If you’re not familiar with CKUA, let General Manager Ken Regan explain to you what it is they do and why that’s important.

“CKUA is Alberta’s listener-supported radio network. It’s also Canada’s largest and most successful community broadcaster.”

Tell us more, Ken.

“It should be considered a heritage broadcaster for it’s milestones over 82 years,” he continues.

“It’s one of the best places for genuine lovers of music in the country. North America. Maybe the world. It’s one of Alberta’s best inventions.”

The station is Alberta-wide, with its Edmonton studios on Jasper Avenue between 106 and 105 Streets. When stations tell you they’ve got something for you, they don’t always. CKUA really does. That’s one way it differs from all those Hot and Bouncy and rock stations on your dial (or your Internet).

“Yeah, we ask for money,” says Regan. “But the difference between CKUA and private radio is they make money. That’s the end, they make money for shareholders. For CKUA money is not the end, it’s the means to the end. We ask listeners to help us run the station.”

The fundraising campaigns are usually 17 days, but they’ve changed things over there at CKUA. They’ve gone to a 10-day event.

“You constantly have to change things up,” says Regan. “We can’t afford complacency.”

Recently, campus-based community station CJSR fell short of its annual FunDrive goal of $150,000. Could the recession be out to get small stations that don’t have large sales departments?

“We could worry about that. We did worry about that in the spring campaign,” Regan says. “But (then) we had the second-best campaign in our history. I believe people will continue to support the things that matter to them.”

“Every campaign is a crapshoot. We never know if we’ll meet our goal. The people with the capacity to support us will continue to support us.”

Now you know. And maybe you want to donate.