CKUA went through a shutdown of its operations back in March of 1997 for 5 weeks due to financial mismanagement and political squabbles.

The radio network also operated Alberta's Emergency Public Warning System (the predecessor to the Alberta Emergency Alert system and the National Public Alerting System/AlertReady) until 2010.

When I worked in Edmonton in the 1990s, CKUA was seen as an eclectic part of the local broadcasting scene (less so in Calgary) that offered a wide range of music from bluegrass to big bands. Steady government funding, plus a strong corporate donation base, kept the station going and meant that ratings didn't matter as much as they did for commercial outlets. Unfortunately, funding cuts and partisan infighting over the station's direction, similar to what we saw at CIUT and the former CKLN, meant that a lot of local support has bled away over the years. It's a shame when a tradition comes to an end, but that's what happens when the media environment changes.

CKUA is different from most Canadian community stations that began as, or still are, run by University student associations. It has more in common with its American counterparts and runs a fairly consistent music format (AAA basically) while the University-affiliated stations run block programming, As a result, it also has respectable ratings, finishing ahead of two commercial FMs, CBC2, and Corus' all-news station in the latest ratings.

CKUA has raised a remarkable $850,000 in just two days. But that's still far short of what it says it needs to survive. 

Urgent CKUA Radio drive raises $850K in two days

paterson1 wrote:

They have now raised over $1 million in five days.  CKAU needs to raise $3 million total by the end of September. So hopefully the remaining $2 million will continue to be pledged at a brisk pace. 

 
Good news! Donations to community radio and TV have been really weak for a while; glad they had a strong start.

According to this info the station is burdened with $6M of debt. That's a lot of spending. And four years ago they had nearly $2M cash in reserve. I wouldn't give them a penny.

https://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/411-ckua-radio-foundation


Sort of related ... I was inspired once to send a few bucks 91.1 way until I read a published financial statement. 350,000 dollars worth of office furniture in the joint.

The important thing is the fact that the station is going to reach their financial target, and it shows that  people in Edmonton and the province must really value CKUA.  I can't think of any  radio station where I live that would get public support like this.  CKUA first went on the air in 1927 and was Canada's first public radio.
 
This infusion of cash will only make for a better station., on and off of the air. 

Canada's oldest community radio station didn't quite make its goal of raising $3 million. Still, they claim to have found "efficiencies" that will allow them to stay on the air. That's a lot of "efficiencies," which makes me wonder how much they really needed in the first place. 

CKUA Radio ‘bridging the gap’ as station falls short of $3M fundraising goal

"That's a lot of "efficiencies," which makes me wonder how much they really needed in the first place. "
Probably the $2.5 million that they raised....still an impressive amount for listener support..

Last edited by paterson1 (October 16, 2024 7:25 pm)

As of Friday, they are three quarters of the way to their million dollar goal for the Fall Fund Raiser.

One of the efficiencies they have implemented is pretty drastic:  no preventative maintenance on any of their 16 FM transmitters across Alberta.  If a transmitter goes off the air, then they'll worry about it.

Some very rich donor has just given this station a $1 million donation. That should help keep them on the air for a while.

Alberta CKUA Radio receives $1M donation from Edmonton businessman

RadioQuiz wrote:

Dear Radio Bosses.

Radio is important.

So much so that the audience generated 3 million and someone donated 1 million.

When you do stuff people care about - they support you.

Or play a bunch of TSN and Crave commercials, cut everything back and hope for the best..

Whatever...

I'm still at a loss on what costs these stations so much to operate, it's 2025. Humans in seats are a known cost, transmitters, electronics and electricity rates are known. Do those human butts really need $350k in office furniture, why can't they work from home?

There's no wonder commercial radio doesn't make money anymore, it's not broadcasting as public service but a business expense.