Exactly 45 years ago at the stroke of midnight on Nov. 15th 1975, CKCU-FM began broadcasting as Canada’s first CRTC licensed campus/community radio station at 93.1FM, and the first song played was “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” by Joni Mitchell.

From the initial vision, passion and hard work of CKCU’s founders, the Mighty 93 has been a crucial part of the Ottawa/Gatineau region providing independent programming for four and half decades. Over these last 45 years, CKCU has worked to support music, arts, culture, current affairs and countless other communities. CKCU’s commitment to this will surely continue. 

CKCU owes a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has walked the hall to our studios. An extra special thanks of recognition to Janis Lockwood. Janis lead many a CKCU birthday celebration over the years, announcing while popping the cork on a bottle of champagne. Janis’ involvement with CKCU going back decades cannot be overstated. Thank you Janis for your passion, dedication and belief in CKCU.  

As we move towards our 50th year as a broadcaster in 2025, CKCU will continue to grow with our communities and expand the support we strive to give independent voices. The support you provide us as listeners and donors keeps us alive and moves us forward. Huge thank you to everyone for helping us get here.  Let’s share a toast to CKCU getting to 45 years, and to the decades yet to come.

This Saturday Nov 7th at noon, during the final week of Funding Drive, “The Back 40” will celebrate its 30th year on CKCU. Co-founded in 1990 by program hosts Bill Grant, Dave deJongh and Doug Torrance, the show was conceived as one that would feature several dimensions of country music, including “old-tyme/hillbilly” (Bill Grant), Nashville – Grand Old Opry stars (Doug Torrance), and bluegrass music (Dave deJongh).

Having taken over the reins in 1993, Ron Moores has continued to host the show. While continuing the root traditions of “Back 40”, Ron has focused on interviews with local and area musicians and with bluegrass artists throughout North America. In addition, Ron has forged close ties with country and bluegrass festival organizers and with the Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Association that continues to serve the bluegrass community  throughout the Ottawa Valley. Ron is also 5 x winner of the Central Canada Bluegrass Association’s “DJ of the Year Award” and an inductee into its Hall of Honour.

Featured on Saturday’s broadcast will be music and interviews with two of the three founders of the Back 40 (who are Dave deJongh and Doug Torrance, both of whom were program hosts at CKCU; Bill Grant passed away in 1993), along with listeners and with the Treasurer of both the Ottawa Valley Bluegrass Music Association and the South Grenville Bluegrass Festival, who is David Porter.

https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/130/info.html

This Sunday night, October 25th at 8 o’clock,  Rotting Renny resurrects “Rots & Rhythms”, a spooky spectacular Halloween Funding Drive special with sonic tricks & treats, followed next week by the semi-legendary “Smut For Bucks“ Funding Drive show on Sunday night November 1st. Something scary for  a coronavirus free Halloween & then something that’s almost obscene. Roots & Rhythms, thrilling you since 1997!

https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/93/info.html

Canadian Spaces on CKCU FM is Canada’s longest-running folk music radio show.  Founded in 1980 by the late A.L. (“Chopper”) McKinnon, the show celebrates its 40th anniversary with an exciting live broadcast on multiple audio and video platforms this Saturday, September 26 from 10 to noon Eastern.  The two-hour Canadian Spaces anniversary celebration will feature a total of 40 guests who will chat and perform in one of eight 15-minute time slots.

Chris White will co-host this special edition of Canadian Spaces along with Carolyn Sutherland, former Artistic Director of the Stewart Park Folk Festival and Shelter Valley Folk Festival.  A singer-songwriter, community animator and Ottawa Folk Festival co-founder, Chris took on the hosting role after Chopper passed away in March, 2013.
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Sept 16th, 2020

CKCU is pleased to announce that after a rigorous selection process it has hired accomplished policy maker, researcher, musician, and cultural leader Mr. Kwende Kefentse, as its inaugural Executive Director. Mr. Kefentse will manage all aspects of CKCU with a mandate for transformational growth including working with CKCU’s Board of Directors to develop and execute a new strategic vision for the organization, as well as responsibility for day to day operations at the station.

“We are thrilled to introduce Mr. Kwende Kefentse as our new Executive Director,” said Chris Ikonomopoulos, Chair of the Board of CKCU. “His track record of success in government, along with his deep breadth of expertise and relationships across the arts, music, broadcast, community, and academic sectors will be a great asset to the station and the communities we serve.”

Mr. Kefentse has a B.A. from Carleton University’s Directed Interdisciplinary Studies program, and a Masters of Research from UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture where he innovated new methods for quantifying the spatial structure of cultural and creative industries in cities. His major achievements as Cultural Industries Development Officer and Music Lead at the City of Ottawa included being the driving force behind the development of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition and leading the successful development, council approval, and execution of the Ottawa Music Strategy (2018-2020). Prior to that he co-led the development of the council-approved Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture (2012-2018). As co-founder of the alternative club-night institution TIMEKODE, he has led and inspired thousands to explore new sounds on the dance floor over 15 years. In 2019, Mr. Kefentse was appointed to the Board of Directors of FACTOR as the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion observer, and Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. He also sits on the Advisory Board of the Carleton University Art Gallery, and the Washington D.C. based Music Policy Forum.

“I’m honoured to be leading CKCU as its first ever Executive Director,” said Mr. Kwende Kefentse. “The unprecedented moment we’re in has recentered the role of broadcast media in our lives. Over the past 45 years, through grassroots grit and with community support CKCU established itself as a meaningful portal of discovery into the region for anyone interested in digging a little deeper. For communities and musicians outside of the mainstream it represents an important independent local platform to connect, make their voices heard, and make their presence felt here. This legacy of music, community, connectivity, discovery, independence, and championing alternative perspectives will be central to the way we reimagine Ottawa-Gatineau’s future media landscape and CKCU’s role in it. We plan to be making space for new voices and sounds in this community for another 45 years and beyond.”

Mr. Kefentse will begin his new role as of September 23rd, 2020.

Media Inquiries:
comms@ckcufm.com

https://www.ckcufm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Sept-16-Release-2b-1.pdf

The FemmeVox concert series continues with a live streamed Concert from Irene’s Pub Sunday September 6th.

Featuring Amanda Rheaume with Larissa Desrosiers, NAMBI and Ambre McLean who will be performing individually and lending accompaniment to one another.  ​​Streamed live on the GCTC Facebook page among others on Sunday September 6th, 2020 at 4PM, from Irene’s Pub. Access to the stream is free, donating is encouraged.

Femmevox With Amanda  Rheaume, Larissa Desrosiers, NAMBI and Ambre McLean, don’t miss it!

Brought to you in part by CKCU 93.1 FM.

 

 

UPDATE: The tower is back up. The transmission line has been connected and tested. The transmitter is receiving our signal from the station. Radios ready and waiting to be turned back on all around town…. We thank everyone, hosts and listeners alike for their patience and support while this work was being done. We’ve endured some ups and downs the past few months, but nothing will keep the Mighty 93.1 down!

Thanks to to the tireless efforts of our Engineer Jeff Ruck and the crew from Grundy Telecom Integration that came from out of town at the drop of a dime and worked in this crazy sun on a hot tar roof every day until the work was complete.

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It is with great sadness, that CKCU regrets to inform you of the passing of Janis Lockwood. On June 5, we lost a towering figure in the station’s 45-year history. Janis was here from early days, helping to pull a fledgling campus-based community radio station up by the roots.

Her on-air presence showed all of us how radio should be done. Her support for local artists showed many a musician that it could be done. Her ever-engaging “old school mix for music lovers who refuse to be confined by narrow categories” was the best of CKCU. Off-air, too, Janis represented the best of CKCU. More than a trusted volunteer and host, she was instrumental in keeping us going through times both good and bad. As funding drive coordinator. As a former member and chair of the Board of Directors. As a tireless advocate for the station and, during those bad times, the driving force behind a decisive effort to save us from ruin.

It is no exaggeration to suggest that CKCU owes its continuing presence on the airwaves, online and in our hearts to the dedication and determination of Janis Lockwood. More than a radio host; though, in that, too, she showed all of us the way. On behalf of the many who owe her a debt of gratitude, the Board of Directors sends condolences to Janis’s partner Fred, her family and to the many friends whose lives she touched. If you are reading this, you know that you are one.

The Ottawa Ethnic Media in collaboration with the Media Club of Ottawa is compiling an anthology on pandemic stories. Submit your pandemic stories, preferably in English but other languages, Hindi, Punjabi, Farsi, Arabic with a translation will also be accepted. This anthology is a keepsake for your children and grandchildren. It will be documented evidence of the year 2020. We all have short memories and we are bound to forget the happenings of this year so put your thoughts down and tell us your greatest moments, how you spent the past two months in isolation in the form of short stories, poems, or articles.

Submission guidelines:

500-1000 words
Times Roman font, 12 pt
Double spaced
Deadline: August 15, 2020
Anthology publication date November 2020
Contact information, with a brief bio

You will be notified if your piece has been accepted. Your contributions will be edited for clarity, if necessary.  For more information please contact me at Jagjeet Sharma at asiansounds1@hotmail.com or June Coxon at juhal2019@gmail.com.