About CKCU 93.1

CKCU 93.1

CKCU 93.1 — "The Mighty 93" — is Canada's first campus-based community radio station, broadcasting from Carleton University in Ottawa since November 14, 1975. A non-profit, volunteer-driven outlet licensed as a community-based campus station, it airs over 100 different shows each week in more than 14 languages, from general music and public affairs to specialty and multicultural programming. Its signal radiates from the Ryan Tower in the Gatineau Hills with a listening radius of 100 kilometres, and it remains a training ground for generations of journalists and broadcasters.

Overview

CKCU-FM is a community-based campus radio station licensed to Ottawa, Ontario, owned by the Carleton University Students' Association. It broadcasts on 93.1 MHz, 24 hours a day, with a freeform format that lets volunteer hosts choose their own music. The station's studios are located on the Carleton University campus, on the fifth floor of the Nideyinàn building (formerly University Centre).

CKCU's mandate is to provide an alternative to commercial radio and the CBC — a voice for the many Ottawa communities not served by mainstream media. Volunteers from the campus and the wider community program and host all shows. The station is a member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) and a registered charity.

History

On May 22, 1973, Carleton University Association Inc. was granted a CRTC licence to operate a carrier-current AM station on 670 kHz with power of only 16 watts. Before that, Radio Carleton had produced programming aired on local commercial stations — in 1965, Carleton's radio club produced a Sunday-night public affairs program that aired on CKOY 1310.

On June 27, 1975, the Carleton University Students' Association was awarded an FM licence. CKCU 93.1 signed on the air at midnight on November 14, 1975, broadcasting from Carleton University. It was the first campus-based community radio station in the country. The CU in the call sign stands for Carleton University. Its first broadcast played Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" — a fitting inaugural song.

In 1976, CKCU received permission to increase effective radiated power from 4,100 watts to 12,000 watts and raise its antenna height. In 1978, the CRTC renewed the licence but told the station to increase news and community programming and restrict commercial activity to classified ads and simple sponsorship statements.

Over the following decades, CKCU became an Ottawa institution, championing local independent musicians, venues, concerts, and festivals. Its alumni include CBC journalists Adrian Harewood and Ian Mendes and broadcaster Ken Rockburn. In 2025, the station marked 50 years of community broadcasting.

CKCU's place in Canadian broadcast history is singular: when Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" played at midnight on November 14, 1975, it became the first campus-based community radio station in the country. The road there began May 22, 1973, when Carleton University Association Inc. won a CRTC licence for a 16-watt carrier-current AM station on 670 kHz — before that, Radio Carleton had produced programming for local commercial stations, including a 1965 Sunday-night public affairs show on CKOY 1310. The FM licence came June 27, 1975, and the 93.1 sign-on (first announcer: Steve Colwill, later of CHEZ-FM) created the template for campus-community radio nationwide.

The station grew fast: a 1976 authorization raised power from 4,100 to 12,000 watts and antenna height from 251 to 852 feet EHAAT. The 1978 licence renewal told the station to expand news and community programming, serve other post-secondary institutions, and restrict commercial activity to classified ads and brief sponsorships — the regulatory shape of the community-campus model. The "CU" in the call sign stands for Carleton University.

The funding model is listener-supported: the annual funding drive, held since 1978 in late October and early November, raised over $190,000 in 2025, supplemented by student levies and sponsorships the station largely produces itself. The drive has raised more than $1 million cumulatively from Ottawa listeners, making CKCU the largest listener-supported station in Ottawa-Carleton. The studios on the fifth floor of the Nideyinàn building (formerly University Centre) were architecturally significant enough for Doors Open Ottawa, and the signal from the Ryan Tower in the Gatineau Hills reaches a 100-kilometre radius.

Programming is the freeform "mighty 93" volunteers have sustained for 50 years: over 100 shows a week in 14 languages, specialty music, public affairs, spoken word, live in-studio performances, and the Radio Camp for kids ages 10–14 running since 2001. The 2010 launch of CKCU Literary News — multilingual literary programming in English, French, and German — extended the mandate into the podcast era.

Devotees call it "the mighty 93." CKCU airs more than 100 different shows each week, including programs in 14 languages — general and specialty music, public affairs, and spoken word, with a topical and international flavour and live in-studio performances by local artists. All shows are programmed and hosted by volunteers from the campus and community, and the freeform format lets hosts choose all the music they play. The listener-supported station holds its annual funding drive in late October and early November — in 2025 it raised over $190,000 — supplemented by student levies and sponsor revenue; the station self-produces much of its advertising, giving the spots a campus flavour listeners recognize. Each March break and several times each summer, CKCU runs a Radio Camp for kids ages 10 to 14, running since 2001 and featuring a live two-hour kids' broadcast. The signal radiates from the Ryan Tower in the Gatineau Hills alongside most of Ottawa's other stations, reaching a 100-kilometre radius, and the studios — on the fifth floor of the Nideyinàn building on the Carleton campus — were included in Doors Open Ottawa for their architectural and historical interest. The station is a registered charity, with a studio request line at (613) 520-CKCU.

Programming

CKCU airs over 100 different shows each week, including programs in 14 or more languages. The schedule includes general and specialty music programs, public affairs and spoken word programming, and many shows with a topical or international flavour. Some shows feature live in-studio performances by local artists. The station actively supports, sponsors, and promotes local independent musicians, venues, concerts, and festivals.

The freeform format allows hosts to pick all the music played. Volunteers from the campus and community program and host all shows. The station's values center on diversity, inclusion, alternative content, innovation, and accessibility.

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 the architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in Doors Open Ottawa.

Coverage and Audience

CKCU's signal is radiated from the Ryan Tower in the Gatineau Hills, along with most of Ottawa's other private and public radio stations, giving it a listening area with a radius of 100 kilometres — covering the National Capital Region, Eastern Ontario, and Western Quebec. The listener-supported station holds an annual funding drive in late October and early November to raise money for its annual operating budget; in 2025 this raised over $190,000. Further funding comes from university student levies and revenue from advertisers and sponsors.

Ownership

CKCU-FM is owned by the Carleton University Students' Association, a non-profit student organization. The station is volunteer-driven in its content, programming, and operation, and operates as a registered charity.

Digital Presence

CKCU streams live online and maintains an active web presence promoting its shows and events. The station's website lists its programming schedule, volunteer opportunities, and archives of broadcasts. The station is associated with the cod.ckcufm.com web portal; Wikipedia lists the station's website in its infobox.

The station's history — from the 1973 carrier-current licence through the 1975 sign-on as Canada's first campus community station — is documented by the Canadian Communications Foundation's broadcasting-history.ca project, Carleton University's archives, and the CRTC's licensing records.