CKDU-FM (88.1 MHz) is a non-profit radio station broadcasting from the campus of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It airs a campus radio format serving the Halifax Regional Municipality area and is operated by the not-for-profit CKDU-FM Society. Its mandate is to provide the Halifax area with an alternative to public and private radio broadcasting. The 2,460 watt transmitter reaches the urban core of Halifax and adjacent communities. History CKDU evolved from the Dalhousie University radio club, Radio Tiger, which dated back at least to the 1950s. In 1975, the station was dubbed CKDU and began broadcasting via closed circuit to Dalhousie residence halls from the Dalhousie Student Union Building (the SUB). After a successful student referendum to fund the station, and approval from the CRTC on October 10, 1984, CKDU started broadcasting on 97.5 FM with only 33 watts. The signal was sufficient to cover the area around the university, with poorer reception throughout the rest of the city. At the time of launch the station was managed by Doug Varty, formerly of CHSR-FM in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Keith Tufts, later to found alternative performance venues the Club Flamingo and the Pub Flamingo. The station's programming was initially heavily weighted to what was then considered "alternative" popular music, including such artists as Bauhaus, Ministry, Kate Bush and the Cure. In addition, the station broadcast several magazine style information programs during the day. In late 1985, Mark MacLeod was hired after working at CHMA-FM in Sackville, New Brunswick, to become the station's program director. Working with other station staff, he diversified the station's music programming to include more jazz, world music, and other specialty genres. In 2000, CKDU-FM received permission from the CRTC to upgrade its transmitter to a power of 3,200 watts. On February 14, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. AST, the station moved from 97.5 MHz to 88.1 MHz. On April 9, 2010, CKDU received approval to decrease its power from 3,200 watts to 2,460 watts. But it improved its tower's height above average terrain to . So while its power was lower, its coverage area remained roughly the same. Programming The programming on CKDU tends to be eclectic. In-house policy is that anything that is commonly heard on a commercial or public (i.e. the CBC) radio station should not be heard on CKDU. CKDU's license also prohibits it from playing selections that have made certain charts