Junior Smith CKCU – Reggae in the Fields 50th Anniversary
by Dave Tulloch
The CKCU Reggae in the Fields show marks its 50th anniversary this year and has since become Canada’s longest Reggae Program. Coincidentally, Toronto’s Mayor, Olivia Chow, recently issued a proclamation designating August as Reggae Month in Toronto.
Junior arrived in Ottawa in 1974, after graduating from high school at St. George’s College in Kingston, Jamaica, to join his family. Shortly after arriving in Ottawa, he enrolled at Carleton University to pursue an undergraduate science degree. Although he was initially supported by his family, he was determined to become self-sufficient and worked a variety of part-time jobs to achieve this goal.
During his second year at Carleton, he decided to launch the Reggae in the Fields show on CKCU 93.1 FM, the campus radio station. At this time, the Reggae genre was relatively unknown in Canada, and the Carleton University radio station was in its infancy; Junior successfully leveraged his status as a Carleton University student to introduce Reggae to the Ottawa community. “In 1976, I started a radio program at Carleton University for strictly personal reasons. During my early years as an immigrant in Canada, I could not find any public radio stations in Ottawa that reflected my culture through music. After my complaint to mainline radio stations went unanswered, I decided to start my own radio program on CKCU FM 93.1. For me, the importance of RITF lies in its objective of promoting various Black cultures through music and spoken word. RITF not only reflects the programming content one would hear in Jamaica, but it also adopts the country’s motto, “Out of Many, One People.” This is the hope – that Ottawa will become a city which fully embraces the diversity yet oneness of its citizens.”
Ottawa had a population of just over 500,000 residents in 1976 with a Black demographic of approximately 6% (3,000). Caribbean immigrants accounted for approximately 87% of this subset. This immigrant population was Reggae in the Fields’ target audience, and initially, the exclusive listeners to Junior’s program. But this was short-lived. The show’s listenership expanded rapidly. “Junior used the show not just as an avenue to share his love of Reggae music, but also as an opportunity to discuss social justice issues – particularly those which impact Ottawa’s Black community – and to promote diversity. For his work using music and conversation to encourage dialogue and unity, Junior Smith was identified as one of the 150 Great People in Ottawa… his first reggae program was a 30-minute test program aired on a Sunday afternoon, following a proposal he made to the Program Director. Nothing happened for almost a year. But during this time Junior was learning the fundamentals of radio broadcasting behind the scenes, and when a slot came up within which a full live program could become part of the regular scheduling, he grabbed it.” [http://blog.catherineclark.ca/author/catherine/]
After earning his undergraduate degree, he began a career as a statistician at Statistics Canada, where he worked for several years. During this time, he kept airing Reggae music every Saturday afternoon on CKCU 93.1 FM. RITF became Ottawa’s “Grand Central Station” for touring Reggae artists, as well as an information dissemination platform for visiting dignitaries from the Caribbean: “Smith has interviewed some of reggae/dancehall’s biggest artistes. The most famous being Bob Marley, who performed in Ottawa in November 1979. Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Red Rat, and Mr. G have also appeared on Reggae in the Fields, which airs Saturdays from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Smith has also interviewed Jamaican prime ministers Michael Manley, Edward Seaga, and P J Patterson on his show.” [https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2018/05/09/reggaes-man-in-ottawa/]
It is without question that the Reggae genre has become a global phenomenon akin to Jazz, Blues, Rock, Hip-Hop, Country, and I daresay, Classical. And over the past 5 decades, Junior Smith continues to sit behind the microphone every Saturday afternoon, bringing the Ottawa community together through Reggae music, community bulletins, local cultural events, and enlightening interviews with influential people. And over the ensuing decades, Reggae in the Fields has adapted to myriad demographic and technological changes to remain relevant in Ottawa, across Canada, and worldwide via livestream.
Junior’s noteworthy contribution to the City of Ottawa was recently recognized by Ottawa’s Mayor, Mark Sutcliffe. The City of Ottawa named June 13, 2026, as Reggae in the Fields Day. He was also honored by the Canadian Ethnic Media Association at their 47th CEMA Awards for Journalistic Excellence.
Fast forward 50 years. Today, The Reverend Dr. Junior Smith holds degrees in Mathematics, Statistics, and Economics. He also has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Pastoral Theology, and a Doctorate in Ministry. He is currently a Minister/Pastor in The United Church of Canada. These achievements further confirm the primary motivation of “self-improvement ” stated by many Caribbean people who immigrated to Canada.