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Laurie's Private Members' Statement

Private Members' Statement - CKUA

Private Members’ Statement in the 26th Legislature of Alberta, 3rd Session by Ms. Laurie Blakeman, MLA Edmonton-Centre

Alberta Hansard – November 21, 2007

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today is the 80th anniversary of the CKUA radio network, and I am pleased to be joined by members of the network to celebrate this important milestone. CKUA has the distinction of being Canada’s first public broadcaster and the first radio station in Canada to go online. As the voice of Alberta artists, musicians, and cultural enthusiasts CKUA broadcasts a wide selection of music and possesses a music library of more than a quarter million CDs and LPs.

CKUA operates on a not-for-profit basis, relying on listener donations, program sponsorship, subscriptions, and corporate support to continue offering its valuable programming. The annual fundraising drive supported by volunteers like my neighbour Louise demonstrates how important CKUA is to both individual listeners and to the Alberta music scene.

At a folk festival a few years ago a B. C. musician and music promoter spoke to me about how lucky we are to have a radio station that plays local artists and how important that is to promote artists on a wider basis. He was quite jealous.

The CKUA radio network has given Alberta, Canada, and the world many of its most beloved artists. Many of Alberta’s well-known musicians have launched their career through CKUA radio network, including Jann Arden, k. d. lang, Amos Garrett, and Tommy Banks, to name a few.

The number of CKUA listeners continues to grow. Its audience has in fact doubled since 1996, with an average of more than 160,000 weekly listeners. A province-wide signal and online presence of 4.5 million hits per month brings in listeners from across Alberta and around the globe. The network has embraced the use of the Internet and iPods to offer its services to listeners.

Please join me in recognizing the leadership and the valuable contribution CKUA has made in its 80 years of broadcasting in Alberta. Happy birthday, and thank you.