Mondays on CKCU 93.1 FM are all over the map. The day starts with Aboriginal CKCU at nine a.m., and is followed by Indian music, a Creole Haitian public affairs show, traditional Celtic music, Somalian cultural news, and much, much, more.
“It’s kind of ridiculous really,” says Dave Aardvark, the station’s Program Director.
Community radio makes a big difference in the capital. For 40 years CKCU has served and built arts, cultural, and ethnic communities across the city.
CKCU is one of the longest running campus-based community radio stations in Canada, and acts as a hub for locals, making spaces for individuals across Ottawa to connect in and out of ethnic and cultural boundaries.
“It gets the word out about things in the community that you’re not going to hear about anywhere else,” he says. “Mainstream media don’t really cover the things we do at the station”.
On Nov. 14, 1975, CKCU became the first campus-based community radio station in Canada, and today is one of the top stations of its kind in the country.
New shows such as Sinhalese Rhythm, and staples like An Indian Morning, are a huge part of the CKCU program schedule, offering shows tailored to ethnic communities. Programs like these have been around longer than Aardvark himself, who first volunteered at the station in 1985.
Community radio is a collective effort, bringing together individuals to serve and build multicultural communities within larger cities. CKCU excels at that, and in a city like Ottawa outlets for culture and the arts are essential.
“Without community radio in any given hub of this size or larger, there is a lot going on that would go unnoticed,” says Aardvark.
CKCU serves as a tool for groups and identities across the city, with more than 20 shows focused on specific cultural communities, and broadcasting in a number of languages. But the diversity isn’t just about ethnicity – it also extends to musical taste.
The work that CKCU does also helps bring musicians and artists into the city. Any concertgoer in Ottawa knows the dismay of seeing a band’s tour destinations completely ignore the capital. This, says Aardvark, is unfortunately common.
“There are bands that have been through town through the grace of CKCU or people from CKCU presenting them, and otherwise it would be a lot of bands doing the ‘Montreal-to-Toronto-and-skipping-over-Ottawa thing’.”
The station hosts shows regularly at venues across the city, bringing together acts from Ottawa and beyond, building on Ottawa’s growing music industry.
“ I don’t know that we represent every musical community in Ottawa, but we certainly represent a good bulk of them,” he says.
Even the stations hosts are littered with legends of the Ottawa music industry. Shows are hosted by the likes of Ryan Bresee, a juror for the Polaris Music Prize and the Prism Prize, and musician Lefty McRighty.
But the role of community radio goes beyond illustrating the culture of a community. It also contributes to the social awareness of citizens.At CKCU a number of shows advocate for social justice and environmental issues, like Aboriginal CKCU or OPIRG-Carleton on CKCU.
In many cases issues are relegated to Internet podcasts, cutting down audience significantly. When given a voice at CKCU they not only reach out to more people, but also find a home for their cause within the city by building their identity behind the mic.This, says Aardvark, comes with the territory.
“There’s a radicalized element I think to community radio that’s really important, aside from exposure to unknown, emerging or obscure music.”
That radicalization and sense of purpose reflects the work that CKCU does, from radio camps teaching kids audio technology, to concerts and fundraisers, picnics, and other events in the city.
“There’s a lot of activity that spirals outwards from CKCU,” says Aardvark. “I can’t even keep track of it all.”
According to him, it’s just one reason why many in Canada consider CKCU a flagship community radio station. No other station has existed quite as long on FM, or had the same strength and visibility within their community.
Over the last 40 years, listeners in Ottawa and abroad have pledged more than $1 million to support the station’s goal to give voice to the many communities and groups within Ottawa and bring a sense of identity, culture, and music to the capital.
“Without CKCU Ottawa would be a really boring place,” says Aardvark, smiling.