On May 22, 1973, Carleton University Association Inc. was granted a licence from the CRTC to operate a carrier current
AM station, operating on 670
kHz with power of only 16 watts. Its first broadcast on 93.1 FM was on November 14, 1975, when it played
Joni Mitchell's
You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio. CKCU broadcasts live 24 hours a day to a 100 km radius on FM 93.1. The listener-supported station has an annual funding drive in late October and early November, to raise money for its annual operating budget. CKCU-FM was included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in
Doors Open Ottawa. On July 3, 2020, a construction mishap knocked down the tower at CKCU-FM's building. The mishap severed the link between the studio and the transmitter site rendering the station silent. The station was back on the air a month later. In the interim CKCU-FM audio was available to listen online over the internet. ==Famous alums==