roschuk to the radio business. For more than 40 years, his voice has played over Winnipeg airwaves through radio stations at the University of Manitoba and Red River College. As a DJ, he's also provided the soundtrack to countless weddings, banquets and special events around the city.

In 2016, Roschuk developed the CJNU Saturday morning show, which combines vintage tunes, music trivia and warm humour. After a year on the air, his partner, Trish Bennett, pulled up a mic to join the weekly three hour broadcast. "Her knowledge of nostalgic music, along with her lively wit, really elevated the show to one of the best Saturday morning shows in Winnipeg," Roschuk muses, noting that the pair just recorded their 100th show together.

In many cases, CJNU's playlist of golden oldies is therapeutic for the station's older listeners, some of whom suffer from ailments like dementia and depression. "Music can be healing and we love the fact that many people have told us it's helped them," Roschuk says.

As a community-owned, not-forprofit radio station, CJNU strives to truly connect with its audience. Each month, Roschuk and Bennett broadcast live from locations that resonate with listeners, including Deer Lodge Centre, Victoria General Hospital, Riverview Health Centre and Winnipeg Harvest.

The show also pops up at Kildonan Place, where the DJ likes to tout the services and staff of CAA Manitoba, which has a store in the mall. "They're kind, caring and very helpful folks," he says, pointing out that he and Bennett have been members since 2017. On the air, they love to provide info about CAA services that benefit listeners.

"As broadcasters, we see ourselves as more than just as a media outlet," Roschuk says. "We're the voice, conscience and soul of good things past, present and future."

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