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About CKUA

CKUA is a donor-supported broadcaster that inspires and connects through the power of music, arts, culture, and story.

Since our founding as Canada’s first public and educational broadcaster in 1927, CKUA has offered musical variety and thoughtful, professional programming. Part broadcaster and part arts and culture institution, the heart and soul of CKUA are the 126 hours of new, diverse, and vibrant music programs we present each week. CKUA’s music, arts, and culture programming creates a sense of place for our audience while highlighting the variety and health of the Albertan cultural ecosystem.

We have two vibrant broadcast studios, one in the historic Alberta Hotel on Jasper Avenue in Edmonton, and one in Calgary’s East Village, near the National Music Centre. Our library holds more than a million sound recordings and is both a storied archive and a contemporary, digitized resource for hosts choosing music.

CKUA’s 33 on-air hosts are considered among the most knowledgeable professionals in the industry, curating and presenting the richness of music outside the mainstream. In addition to a mixed music format, some hosts also specialize in programs exploring blues, roots, country, jazz, folk, soul, bluegrass, Celtic, classical, choral, and world music. Whether it is new Indigenous artists, country songs about life on the ranch, or classical pieces commissioned by Alberta composers, CKUA audiences hear their own melodies and the diversity of their experiences through non-commercial programming.

Each year, hosts will spin more than 1,000 Albertan musicians and a further 3,000 Canadian artists, providing a platform for independent, emerging, and established artists not found elsewhere in Canada. CKUA reaches listeners and donors through sixteen transmitters, online streaming, OnDemand, and a mobile app. As a result of all these channels, CKUA is a significant exporter of Albertan-made music, arts, and culture to a world of savvy consumers.

CKUA further benefits hundreds of artists, businesses, festivals, and venues, which leverage our reach to promote their work, sell tickets, and create jobs and volunteer opportunities in communities across Alberta each year. Our support for local, emerging, and touring musicians is legendary, and many artists have told us that the first time they heard their music played on the radio was on CKUA.

CKUA’s vision is to create a better world connected by music, arts, and culture, and we are committed to providing this for anyone who wants to listen, regardless of their age, location, or circumstance. We’re dedicated to exploring the best in music, arts, and culture while shining a light on some of our brightest trailblazers and newest creators.

In the spirit of our journey to promote reconciliation, we honour the truth of the shared history and acknowledge that we operate on Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 territories.

Treaty 6 territory is the traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakoda, Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway, Saulteaux/Anishinaabe and many others whose histories, languages and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community of Amiskwaciwaskahigan also known as Edmonton.

Treaty 7 is the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy which includes the Siksika, Kainai and Pikani, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda nations including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley nations. We also recognize the Métis people and the Inuit who make their home here in Mohkins’tsis, also known as Calgary.

Music

Our talented roster of hosts and producers are gifted guides to the creative world, drawing from deep knowledge, research and personal passion to give our audience the richest possible experience. Each host has free rein to curate their playlists, unencumbered by genre, decade or ‘hit’ lists. Often, they even draw from their own personal collections or CKUA’s legendary library which holds 140 years of recorded music. From jazz and blues to celtic and bluegrass, CKUA specialty shows dive deep into specific genres. Our eclectic programs give you nothing but the best of…nearly everything.

Show Schedule

Community

Who makes CKUA possible? You do, for a start. But you don’t have to do it alone. You’re joined by a team of 35+ hosts, 40+ support staff and 500+ volunteers. And of course, our 12,000 donors, who provide 60 per cent of CKUA’s funding. If you haven’t yet joined our dedicated team of donors, we encourage you to become a donor.

How to Listen to CKUA

 

On the dial: 16 FM frequencies throughout Alberta

Stream live: listen.streamon.fm/ckua
https://ckua.com/ – yellow button at the top of every page

CKUA App:
Download from Google Play
Download from Apple Store

OnDemand: Listen Now!

On your smart speaker:
“Hey Google, play CKUA Radio”
“Hey Alexa, play CKUA Radio”
“Hey Siri, play CKUA Radio”

Streaming device or speaker:
Bookmark or favourite CKUA via TuneIn

Telus Optik: No longer able to find CKUA on Chanel 7046 with your Telus Optik service?
Telus has revised their method for broadcasting local radio. CKUA is now available through Stingray Music on Telus TV. Channel 7027 has basic instructions on how to go through the process of setting up FM channels as favourites. Here’s a quick summary:

1) Press the APPS button on your remote
2) Open Stingray Music (the green icon), not Stingray Music Videos
3) Find “FM Radio”
4) Find “Edmonton”
5) Find “94.9 CKUA Radio”
6) Save to favorites

Shaw Direct (Star Choice): Channel 828
Shaw/Bell: Channel 492

Please note: In mid-February Shaw moved CKUA’s signal to a new satellite. If you are a Shaw customer, you may need to reboot your receiver to connect with our signal at the new satellite location. If this does not work, call Shaw and they will arrange an upgrade of your receiver for free.

SaskTel Max TV: Channel 855 (Saskatchewan)

CKUA connects Albertans through 16 FM frequencies across the province.

Fort McMurray – 96.7
Peace River – 96.9
Spirit River – 99.5
Grande Prairie – 100.9
Athabasca – 98.3
Whitecourt – 107.1
Hinton – 102.5
Edson – 103.7
Edmonton – 94.9
Lloydminster – 97.5
Red Deer – 107.7
Canmore / Bow Valley – 104.3
Calgary – 93.7
Drumheller / Hanna – 91.3
Medicine Hat – 97.3
Lethbridge – 99.3


Reasons to give

CKUA strives to raise an average of $3.4M in donations annually at a cost of $554,000 or approximately 16 per cent. This ratio is well below the Canada Revenue Agency’s acceptable level of 35 per cent, and well within Charity Intelligence’s reasonable range of 5 to 35 per cent. As a registered Canadian charity, CKUA files a T3010 report with CRA annually, detailing all of its fundraising, related operating costs, executive compensation, and other costs. For CKUA’s detailed financial statements, see our Annual Report.

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A storied history

Discover the fascinating people and artifacts of CKUA's 90 year history.

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History

Treasures from The Vault

With eclectic and engaging programming, colourful characters, and incredible music, CKUA has been a vital part of the Alberta community... Read