CKCU-FM
Encyclopedia
CKCU-FM is a Canadian
community-based campus radio
station, broadcasting at 93.1 FM in Ottawa
, and offering a live Real Audio stream and MP3
stream 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
, on the fifth floor of the Unicenter building. The station's signal is radiated from the Ryan Tower
in the Gatineau Hills
, 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.
's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio".
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 cultural/community programmes. The schedule includes both general and specialty music programs, public affairs and spoken word
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 including the Ottawa Folk Festival.
The listener-supported station has an annual funding drive in late October and early November, to raise one-third of its annual operating budget. In 2006, this raised over $108,000 (unofficial total as of November 5, 2006). In recent years the funding drive regularly raised over $100 000 towards the station's budget of just over $300 000 per year. A further $100,000 is raised from university student levies, with the balance is supplied by 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 9–12. The camp has been growing in popularity since 2003 and features a live two-hour kids broadcast.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
community-based campus radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
station, broadcasting at 93.1 FM in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and offering a live Real Audio stream and MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
stream 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
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, on the fifth floor of the Unicenter building. The station's signal is radiated from the Ryan Tower
Ryan Tower
Ryan Tower is a tall guyed mast on the Clifford Slope of Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada. Erected in 1968, its top is above sea level, making it the highest point in the Ottawa/Gatineau area and an easy-to-spot landmark....
in the Gatineau Hills
Gatineau Hills
The Gatineau Hills 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...
, 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 was Canada's first community-based campus radio station. It first broadcast on November 14, 1975 when it played Joni MitchellJoni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio".
Often dubbed the mighty 93 by devotees, CKCU has a freeform format
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
that allows the hosts to pick all the music played, and has many cultural/community programmes. The schedule includes both general and specialty music programs, public affairs and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
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 including the Ottawa Folk Festival.
The listener-supported station has an annual funding drive in late October and early November, to raise one-third of its annual operating budget. In 2006, this raised over $108,000 (unofficial total as of November 5, 2006). In recent years the funding drive regularly raised over $100 000 towards the station's budget of just over $300 000 per year. A further $100,000 is raised from university student levies, with the balance is supplied by 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 9–12. The camp has been growing in popularity since 2003 and features a live two-hour kids broadcast.
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 hosted by Chopper McKinnon, which has aired since 1980.
- DJ Digs - Pop music from the past three decades, with a focus on the 1980s.
- Friday Morning Cartunes - Hosted by John Westhaver, of Birdman Sound fame.
- Hammer Smashed Radio - A heavy metal program focusing on extreme metal, hosted by Jeremy Harley
- In a Mellow Tone - A jazz program heard every Wednesday from 9-11pm.
- The Red Zone - A weekly program decidated to sports talk radio. Hosts debates and special features on a regular basis.
- An Indian Morning - Hosted by Harsha Dehejia and Pratibha Sampat, the show focuses on the music of IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, including folk, classical and devotional and film music. - Special Blend - A morning show which airs weekdays from 7 to 10 a.m., the show follows a talk/music format with a focus on current affairs, particularly news stories of local interest.
- Rise Up - A weekly music and political talk radio show which airs every Monday morning at 8:00am, part of the Special Blend on CKCU.
- CKCU Literary News - Produced and hosted by Hans G. Ruprecht, presenting reports, interviews and features about Literatures in Europe Today; Tuesdays, 9:10-9:30 a.m. alternating with Das literarische Echo co-hosted by Hans G. Ruprecht & Helmut Zobl.
- Free MP3 downloads, RSS Subscription Link > LitNews Podcast , LitEcho free MP3 > Downloads.
- Remote Planet - A local comedy troupe including Tonia Snow, Richard Hemphill, Bill Demmery, Marc-André Bélair, Marg Tannahill-Wade and Richard Parks.
- Reggae in the Fields
- The Sixties - A series profiling 1960s1960sThe 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
pop and rock music. - Swing Is in the Air - A weekly swing and mainstream jazz program hosted by Jacques Emond.
- This Island Earth - A world music program heard every Sunday from 1-4pm EST and hosted by the This Island Earth Collective.
- Tread Lightly
- The Drunken Master Revue - A movie-talk show by movie geeks for movie geeks.
- Turn Up The Radio
- The New Midnight Jamz - Hip-Hop, Rap & Urban music
- WildWorks
- The Voice Inside Your Head
- Bew Cocky Salsa
- Vintage Love
- Whatever's Cool With Me - A general music show
- Fundamentally Sound
- Friday Night Derailment
Famous alumni
- Ian MendesIan MendesIan Mendes is an Indo-Canadian sports broadcaster for Rogers Sportsnet East, a Canadian sports news channel covering Eastern Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces...
- Jeremy GaraJeremy GaraJeremy Gara is a Canadian drummer originally from Ottawa, Ontario. He currently plays with successful indie rock band Arcade Fire. He has played in many other bands in the past, including "slow-core" band Kepler and math rock band Weights and Measures. He also had a part in the self-titled album...
- Ken RockburnKen RockburnKen Rockburn is a Canadian radio and television journalist and host. He is most notable for his associations with the Canadian Cable Public Affairs Channel , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CHEZ-FM radio.-Career history:...
- David Mowbray
- Jeff GreenJeff Green (multimedia artist)Jeffrey Stuart Green is a Canadian author, playwright, producer, and director, who has worked in a variety of media including radio, television, computer, DVD-based multimedia, and in live nightclub settings. His work has earned him critical acclaim and a number of awards...
- Jason Moscovitz
- Rob Braide
- Geoff PevereGeoff PevereGeoff Pevere is a Canadian and arts and media critic. He is the outgoing film critic for the Toronto Star, and, starting in 2008, will be the paper's book critic. He is also a host of the movie review series Reel to Real on Rogers Television....
- Chuck Rubin
- Neil Bregman
- Max WallaceMax Wallace-Who Killed Kurt Cobain?:Wallace coauthored the international bestseller Who Killed Kurt Cobain? with Ian Halperin in 1998, .-Love and Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain:...
- Casey Kenny
- Adrian HarewoodAdrian HarewoodAdrian 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....
External links
- CKCU-FM
- CKCU history at Canadian Communications FoundationCanadian Communications FoundationThe Canadian Communications Foundation is a history of Canadian broadcasting for radio and television chronicles and documents. It also provides a history of radio and television stations, including networks, programs, broadcasters and many others....