This fall, CJRU is running our second-ever 24 Hour Radio Challenge!
What’s a 24 hour radio challenge, you ask? Well, it’s a fun & funky creative competition wherein, over the course of 24 hours, participants attempt to make a compelling 3 – 6 minute piece of radio, based on a secret theme that we’ll be announcing on the day of the challenge. It can be nonfiction or fiction, serious or funny, contain one voice or many – it’s all up to you!
The details you need to know: this year’s challenge will be taking place from Saturday, October 1st, 10am EST, to Sunday, October 2nd, 10am EST. You can sign up solo or as part of a team, and registration is open to anyone anywhere in the world! If you’re based in Toronto, CJRU will be making recording equipment available for participants to borrow, and Hindenburg is generously offering all of our participants free one-year licenses to their Hindenburg PRO audio editing software.
Starting Saturday, October 1st 10AM EST to Sunday, October 2nd 10AM EST Hindenburg is providing FREE 1-year Hindenburg PRO licenses to celebrate and promote CJRU’s 24-Hour Radio Challenge. Hindenburg PRO is the only storytelling platform designed explicitly for podcasting and radio production. Create more unforgettable stories faster and easier with less editing.
Submissions will be evaluated by a team of judges, and we’ll have some fabulous prizes for the winning teams. We’ll air some of our favourite pieces on CJRU, too.
Listen to our top 3 submissions here:
The Prizes
1st Place
You will have a TWO YEAR Hindenburg PRO license.
Audio prize pack from our friends at Long & McQuade Musical Instruments including:
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1 x Shure SM7b Microphone
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1 x Shure SRH840A – Professional Reference Headphones
($700 value)
2nd Place
You will have a TWO YEAR Hindenburg PRO license.
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2x Passes to Venus Fest
The passes will grant winners full access to each festival day (October 14, 15, 16)
The October 14th festival is all ages, the other 2 days are 19+
($90 value)
3rd Place
You will have a TWO YEAR Hindenburg PRO license.
Our Judges
Adrian Muhajarine
Adrian Muhajarine is the Associate Producer of eOne’s Podcast Network, developing and producing podcasts of all kinds, from unscripted interviews to scripted kids’ content. While at eOne, he produced Notes from the Frontline, which was named one of Apple Podcasts’ top Canadian shows of 2020. More importantly, he also co-produced the winning entry to the 2019 CJRU 24 Hour Radio Challenge. He is obsessed with storytelling in many forms, from audio to TV, to experiential narratives, and is a graduate of RTA’s Media Production program at TMU.
Noah Sniderman
I’m Noah Sniderman, a CJRU alumni and super fan! CJRU was the highlight of my university experience, and prepared me so well for the career I entered into. After six years of freelance podcast production, I began a new role last March as Technical Director, Audio at City Cast. My time in community radio has helped me understand how local broadcasting can foster community, and this is exactly what City Cast seeks to do in all of its cities. I’m so grateful for CJRU, and encouraging of anyone who wants to try volunteering or working there in any capacity!
Adriel Smiley
Adriel Smiley is an award-winning journalist from Toronto. He is the host of The Cool Table on CJRU 1280 AM. In addition, he is the host of the IN THE CUT Podcast and co-host of Album Mode. IN THE CUT is an interview series where guests are challenged to finish a tub of ice cream before the end of the conversation. He is a juror for the Polaris Prize and a delegate for the JUNO Awards.
Yvette Sin
During her time as a CJRU producer, Yvette discovered a love for audio storytelling and community reporting. Now she works as a sound engineer at CBC Podcasts while freelancing in film and design, and figuring out the rest of her adult life.
Elena Hudgins Lyle
Elena Hudgins Lyle is the co-host of Inappropriate Questions, an award-winning CBC podcast tackling uncomfortable questions with open conversation and humour. They currently produce upcoming podcasts as an Associate Producer at Media Girlfriends. Elena fell in love with audio storytelling as a Media Production student at TMU, where they contributed to CJRU’s feminist news and culture show FemRadio. After graduating they worked on CBC Radio One’s Podcast Playlist before joining Media Girlfriends. They love all things queer, sci-fi, and dad rock — and they can definitely identify that bird for you.
Ramraajh Sharvendiran
Ramraajh Sharvendiran is the host of Ontario Morning. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up glued to his radio as both an accessible way to consume music, and to learn about a world outside his own. While studying communications at York University, he joined the community radio station CHRY 105.5 FM, hosting and producing Queer Currents – a weekly queer and trans-focused program – for nearly a decade. He then moved on to help launch CJRU 1280 AM by building and hosting a daily morning show called Morning Mixtape. In the midst of feeding his passion for radio, he had a 5-year stint in public health before joining CBC Toronto as an intern in 2017. After building his skills as an Associate Producer in Toronto, Ramraajh moved to Northern Manitoba in 2018 to host and produce CBC’s daily morning show, North Country, out of a single-operator bureau in Thompson, Manitoba. After a couple of years in the north, he eventually made his way to Newfoundand and Labrador where he became the co-host of the St. John’s Morning Show. In recent years, beyond his regular hosting duties, Ramraajh has made inclusion a priority by contributing to initiatives such as the current JSP review and the Atlantic Sourcing and Recruitment Project. His work has also led to the development of the multiplatform series N.L. in Colour, which explores the lived experiences of BIPOC Newfoundlanders. Ramraajh returned to his home province joining the team at Ontario Morning in 2022 as their new host.
