The music and talk show runs each Friday from 7 to 8 p.m. on CJUC 92.5FM
When Whitehorse musician Kim Rogers and CJUC 92.5FM (CJUC) radio-station manager Bill Polonsky realized that nearly every time they spoke they wound up reminiscing on all things baby boomer, from music to expressions, to food, to cars, the idea of taking their chats to the air was alluring.
“There’s sort of a gap in the market for boomer shows and people that talk about the boomer generation,” says Rogers. “I think a lot of people that are in radio or in other creative pursuits aren’t boomers, and in Whitehorse, at CJUC, there was a bit of a space for it.”
At Christmastime, Rogers was at a CJUC fundraiser event where she brought the plan to Polonsky, hoping he would agree that the two had a radio show in the making.
“We’re both born within months of each other, so we’re both eleventh-hour boomers,” she says. “Right at the very edge of the boomer generation, where it ends and Gen X starts, we’re right there. Bill and I are always joking around about boomer stuff and we always seem to know about the same cultural references.
“Every time I mention something, Bill knows exactly what I’m talking about. We both grew up in Ontario in similar socioeconomic backgrounds, so I thought Who better to do a show with than Bill? … because he knows everything that I would possibly have to talk about.”
It started with a one-off show centred around boomer Christmas songs. Rogers and Polonsky had a great time doing the episode but barely scratched the surface of everything they could talk about. The only way to get into all the things they wanted to cover was to start doing a weekly hour-long show. What else would they call it besides OK Boomer?
“It’s a way to dismiss boomers,” Rogers says. “So let’s just adopt it and own it and get in there and talk about boomer stuff unabashedly, so that’s what we do. That’s how it started.”
Dredging up some forgotten topics, or even things younger generations wouldn’t be familiar with, such as Boomer fashion, boomer home decor and boomer toys and games, Rogers and Polonsky found their childhood memories come rushing back and soon had months’ worth of ideas they couldn’t wait to talk about. Of course, every idea has to be tied in with boomer music.
“We play a lot of music that’s related to the theme of the week,” Polonsky says. “People come into the chat room and participate in the show, and it’s surprising that it’s caught on. People get it, and it’s really fun. It’s amazing how much we laugh during this show.”
The best part is that each episode is broadcasted live and is largely unscripted. While Rogers and Polonsky have songs picked out and know what they want to discuss, they don’t follow a script, leaving room for spontaneity.
“We kind of do our own research,” says Polonsky. “We meet on the Friday, we get into the studio, and it’s totally improvised. It rolls out organically, and we never get to all the information we have. Sometimes it’s frantic, sometimes it’s easy going.”
As for the audience, it’s mostly fellow boomers sharing in the nostalgic nature of Rogers and Polonsky’s discussions and playlisting who tunes into the show, but Rogers says some younger fans have started to join and she’s excited to give them a glimpse into what the world was like before their time.
“We have had a millennial or two there,” Rogers says. “We call them boomer-curious people. They want to tune in because they’re curious about what in the world this show is about.”
Seeing members of newer generations take an interest in her show, Rogers thought having some younger folks on the air to compare experiences would make for an entertaining segment. They went as far as to invite a Gen Z on the air, to compare slang sayings from each generation.
“I wanted to rhyme off some boomer sayings and see if a Gen Z knows what they mean or if they’ve ever heard of them, or what they think they mean,” says Rogers.
Picking the songs for each episode is no easy task, not because songs are difficult to find but because they are difficult to narrow down into few enough for an hour-long show with talking as well. Digging up songs that relate to the episodes’ themes has become a fun activity for Rogers and Polonsky.
“The one we did on boomer beverages, we had to find songs like The Kinks’ “Have a Cuppa Tea” or [The Champs’] “Tequila,” Polonsky says. “There’s a range of songs you can have. Some are alcohol, others are coffee or tea. I print off a list of songs we have on paper, of course, because we’re boomers … we’re not dealing with screens.”
While the show is largely for Yukoners, by Yukoners feel, Rogers and Polonsky are thrilled by the notion that anyone in the world who is curious about boomer culture, or lived it, can tune in and reminisce with them thanks to CJUC’s 24/7 free online streaming.
“It’s all our thoughts, and our memories,” Polonsky says. “It helps people project their memories from their time, if they’re from that age period. Even if they’re not, if you’re a Gen X or a millenial, you’re going to look back on your own memories of a younger time.”
Everyone sees their own younger years as the good old days, as Rogers puts it. “Gen X does it, millennials do it, and Gen Z is going to do it,” she says. “It’s kind of universal.”
Visit cjucfm.com to learn more about OK Boomer and CJUC, as well as to stream the station’s programming.
