CKCU-FM is a Canadian community-based
campus radio station, broadcasting at 93.1
FM in
Ottawa, and offering live and archived on-demand audio streams from its website. The station broadcasts 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
The station's studios are located on the campus of
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...
, on the fifth floor of the University Centre building. The station's signal is radiated from the
Ryan Tower in the
Gatineau Hills
The Gatineau Hills (french: Collines de la Gatineau) are a geological formation in Canada that makes up part of the southern tip of the Canadian Shield, and acts as the northern shoulder of the Ottawa Valley. They are also the foothills of th ...
, along with most of Ottawa's other private and public radio stations, meaning that it enjoys full broadcast power and a listening area with a radius of 100 km.
History
CKCU Radio Carleton is Canada's oldest community-based campus radio station. On May 22, 1973, Carleton University Association Inc. was granted a licence from the CRTC to operate a carrier current
AM station, operating on 670
kHz with power of only 16 watts. Its first broadcast at 93.1 FM on November 14, 1975 when it played
Joni Mitchell's
You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio.
[http://www.ckcufm.com/about About , CKCU-FM] CKCU broadcasts live 24 hours a day to a 100 km radius on FM 93.1.
CKCU airs over 100 different shows each week, including programs in 14 languages. The schedule includes both general and specialty music programs,
public affairs and
spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
programming, and features many shows with a topical or international flavour. Some shows feature live in-studio performances by local artists. CKCU actively supports, sponsors and promotes local independent musicians, venues, concerts and festivals.
Volunteers from the campus and community program and host all shows. Often dubbed ''the mighty 93'' by devotees, CKCU has a
freeform format that allows the hosts to pick all the music played, and has many community programs.
The listener-supported station has an annual funding drive in late October and early November, to raise money for its annual operating budget.
In 2018, this raised over $140,000. Further money is raised from university student levies, along with revenue from advertisers and sponsors. The station self-produces much of the advertising material it carries, giving the advertising a campus flavour popular with listeners.
Each March break and several times during the summer, CKCU runs a unique Radio Camp for kids ages 10–14. The camp has been growing in popularity since 2001 and features a live two-hour kids broadcast.
CKCU-FM was included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in
Doors Open Ottawa
Doors Open Ottawa is an annual event held in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that gives the public access to many of the city's unique and historically significant buildings. Among the buildings included are government offices, museums, radi ...
.
On July 3, 2020, a construction mishap knocked down the tower at CKCU-FM's building. The mishap severed the link between the studio and the transmitter site rendering the station silent.
The station was back on the air a month later
[https://charlatan.ca/2020/08/05/ckcu-returns-to-air-after-longest-ever-broadcast-disruption/][. In the interim CKCU-FM audio was available to listen online over the internet.
]
Selected programs (Currently on)
*''The Back 40'' - A program of traditional country, western, and bluegrass music.
*''Both Kinds of Music''
*''Black & Blues''
*''Canadian Spaces'' - A folk/roots/acoustic music show which has aired since 1980.
''Earthgauge''
- environmental news and interviews hosted and produced by Mark Brooks.
*''Friday Morning Cartunes'' - Hosted by John Westhaver, of Birdman Sound fame.
*''In a Mellow Tone'' - A jazz program heard every Wednesday from 9 to 11pm.
*''The Filibuster'' - A political music/news show which airs every Monday morning at 9:00am
*''The Red Zone'' - A weekly program dedicated to sports talk radio. Hosts debates and special features on a regular basis.
*''An Indian Morning'' - Hosted by Harsha Dehejia and Kishore Sampat, the show focuses on the music of India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, including folk, classical and devotional and film music.
*''Special Blend'' - A morning show which airs weekdays from 7 to 10a.m., the show follows a talk/music format with a focus on current affairs, particularly news stories of local interest.
''CKCU Literary News''
- An internet-based broadcasting service of CKCU-FM, affiliated wit
Carleton University
in Ottawa. This service include
''Literatures in Europe Today''
''Les actualités littéraires dans le monde francophone''
hosted by Hans G. Ruprecht, alternating wit
''Das Literarische Echo''
co-hosted by Hans G. Ruprecht and Helmut Zobl.
*''Reggae in the Fields'' - hosted by Junior Smith, Saturdays, 3–5:30pm. Canada's longest-running radio program.
*''Swing Is in the Air'' - A weekly swing and mainstream jazz program.
*''This Island Earth'' - A world music program heard every Sunday from 1 to 4pm EST and hosted by the This Island Earth Collective.
*''Turn Up The Radio''
*''Vintage Love''
''Whatever's Cool With Me''
- A general music show.
*''Barrio Latino'' - Latin Music Friday 6pm to 8pm
hosted by Massive Vibes & Selecta Dri Dri.
Famous alumni
* Ian Mendes
*Jeremy Gara
Jeremy Gara (born June 6, 1978) is a Canadian drummer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is most well known as the drummer of the band Arcade Fire. Gara is an active performer in a number of other projects, including work as a solo performer.
Career
Ga ...
*Ken Rockburn Ken Rockburn (born 1947) is a Canadian radio and television journalist and host. He is most noted for his associations with the Canadian Cable Public Affairs Channel ( CPAC), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CHEZ-FM radio.
Career history
...
* David Mowbray
* Jeff Green
* Jason Moscovitz
* Rob Braide
*Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere (born October 1957) is a Canadian lecturer, author, broadcaster, teacher, arts and media critic, currently the program director of the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival in Toronto.John Semley, "Can we play with madness?: Toronto' ...
* Chuck Rubin
* Neil Bregman
* Max Wallace
*Adrian Harewood
Adrian Harewood is a Canadian television and radio journalist, and the anchor of CBOT's ''CBC News: Ottawa at 5/5:30/6'' and ''CBC News: Late Night'' in Ottawa.
An Ottawa native, Harewood attended Ashbury College, a private school in Rockcliffe ...
* Mike Ross
*John Marshall
* Michael Giunta
* Nadine Gelineau
* Casey Kenny
References
External links
CKCU-FM
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ckcu-Fm
Kcu
Carleton University
Kcu
Radio stations established in 1975
1975 establishments in Ontario