CKUT-FM

Last updated
CKUT-FM
Broadcast area Greater Montreal area
Frequency 90.3 MHz
Branding90.3 FM CKUT Montreal
Programming
Format Campus and community
Affiliations Pacifica Radio Network
Ownership
OwnerRadio CKUT (non-profit organisation)
History
First air date
1985 as CFRM (Radio McGill)
November 16, 1987 as CKUT-FM
Technical information
Class B
ERP 5,003 watts
horizontal polarization only
HAAT 242.5 meters (796 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 45°30′20.16″N73°35′30.12″W / 45.5056000°N 73.5917000°W / 45.5056000; -73.5917000
Links
Website http://www.ckut.ca

CKUT-FM is a non-profit, member-owned and -operated campus and community radio station that broadcasts from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada [1] . It can be heard at 90.3 FM in Montreal and online at its website, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Contents

CKUT's FM signal, broadcast from a tower on the top of Mount Royal, reaches as far as the Eastern Townships and upstate New York.

CKUT-FM has its roots in McGill University's radio club, founded in 1921, and then in the closed-circuit station CFRM on the campus of McGill University. [2] It started broadcasting on FM on November 16, 1987. [3] [4] [5]

Its mandate is to be a "mic for the mic-less" – to provide an essential service to those in the Montreal community whose needs are not met by mainstream commercial radio. [1] The station is financially supported by donations and a McGill student fee levy.

History

CKUT began as CFRM-Radio McGill, a closed-circuit cable station operating out of the Shatner Building [6] on McGill's downtown campus in Montreal, Quebec, starting in 1985 [7] .

In 1986, CFRM was among several Montreal radio stations that applied for an available FM frequency, supported by McGill Law professor Dr. F.H. Buckley [6] . The station was able to demonstrate local support through letter-writing and door-knocking campaigns, [8] and on March 19, 1987, McGill undergraduate and station volunteer Martha-Marie Kleinhans, representing a company to be incorporated, received a licence to operate an English-language institutional FM station at McGill University, operating on the 90.3 MHz frequency with an effective radiated power of 5,700 watts [2] .

Programs

Shows Currently On The Air

Among CKUT's many programs are:

Dykes on Mykes

Dykes on Mykes [9] was founded in 1987 by Robyn Badger, Minty Fownes and Voula K to produce media that would both represent the diversity of the lesbian community, and would provide the opportunity for these communities to critically examine pertinent political and cultural issues, and was intended to alternate with the Homoshow to represent gay men [10] . The show took place bi-weekly in English. In 2004, they turned the mics over to a new team which included Dayna McLeod, Mel Hogan and Marie Claire MacPhee. CKUT maintains a substantial archive of Dykes on Mykes. As of January 27, 2025, it has returned to the CKUT airwaves, now hosted by Becca Love.

International Radio Report

On the air since Thursday, November 19, 1987, the 30-minute show featuring news and information on all aspects of radio, radio broadcasting, and communications, locally, nationally and internationally, and is one of only a few shows to have been on CKUT continually since it obtained its FM license. The show was created by Sheldon Harvey, who continues to co-host and co-produce to this day, with current co-host Gilles Letourneau. The crew on the show has changed from time to time over the years, including Bill Westenhaver, Richard Casavant, Janice Laws, Steve Karlock, and David Asselin. International Radio Report originally aired on Thursday afternoons at 2:30, but after several years moved to the Sunday morning, 10:30 am time slot. The show has a Facebook Group "International Radio Report" with over 950 members, and a YouTube channel "International Radio Report", now with over 900 subscribers, that allows everyone the opportunity to tune in and listen to editions of the program on their own time schedule.

Macondo & el Club de los Feos

Macondo & el Club de los Feos [11] "Macondo & El Club de los Feos" is a two-hour show in English, French and Spanish that plays Latin music, Salsa, merengue Bachata and Ballads. The show is divided in 4 segments: El set de Salsa Clásica pal que sabe y el que no que aprenda / El Haha Mix, Las novedades / La Pausa Cuchi Cuchi / Aqui mando yo (we play what you want).

Positive Vibes

One of the longest-running shows on CKUT, originated by Janice Dayle “J.D”, in 1986 (pre-FM licence) and arguably, opening the door to other Caribbean, Afro-centric programmes. It has had various other hosts over the years including Sistah P (Pat Dillon, currently host of Bhum Bhum Time) Prym Tyme, and Majesty. The current hosts are Johnny Black, Roger Moore and Nadine. Montreal’s reggae matrix, they play all forms of reggae, roots, rub a dub, ska, dancehall, vintage, rarities and keep reggae lovers informed of all the events happening in Montreal.

Underground Sounds

Underground Sounds broadcasts Montreal music on CKUT Mondays 8-10pm, and has been airing since 1987. Host Nick Schofield features new music from emerging artists, focusing on upcoming concerts and album releases through interviews, live performances and playlists. In 2014, Cult Montreal readers voted Schofield #1 Radio Host and Underground Sounds #1 Radio Show in Montreal [12] .

Voice of Korea

Voice of Korea [13] (not to be confused with the North Korean shortwave radio service of same name) is an hour-long program broadcast every Tuesday at 2PM. Entirely created by volunteers composed of 1st and 2nd-generation Koreans as well as other Asians, Voice of Korea features content for both the local Korean community and local residents through its bilingual (English and Korean) programming. Each show contains International News, Local Korean Community News, Weekly Event Calendar, Korean Movie Preview, Korean Culture Feature Story, Language Exchange for learning Korean and French and Top 5 Korean movies and songs for the week.

Past Shows No Longer On The Air

Roots Rock Rebel

Roots Rock Rebel was a weekly music program hosted by Aaron Lakoff, which featured ska, reggae, soul, and punk music. The show began in an overnight time-slot in 2003 under the name "Rude Rude Radio", and moved into its time slot in January 2006 under the name "Roots Rock Rebel". Some of the legendary ska and reggae artists who have been interviewed on Roots Rock Rebel include Lynn Taitt of The Skatalites, Pauline Black of The Selecter, and Hopeton Lewis, who is often credited as the originator of the rocksteady genre. The program aired Wednesday nights from 10pm-12am between 2006 and 2015, at which point it became The Rebel Beat, also hosted by Lakoff. [15]

Special Programming

References

  1. 1 2 FM, CKUT 90 3. "About". ckut.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 "CKUT-FM – The History of Canadian Broadcasting" . Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. ↑ Boone, Mike (November 16, 1987). "McGill station is on the air – except in Westmount". The Gazette . Montreal, Quebec. p. C9. Retrieved April 2, 2024– via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Moylan, Katie (2019-02-20). The Cultural Work of Community Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-78348-934-3.
  5. ↑ Stanton, Victoria; Tinguely, Vincent (2001). Impure: Reinventing the Word : the Theory, Practice, and Oral History of Spoken Word in Montreal. Conundrum Press. ISBN   978-0-9689496-1-0.
  6. 1 2 Burns, Louise (2017). CKUT Time Capsule: An Oral History in Pictures (PDF). Montreal, Quebec: CKUT 90.3 FM. p. 3.
  7. ↑ "CKUT-FM – The History of Canadian Broadcasting" . Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  8. ↑ "The McGill Tribune Vol. 06 Issue 6". Issuu. 1986-10-15. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  9. ↑ iTunes Website [ dead link ] for Dykes on Mykes iTunes Website
  10. ↑ "Dykes on Mykes fonds". The ARQUIVES. 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  11. ↑ Official website Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine for Macondo & El Club de los Feos
  12. ↑ MTL, Cult (2014-05-05). "Best of MTL 2014: Media". Cult MTL. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  13. ↑ Official website Archived 2009-03-13 at the Wayback Machine for Voice of Korea
  14. ↑ "Tuesday Morning After | CKUT 90.3 FM". ckut.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  15. ↑ "Roots Rock Rebel Final Curtain Podcast (January 28, 2015)". 30 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "LIVE: 11th Annual Homelessness Marathon". The Media Co-op. 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  17. ↑ "TODAY: Homelessness Marathon! | NCRA/ANREC". archive.ncra.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  18. ↑ FM, CKUT 90 3. "A History of Gay Day". ckut.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Logan, Evelyn (2024-01-29). "Tuning in to CKUT". The McGill Daily. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  20. ↑ FM, CKUT 90 3. "Black Talk – Hosted by Pam and Zoë". ckut.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Admin (2016-02-16). "BSN x CKUT: Black Talk". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
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