Halifax hip hop, electronics and far-flung world sounds.
CKDU grew out of Radio Tiger, a Dalhousie University radio club in Halifax going back at least to the 1950s, took its call letters in 1975 while broadcasting by closed circuit to the residence halls from the Student Union Building, and went on air at 97.5 FM with just 33 watts on 1 February 1985. It was boosted to 3,200 watts in 2000, moved to 88.1 FM on 14 February 2006, and in 2010 settled at 2,460 watts on an antenna raised to 156.5 metres, which kept its reach much the same as before.
Its programming rule is that anything commonly heard on commercial or public radio should not be heard on CKDU, so the schedule runs wide, with hip hop, electronic music, world music and programmes in several languages beside magazine-style talk. Student-union money, fund drives and a large volunteer membership keep it going, and in the 1980s its show The Word is Out talked about AIDS and queer life on air.
Halifax, off the beaten dial.
