From the Archives: How CKU(niversity)A(lberta) Got Its Start

In the early 1920’s, while H.P. Brown [the U of A’s resident visual arts expert] was tinkering with his home-made radio receiver, the history of educational broadcasting was evolving. In 1922, members of the University of Alberta Department of Extension, engaged in travelling in all weather and speaking to audiences of varying sizes, saw the tremendous possibilities of the new medium. “Taking the University to the people” would be greatly simplified as lecturers could speak from a room in the University itself to many more people than could be reached in any other way.

Arrangements were made with the Edmonton station, CJCA, then operated by the Edmonton Journal, to carry lectures or talks by the University professors who were obliged to travel to the Journal Building where the studio (and the transmitter) was located. Later a microphone and amplifier were installed in a corner of the Director’s Office in the Department of Extension at the University, with a telephone line to CJCA. In 1926, a “studio” was installed by hanging burlap drapes from overhead cross-beams and some music as well as lectures were fed to CJCA for transmission. It soon became evident that the University would require its own station to fully utilize the potential of the new medium.

In 1926 the Provincial Government, at Mr. Ottewell’s and Dr. Tory’s suggestion, provided a grant of $5000 for the purpose of building a transmitter on the campus for the use of the Department of Extension. The department was understood to have control over all programming for CKUA. The Director, Mr. Corbett, was the Manager and members of the staff did all the work arranging programs. When Shelia Marryat was appointed in the early 1930s as CKUA Program Director, she was appointed to the Department of Extension staff. The Department of Electrical Engineering was approached for its construction services and, in the fall of 1927, radio station CKUA, a non-commercial educational broadcasting station, went on the air for the first time.

The U of A Extension Department applied to the proper authorities only to be informed that there were three other license already granted in Edmonton and that was enough! However, this didn’t stop the U of A radio pioneers.
They promptly went out… and they bought CFCK from Radio Supply Company Limited. Then they applied to have the station’s call letters changed to CUOA — “U.O.A.” standing for UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, but the authorities advised that the first two letters “CU” were allocated to another country. After a great amount of debate the letters “CKUA” were decided upon.

On November 21, 2017, CKUA celebrated its 90th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they stopped by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extension (formerly, Department of Extension) to share the celebration with the organization that first launched the station. Read more about the anniversary and celebration by visiting the Faculty of Extension’s news site.CKUA celebrated its 90th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they stopped by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extension (formerly, Department of Extension) to share the celebration with the organization that first launched the station. Read more about the anniversary and celebration by visiting the Faculty of Extension’s news site.