CKUA Radio is a Canadian donor-funded community radio station based in Edmonton , Alberta . Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaster in Canada when it began broadcasting in 1927. It now broadcasts from studios in downtown Edmonton , and as of fall 2016 has added a studio in Calgary 's National Music Centre . CKUA's primary station is CKUA-FM , located on 94.9 FM in Edmonton, and the station operates fifteen rebroadcasters to serve the remainder of the province.
52-513: As of February 28, 2021, CKUA is the 13th-most-listened-to radio station in the Edmonton market according to a PPM data report released by Numeris . CKUA was founded on November 21, 1927 through a provincial grant which allowed the University of Alberta's Extension Department to purchase the licence of CFCK, which had been on the air since 1922, sharing a frequency with CJCA . CKUA was also
104-477: A Lloydminster station). As of February 29, 1996, CKUA became the first radio station in Canada to stream their broadcast online, and now has upgraded the service to carry an unlimited number of streams. The station currently has more than 250,000 weekly listeners. Because of CKUA's extensive coverage, the station was one of only a handful of broadcasters (another being CTV Two Alberta , formerly Access) to carry
156-624: A diary -based system for tracking radio audience habits and this system is still used in most markets. In Montreal , Toronto , Vancouver , Edmonton and Calgary ratings are now measured using the Portable People Meter (PPM) technology. In television, Numeris is partnered with the American company Nielsen in a joint venture which measures the Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal Anglo and Montreal Franco markets,
208-450: A $ 50,000 "cap" on those fees with SoundExchange. However, DiMA and SoundExchange continue to negotiate over the per song, per listener fees. SoundExchange has also offered alternative rates and terms to certain eligible small webcasters, that allow them to calculate their royalties as a percentage of their revenue or expenses, instead of at a per performance rate. To be eligible, a webcaster had to have revenues of less than US$ 1.25 million
260-560: A 41 percent share. As of 2014, 47% of all Americans ages 12 and older—an estimated 124 million people—said they have listened to online radio in the last month, while 36% (94 million people) have listened in the last week. These figures are up from 45% and 33%, respectively, in 2013. The average amount of time spent listening increased from 11 hours, 56 minutes per week in 2013 to 13 hours 19 minutes in 2014. As might be expected, usage numbers are much higher for teens and younger adults, with 75% of Americans ages 12–24 listening to online radio in
312-402: A Last.fm employee, they were unable to participate because participation "may compromise ongoing license negotiations." SoundExchange , representing supporters of the increase in royalty rates, pointed out that the rates were flat from 1998 through 2005 (see above), without being increased to reflect cost-of-living increases. They also declared that if Internet radio is to build businesses from
364-506: A new logo designed by the agency Cundari, along with a new slogan, "Audiences Count". The company felt that the BBM name, especially given the continued use of its full name by media outlets, evoked visions of "surveys and bureaucracy" that were inconsistent with its modern operation. On August 28, 2022, Numeris ceased publication of TV Topline Reports. In radio, Numeris is the main provider of ratings services. The company has traditionally used
416-484: A substantial proliferation of independent Internet-only radio stations. The first Internet radio service was launched in 1993. As of 2017, the most popular Internet radio platforms and applications in the world include (but are not limited to) TuneIn Radio , iHeartRadio , and Sirius XM . In the U.S., unlike over-the-air broadcast radio, an FCC license is not required to operate an Internet radio service. Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in
468-442: A year and stream less than 5 million "listener hours" a month (or an average of 6830 concurrent listeners). These restrictions would disqualify independent webcasters like AccuRadio , Digitally Imported , Club977 and others from participating in the offer, and therefore many small commercial webcasters continue to negotiate a settlement with SoundExchange. An August 16, 2008 Washington Post article reported that although Pandora
520-513: Is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet . Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means. It can either be used as a stand-alone device running through the Internet, or as a software running through a single computer. Internet radio is generally used to communicate and easily spread messages through
572-539: Is a Canadian audience measurement organization. Established on May 11, 1944 as a division of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters , Numeris is the sole provider of viewership numbers for television and radio broadcasters in Canada. Numeris was founded by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters on May 11, 1944 as the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement . In 1964, it became the first ratings service in
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#1732801480034624-420: Is also distinct from podcasting , which involves downloading rather than streaming. Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every format that is available on traditional broadcast radio stations. Many Internet radio services are associated with a corresponding traditional (terrestrial) radio station or radio network , although low start-up and ongoing costs have allowed
676-488: Is continuously transmitted serially (streamed) over the local network or internet in TCP or UDP packets , then reassembled at the receiver and played a second or two later. The delay is called lag , and is introduced at several stages of digital audio broadcasting. A local tuner simulation program includes all the online radios that can also be heard in the air in the city. In 2003, revenue from online streaming music radio
728-474: The "BBM" acronym to refer to its BlackBerry Messenger service. The organization alleged that it had received phone calls from users who believed that they were affiliated with RIM. RIM objected to the lawsuit, arguing that both companies were in unrelated industries. The suit was dismissed in 2012 by Canadian federal courts as being without merit. BBM Canada ultimately chose to adopt a different name. On June 19, 2014, BBM Canada re-branded as Numeris, unveiling
780-449: The 1930s an early radio drama series, CKUA Players , was produced out of the station and broadcast throughout Western Canada by a network of stations. CKUA schedules different programs throughout the week and thus can offer many different genres including blues , bluegrass , R&B , Celtic , country , classical , jazz , reggae , folk , hip hop , dance , funk , rock , roots, and world . CKUA's music library boasts one of
832-578: The Alberta Emergency Public Warning System . The provincial government-funded programme provided the station with 12% of its annual income until the contract was lost to an Ottawa firm, Black Coral Inc., in January 2010. CKUA announced plans to shut down its legacy 580 AM signal, the longest continuously-used AM frequency in Canada, in the spring of 2013. It would have needed to invest as much as $ 5 million to upgrade
884-595: The Ontario region and national ratings figures via Portable People Meters. Numeris is the senior partner in the joint venture, and also continues to independently monitor some markets — primarily the francophone television market in Quebec, and some smaller media markets — which are not served by the joint operation, through diaries. Internet radio Internet radio , also known as Online radio , web radio , net radio , streaming radio , e-radio and IP radio ,
936-490: The UK. For example, Ofcom has very strict rules about presenters endorsing products and product placement; being an Internet radio station they are free of this constraint. One of the large controversies regarding internet radio revolved around a dispute between regulators over the amount of royalties Internet radio stations had to pay out. The Copyright Royalty Board initially wanted internet radio stations to pay out 100% royalties to
988-613: The US Copyright Royalty Board announced that "it will apply royalties to streaming net services based on revenue." Since then, websites like Pandora Radio , AccuRadio, Mog , 8tracks and recently Google Music have changed the way people discover and listen to music. The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 expired in January 2016, ending a 10-year period in which smaller online radio stations, Live365 among them, could pay reduced royalties to labels. On January 31, 2016, webcasters who are governed by rules adopted by
1040-575: The US, more than one in seven persons aged 25–54 years old listen to online radio each week. In 2008, 13 percent of the American population listened to the radio online, compared to 11 percent in 2007. Internet radio functionality is also built into many dedicated Internet radio devices , which give an FM like receiver user experience. In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2012, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, and other subscription-based and free Internet radio services accounted for nearly one quarter (23 percent) of
1092-587: The United States, and Chrysalis in the United Kingdom, restrict listening to in-country due to music licensing and advertising issues. Internet radio is also suited to listeners with special interests, allowing users to pick from a multitude of different stations and genres less commonly represented on traditional radio. Internet radio is typically listened to on a standard home PC or similar device, through an embedded player program located on
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#17328014800341144-536: The advent of streaming RealAudio over HTTP, streaming became more accessible to a number of radio shows. One such show, TechEdge Radio in 1997, was broadcast in three formats – live on the radio, live from a RealAudio server and streamed from the web over HTTP. In 1998, the longest running internet radio show, The Vinyl Lounge , began netcasting from Sydney, Australia, from Australia's first Internet radio station, NetFM (www.netfm.net). In 1999, Australian telco "Telstra" launched The Basement Internet Radio Station but it
1196-485: The average weekly music listening time among consumers between the ages of 13 and 35, an increase from a share of 17 percent the previous year. As Internet-radio listening rose among the 13-to-35 age group, listening to AM/FM radio, which now accounts for 24 percent of music-listening time, declined 2 percentage points. In the 36-and-older age group, by contrast, Internet radio accounted for just 13 percent of music listening, while AM/FM radio dominated listening methods with
1248-661: The concert by saying, "I want to say a special welcome to everyone that's, uh, climbed into the Internet tonight and, uh, has got into the M-bone . And I hope it doesn't all collapse." On November 7, 1994, WXYC (89.3 FM Chapel Hill, North Carolina , USA) became the first traditional radio station to announce broadcasting on the Internet. WXYC used an FM radio connected to a system at SunSite, later known as Ibiblio , running Cornell's CU-SeeMe software. WXYC had begun test broadcasts and bandwidth testing as early as August 1994. WREK (91.1 FM, Atlanta , GA USA) started streaming on
1300-580: The first European radio station to broadcast its full program live on the Internet. It broadcast its FM signal, live from the source, simultaneously on the Internet 24 hours a day. On May 1, 1997, Radio306.com (now Pure Rock Radio ) launched in Saskatoon, Canada. The internet-only station purerockradio.net celebrated 20 years on air in 2017 as the longest-running Canadian internet station. Internet radio also provided new opportunities to mix music with advocacy messages. In February 1999, Zero24-7 Web Radio
1352-456: The first radio station to offer educational radio programming, including music concerts, poetry readings, and university lectures. From 1930 to 1931 the station was an affiliate of the CNR Radio network. From 1945 to 1974 CKUA was operated by Alberta Government Telephones . The crown corporation , Alberta Educational Communications Corporation (later known as Access), assumed ownership of
1404-413: The form of talk. It is distributed through a wireless communication network connected to a switch packet network (the internet) via a disclosed source. Internet radio involves streaming media , presenting listeners with a continuous stream of audio that typically cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media; in this respect, it is distinct from on-demand file serving. Internet radio
1456-587: The initial public stock offering for Broadcast.com set a record at the time for the largest jump in price in stock offerings in the United States. The offering price was US$ 18 and the company's shares opened at US$ 68 on the first day of trading. The company was losing money at the time and indicated in a prospectus filed with the Securities Exchange Commission that they expected the losses to continue indefinitely. Yahoo! purchased Broadcast.com on July 20, 1999, for US$ 5.7 billion. With
1508-567: The largest and most diverse music collections in Canada, with more than 250,000 CDs and LPs , including 10,000 78 rpm records, as well as a few aluminium transcription discs , 45s , and other various media formats. CKUA was headquartered in the Alberta Block building on Jasper Avenue in Edmonton starting in 1955. In October 2012, CKUA moved into its current location in the Alberta Hotel building, with its first broadcast from
1560-532: The last month, compared to 50% of Americans ages 25–54 and 21% of Americans 55+. The weekly figures for the same age groups were 64%, 37% and 13%, respectively. In 2015, it was recorded that 53% of Americans, or 143 million people, ages 12 and up currently listen to internet radio. Some stations, such as Primordial Radio , use Internet radio as a platform as opposed to other means such as FM or DAB , as it gives greater freedom to broadcast as they see fit, without being subject to regulatory bodies such as Ofcom in
1612-422: The latest advances in digital compression" and delivered "AM radio-quality sound in so-called real time." Eventually, companies such as Nullsoft and Microsoft released streaming audio players as free downloads. As the software audio players became available, "many Web-based radio stations began springing up." In 1995, Scott Bourne founded NetRadio.com as the world's first Internet-only radio network. NetRadio.com
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1664-417: The musicians whose songs were played compared to the 15% that satellite radio stations had to pay. This disagreement was temporarily postponed when the webmaster act of 2008 and 2009 was passed. Internet radio was pioneered by Carl Malamud . In 1993, Malamud launched " Internet Talk Radio ", which was the "first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert". The first Internet concert
1716-621: The new location on October 15, 2012. The station's original transmitter was located at 580 kHz in Edmonton. It operated at 10,000 watts. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, as well as its transmitter power, it was powerful enough to cover nearly all of Alberta's densely populated area. It added an FM simulcast on June 28, 1948. Starting in the 1970s, CKUA built a network of 16 FM repeaters across Alberta. CKUA also broadcasts in western Canada on select cable and satellite providers (such as SaskTel , who carries CKUA across Saskatchewan as
1768-466: The new rates, many smaller Internet radio stations will have to shut down." The Digital Media Association (DiMA) said that even large companies, like Yahoo! Music, might fail due to the proposed rates. Some observers said that some U.S.-based Internet broadcasts might be moved to foreign jurisdictions where US royalties do not apply. Many of these critics organized SaveNetRadio.org, "a coalition of listeners, artists, labels and webcasters" that opposed
1820-562: The product of recordings, the performers and owners of those recordings should receive fair compensation. On May 1, 2007, SoundExchange came to an agreement with certain large webcasters regarding the minimum fees that were modified by the determination of the Copyright Royalty Board . While the CRB decision imposed a $ 500 per station or channel minimum fee for all webcasters, certain webcasters represented through DiMA negotiated
1872-644: The proposed royalty rates. To focus attention on the consequences of the impending rate hike, many US Internet broadcasters participated in a "Day of Silence" on June 26, 2007. On that day, they shut off their audio streams or streamed ambient sound, sometimes interspersed with brief public service announcements voiced, written and produced by popular voiceover artist Dave Solomon. Notable participants included Rhapsody , Live365 , MTV , Pandora , Digitally Imported and SHOUTcast . Some broadcasters did not participate, such as Last.fm , which had just been purchased for US$ 280 million by CBS Music Group . According to
1924-467: The respective station's website or on a smartphone app. In recent years, dedicated devices that resemble and offer the listener a similar experience to a traditional radio receiver have arrived on the market. Streaming technology is used to distribute Internet radio, typically using a lossy audio codec . Streaming audio formats include MP3 , Ogg Vorbis , Ogg Opus , Windows Media Audio , RealAudio , AAC and HE-AAC (or aacPlus ). Audio data
1976-577: The same day using their own custom software called CyberRadio1. However, unlike WXYC, this was WREK's beta launch and the stream was not advertised until a later date. On December 3, 1994, KJHK 90.7 FM, a campus radio station located in Lawrence, Kansas , at the University of Kansas , became one of the first radio stations in the world to broadcast a live and continuous stream over Internet radio. Time magazine said that RealAudio took "advantage of
2028-488: The same reasons. On September 30, 2008, the United States Congress passed "a bill that would put into effect any changes to the royalty rate to which [record labels and web casters] agree while lawmakers are out of session." Although royalty rates are expected to decrease, many webcasters nevertheless predict difficulties generating sufficient revenue to cover their royalty payments. In January 2009,
2080-459: The station in 1974. In 1994, Access sold the CKUA network to the non-profit CKUA Radio Foundation for $ 10. The same year the station won an Alberta Recording Industry Award of Excellence. On March 20, 1997, the station went off the air for five weeks due to political squabbles, poor financial management, and attempts at privatization. The station restarted broadcasting on April 25, 1997, after control
2132-454: The transmitter site to modern standards, an amount it could not afford. However, CKUA did not receive formal approval from the CRTC until September 12, 2013. AM 580 went off the air on November 21, 2013, the station's 86th anniversary. The CKUA program lineup relies on a number of on-air personalities. Numeris Numeris (formerly the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement , or BBM Canada )
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2184-433: The vacancy and devaluation of the Alberta Hotel building, which it owns and rents out, for its financial struggles. The station's practice of supporting local, independent, and non-commercial artists has helped launch the careers of musicians such as k.d. lang , Jann Arden , and Bruce Cockburn . In addition, CKUA has contributed to the careers of Arthur Hiller , Robert Goulet , and Tommy Banks , among others. Throughout
2236-551: The world to introduce computerized sample selection . In 2004, the organization began a joint venture with Nielsen Media Research to adopt its Portable People Meter system for television audience measurement. The organization officially shortened its name to BBM Canada in 2001; despite this, many outlets still referred to the organization under its previous name. In late December 2011, BBM sued Canadian technology company Research in Motion for trademark infringement , as it uses
2288-401: The world with a suitable internet connection available; one could, for example, listen to an Australian station from Europe and America. This has made internet radio particularly suited to and popular among expatriate listeners. Nevertheless, some major networks like TuneIn Radio , Audacy , Pandora Radio , iHeartRadio and Citadel Broadcasting (except for news/talk and sports stations) in
2340-431: Was "one of the nation's most popular Web radio services, with about 1 million listeners daily...the burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse" due to the structuring of performance royalty payment for webcasters. "Traditional radio, by contrast, pays no such fee. Satellite radio pays a fee but at a less onerous rate, at least by some measures." The article indicated that "other Web radio outfits" may be "doomed" for
2392-533: Was US$ 49 million. By 2006, that figure rose to US$ 500 million. A February 21, 2007 "survey of 3,000 Americans released by consultancy Bridge Ratings & Research" found that "[a]s much as 19% of U.S. consumers 12 and older listen to Web-based radio stations." In other words, there were "some 57 million weekly listeners of Internet radio programs. More people listen to online radio than to satellite radio, high-definition radio, podcasts, or cell-phone-based radio combined." An April 2008 Arbitron survey showed that, in
2444-564: Was a pioneer in Internet radio. It was the first Internet-only network to be licensed by ASCAP. NetRadio eventually went on to an IPO in October 1999. Most of the current Internet radio providers followed the path that NetRadio.com carved out in digital media. In mid December 1995, Vancouver-based AM radio station CKNW became the first commercial radio station in Canada to stream 24/7 over the internet. In March 1996, Virgin Radio – London became
2496-493: Was broadcast on June 24, 1993, by the band Severe Tire Damage . In March 1994, an unofficial automated rebroadcast of Irish radio news was setup as the RTE To Everywhere Project, allowing Irish people across the world daily access to radio news from home until it was rendered obsolete in 1998. In November 1994, a Rolling Stones concert was the "first major cyberspace multicast concert." Mick Jagger opened
2548-457: Was given to the public from directors appointed by the provincial government. As of 2005, more than two-thirds of the station's funding came from its listeners in the form of donations. In April 2024, CKUA announced that it needed to raise $ 3 million in donations by September 30, 2024, to avoid closure. Despite rising audience numbers and steady revenue, the station cited factors including the recent inflation surge , limited government funding, and
2600-489: Was later shut down in 2003 as it was not a viable business for the company. From 2000 onwards, most Internet radio stations increased their stream quality as bandwidth became more economical. Today , most stations stream between 64 kbit/s and 128 kbit/s providing near CD quality audio. As of 2017 the mobile app Radio Garden , a research project of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision ,
2652-422: Was launched. It was the first Internet radio station to be crowdsourced and programmed by professional broadcasters and crowdfunded by a unique partnership of people, charities and businesses. Out of Washington DC, the station mixed progressive music and green messages. It was created by BBC and WHFS veteran Mark Daley . Internet radio attracted significant media and investor attention in the late 1990s. In 1998,
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#17328014800342704-898: Was streaming approximately 8,000 radio stations to a global audience. In October 1998, the US Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), one result of which is that performance royalties are to be paid for satellite radio and Internet radio broadcasts in addition to publishing royalties. In contrast, traditional radio broadcasters pay only publishing royalties and no performance royalties. A rancorous dispute ensued over how performance royalties should be assessed for Internet broadcasters. Some observers said that royalty rates that were being proposed were overly burdensome and intended to disadvantage independent Internet-only stations —that "while Internet giants like AOL may be able to afford
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