A History of Older Women Live with Rose Marie Whalley
On Saturday, 9 November 2024, a frisky yet sunny late morning in Montreal, I made my way down to the CKUT recording studio on the McGill University campus. I was waiting for Mrs. Rose Marie Whalley to arrive for our interview. Rose Marie is part of Older Women’s Live (OWL), who have been running a radio show on CKUT 90.3FM for a little over 20 years now, called Hersay: Older Women Live.
It’s a monthly show that airs every second Wednesday from 6–7 pm (EST). It began in the early 2000s as a small group of women in their sixties. Since then, it has continued as a group of senior women, and even with changes in its members over the years, it has always been made up of women experienced in organizing or working on feminist and other social justice issues.
Their show focuses on the challenges they face as elder women in society and gives them a voice. As Rose Marie says in our interview: “We continue the feminist agenda into old age. Because it doesn’t stop, you know (…). We continue to be here and we continue to suffer the most outrageous forms of ageism.”
This interview is an oral history of Hersay: Older Women’s Live, told through a casual and honest conversation with Rose Marie as she shares her perspective and experiences – about the show, the world, and life in general. It’s an insight into how the show has, over the years, built a bridge between one of today’s most marginalized communities; older women, and young people. It has created a space for their perspectives and knowledge to be shared, passed down, and for new conversations between generations to emerge.
It was an absolute pleasure and an incredibly insightful and humbling experience to talk with Rose Marie about all her work as a political and social activist, both on the radio and on the streets. It’s also a lovely glimpse into CKUT as a community radio station that provides a platform and a voice for those people and stories often left out of mainstream radio and media. This show is just one example of many that speak to the meaning and impact CKUT continues to have through its community-oriented programming and support.
Please feel free to give this interview a listen to hear about it all from Rose Marie herself! You’re more than welcome to leave a comment or get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to share in response 🙂
Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy it !
Alona
