By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

On a sunny afternoon, I drove up to the SFU Burnaby campus, jamming along to all sorts of music and listening to a friendly voice on Racoon City, one of CJSF’s radio programs. As I hurriedly parked my car and made my way to the Student Union Building, I found the CJSF studio and office on the first floor; a quaint, exceptionally decorated space filled with music and pop culture memorabilia. I had heard their voice, I had listened to their music choices, but I had yet to see the face behind the sound. When I entered the office, Katie Wilkie was sitting on a couch awaiting my arrival. From the first time I listened to her show to the time I actually met her, I already knew we would be great friends!

CJSF is our own campus radio station. They officially began back in 1974 as the Simon Fraser Campus Radio Society, beginning to transmit only to Shell House and Louis Riel House (now closed) residences on campus. Now, they transmit to most of the Greater Vancouver region. Their programming mostly focuses on diverse and alternative content, amplifying voices, points of view, and music rarely heard in mainstream media; they’re run by both paid staff and several volunteers from campus and the community. 

Wilkie is a fourth year student here at SFU, finishing up her degree in education. She is a connoisseur of “music, art, and entertainment.” A jack of all trades, she enjoys snowboarding and surfing, as well as crocheting and fabric art. “I really love anything related to outside; anything related to music; anything related to racoons,” she told me. Some of her favourite artists include SZA and Tyler, The Creator, which immediately piqued my interest as a fellow fan. She told me how Ctrl by SZA was one of the album’s that “got her into music” and “into the depths of lyricism and all the different types of avenues of music.” 

Racoon City, airing since March 2023, features a wide range of music, from underground to well-known artists. I asked why the show is called Racoon City. “I love answering this question. It’s because of the deep racoon infestation at SFU” — it seems like I wasn’t the only one who had asked. “I just kept seeing raccoons everywhere all over SFU and I knew my radio show was going to be at SFU,” she explained. “It was literally racoon city up here,” she said, recounting tales of her friends who live in residence who have had first-hand experience with the mischievous yet adorable trash pandas.

“Wilkie incorporates her own exploration of life into her show, giving it a personal touch. She frequently attends concerts of various genres, from well-known artists to underground shows.”

Wilkie’s journey as a radio host started back in September 2022, when she walked by the CJSF room and was immediately intrigued. She began doing open-mics at the station, and through that she got to learn about many “local artists, Canadian artists, [women] artists, and queer artists.” Some of the local artists Wilkie has featured include Nanaimo’s Apollo Ghosts, Kelowna’s Yukon Blonde, and Vancouver’s We Hunt Buffalo. The community radio station gave her “many more outlets to look for cool music.” Eventually she decided she needed her own show, and so she pitched it to Robin Eriksson, the program coordinator, who gave it the green light!

When asked about people who have influenced her, she spoke about the “powerful lady-boss” Robin! “We did a meeting one time on how I can improve my show and she just knows what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated space . . . it was interesting to gauge her perspective.” Wilkie told me how Robin was a big influence on her being at CJSF, and it warmed my heart. She also mentioned how her family has supported her: “My dad is a really big influence on my show because he’s my number one fan, and he’s the one who asked me to post my shows online.”

Wilkie incorporates her own exploration of life into her show, giving it a personal touch. She frequently attends concerts of various genres, from well-known artists to underground shows. “On Monday or Sunday, I’ll just recap my week,” she explains, from show reviews she watched during the week like Jujutsu Kaisen to musical performances or new albums she has listened to. “I came up with Racoon City before Racoon City started,” she said, explaining how one of the most memorable moments was the first time airing the show, when all her hard work finally came to fruition. 

Another moment I loved hearing about was the Mother’s Day episode, in which Wilkie’s expressed how her daughter “understood what it’s like to be a woman in the workforce that moms everywhere occupy all the time. They go underpaid, underrecognized, underappreciated consistently.” 

When asked about how she connects with the SFU community, she said, “I connect to them through the way I talk. I’ve been told that I have a really positive attitude towards my show so I’m always telling people to have a good day and that they’re doing great.” She’s always promoting SFU clubs and businesses as well as the local music scene, saying “whichever show I’m going to, you can go to, too!” I remarked that despite the fact I didn’t know her personally, I felt as though I was listening to a friend talking on the show. She laughed and agreed with me saying, “If you’re listening, you’re a friend.”

The specialty of radio is something that can’t be replaced. The exclusivity of having a show live is something that truly garners FOMO. If you’re ever looking to listen to something new, old, popular, or niche; tune in to Raccoon City with Katie Wilke, airing Tuesdays from 12:00–1:00 p.m.