Last year, CKCU 93.1 FM celebrated its 50th anniversary. Founded on November 15, 1975, by a group of students at Ottawa’s Carleton University, CKCU is Canada’s oldest campus community radio station on the FM dial. Over the years, CKCU has come a long way, currently offering 100 programs in 10 languages, powered by 300 volunteers who record and produce independent, insightful and inclusive shows. These programs feature music, storytelling and news reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic diversity of the Ottawa-Gatineau region, reaching a base of over one million listeners. Globally, too, listeners can livestream their favourite shows on CKCU’s website, or dig into CKCU’s extensive on-demand web library for past programs.
In recognition of CKCU’s enduring and steadfast goal to inform, engage, entertain, empower, support and connect local communities, the City of Ottawa proclaimed November 15, 2025, as “CKCU 93.1 FM Day” at the station’s 50th anniversary celebrations last year. While presenting the official proclamation, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who ran a sports show on CKCU and won a ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in 1986, said, “Volunteering at CKCU was one of the first ways I got involved in Ottawa’s broadcast community. I learned a lot, met incredible people, and felt a real connection to this city. Fifty years later, CKCU is still giving back to the community, sharing stories, and supporting artists and future broadcasters. Today, we celebrate all that CKCU has done for our community and the role it continues to play in bringing great programming to Ottawa.”
So how has CKCU been able to maintain its status as one of Canada’s most-loved campus community radio stations over five decades?
“For us, it’s always been important to make a difference in people’s lives, giving a voice to underrepresented communities and hyperlocal issues that aren’t featured on commercial radio. We are also a trusted source of independent, unbiased, free and accessible news that keeps the community informed, while entertaining them with a variety of music and multilingual programming. Moreover, we engage in outreach and learning opportunities to train the next generation of broadcasters, whether it is through summer radio camps or hands-on training in our studio that is open to everyone,” explains Anne-Marie Brugger, producer, broadcaster and co-host of Canadian Spaces on CKCU 93.1 FM, and formerly CKCU’s interim station director from 2023-2025.
Lia Kiessling, station director of CKCU, says, “Our motto has always been to keep our ears open, and the team is never afraid to try something new. For instance, we have high school students who host their own show, and recently, we had Indigenous members from the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa come in for special training. Of course, we also support local bands, many of whom have got their first break on CKCU.”
ABOVE: CKCU’s Carleton University student board members Katryna Brady and Audrey Pridham. PHOTO: Erik Stolpmann
CKCU also has volunteers of all ages – like Junior Smith, who has been hosting his show Reggae In The Fields for 50 years, or veterans who host the popular show Canadian Spaces. “Conversely, we also have young volunteers, including current students from Carleton who are on the CKCU board. This helps us stay relevant and provides a real connection with listeners, both young and old,” Brugger adds.
CKCU is also known for the real-world experience and media skills it offers young people. Volunteers receive training in audio, visual, technical, and production skills, as well as writing workshops and more. Many of CKCU’s former volunteers have gone on to become renowned broadcasters, such as CBC’s Adrian Harewood.
Kiessling shares her own experience. “Back when I was in high school, CKCU invited me to come to the studio and speak about my publication, as part of a series they were running on young entrepreneurs. I was only 17, and I was so thrilled with the experience and the opportunity to be on air that it propelled me towards studying journalism at Carleton University. Being back after all these years as station director is like a full-circle moment for me.”
As part of its strategic plan for 2025-2028, CKCU plans to create a media hub that brings together various communities and technologies to produce and deliver high-quality, relevant content. At the same time, it aims to develop and expand CKCU FM’s programming to reflect its diverse community while fostering innovation, inclusivity, and talent.
Elaborating on this, Kiessling says, “We are getting into podcasting and expanding our reach to new channels such as YouTube and Twitch, as well as beefing up the print content on the website. We are also looking at more radio camps for schools to provide high school students with editing, audio and video training, which they may not otherwise have access to.”
ABOVE: Volunteers at the 50th Anniversary celebrations of CKCU at Carleton University. BOTTOM RIGHT: CKCU fans at the live broadcast of Canadian Spaces and the Back 40 at La Fab Sur Mill in Chelsea. PHOTOS: Erik Stolpmann
Brugger adds, “We also do a lot of regular, live broadcasts at various establishments in the community, which are open to public participation, besides hosting free monthly events like Creative Mornings featuring curated live jam sessions and inspirational discussions with creatives from the community. Ultimately, we want to be known as a central hub for the people of Ottawa-Gatineau, accessible across audio, video and print platforms.”
The news of the University of Ottawa’s CHUO 89.1 FM’s closure last December came as a rude shock to both listeners and other campus community radio stations, such as CKCU. “So many of us started our broadcast careers at CHUO, and both Lia and I have been part of it earlier. In fact, I ran a show called Hop The Fence for 17 years on CHUO before moving to CKCU. Ottawa was always fortunate to have two community radio stations offering diverse local content, so this is a big loss for the entire community,” remarks Brugger, adding that the need to support independent, local media, which represents individual freedom of speech and expression, has now become even more critical.
“There is a lot of research to show that independent media in Canada is shrinking. News deserts are appearing. Indigenous communities struggle to be featured in media that represent their voices. The internet is not always reliable. There are paywalls all over the place. We see that independent media in Canada is under a big financial squeeze and is slowly disappearing. When that happens, civic engagement goes down, businesses don’t do as well, people don’t trust each other as much, and there is a lot of misinformation that circulates,” notes Lia.
She continues, “The loss of CHUO speaks to how fragile community media is. We are fortunate to have a wonderful supporter base and fantastic donors who have helped us survive through fundraising. This speaks to the strength of the brand. Yet, we can’t take it for granted. We have to keep working to produce quality and unique content, bring in more sponsorships and continue to build on our base in the community, while striving to protect independent media.”
CKCU is supported by the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) and funded by Carleton University students, donors, program sponsorships and residents of Ottawa-Gatineau. Last year, CKCU raised a record $201,101.60 during its annual funding drive.
CKCU plans to continue its 50th-year celebrations with special programming, public events and community storytelling that honour the station’s legacy. This includes a special celebration for longtime host Junior Smith, who is also celebrating 50 years at CKCU. Other interesting stories around CKCU’s alumni will also feature on the website.
Additionally, CKCU will be releasing a commemorative illustrated coffee table book, The Mighty 93.1: CKCU-FM at 50, featuring the history of the station and contributions from CKCU alumni over the years. A limited-edition LP, Still The Mighty, with 13 new tracks from 13 independent local artists, will also be released.
ABOVE: CKCU 93.1 Station Director Lia Kiessling. RIGHT: Broadcaster, Host, and CKCU 93.1 FM Producer, Anne-Marie Brugger.
When asked about how the public can support CKCU, apart from donations, Kiessling and Brugger encourage people to tune in, share content about their favourite shows or hosts on social media, attend the public broadcast events, buy CKCU merchandise or even pop into the studio to see them at work, because the studio’s doors are always open. “We are always open to ideas, feedback and suggestions from our listeners, which helps us provide them with content that reflects their voices and strengthens community bonds,” concludes Brugger.
Click here to buy the commemorative coffee table book or limited edition LP. To donate to CKCU, click here or go to https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/CKCU/.
You can also follow CKCU on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify.
