CFMU-FM is a Canadian
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
, broadcasting at 93.3
FM in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
. It is a
campus/community radio station owned and operated by the
McMaster Students Union
The McMaster Students Union (MSU), is the central undergraduate student government at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
History
The McMaster Student Body, the original student government, was formed in 1890 when McMaster Univer ...
at
McMaster University
McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...
.
History
CFMU began as a project of the
McMaster Radio Club in the late 1960s as a
closed circuit
Closed circuit can refer to:
*Closed-circuit television
*Closed-circuit radio
*Rebreather – breathing sets
* ''Closed Circuit'' (1978 film), a 1978 Italian film
* ''Closed Circuit'' (2013 film), a 2013 British thriller film
*An electric circuit
...
AM station, under the auspices of the Board of Student Broadcasting.
In 1976, CFMU applied for its first
FM license from the
CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...
for 107.9, but was denied in favour of a broadcaster in Burlington.
CFMU was eventually launched on FM on January 13, 1978, broadcasting in mono at 50 watts.
They were the third college radio station to launch in Canada, after
CFRC
CFRC-FM (101.9 MHz) is the non-commercial campus radio station at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The station has one of the longest radio histories in Canada, with experimental broadcasts dating back to 1922 and serves Que ...
from
Queen's University and
CJRT, which was started by
Ryerson Institute of Technology
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...
(now Toronto Metropolitan University).
CFMU started out with a
Wilkinson transmitter and 2-bay circularly polarized
Phelps Dodge
Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 as an import-export firm by Anson Greene Phelps and his two sons-in-law William Earle Dodge, Sr. and Daniel James. The latter two ran Phelps, James & Co., the part of the ...
antenna.
In 1985, CFMU petitioned successfully to move its transmitter from downtown Hamilton to the top of the escarpment, near
Chedoke Hospital
The Chedoke Hospital was a non-acute care hospital in Hamilton, Canada. It was operated by Hamilton Health Sciences Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS)is a hospital network of seven hospitals and a cancer centre serving Hamilton, Ontario
Ontario ...
.
In 1991, faced with a wattage increase at nearby
CFRU-FM
CFRU-FM, airing at 93.3 on the FM dial, is a campus radio station based at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. CFRU is a volunteer-run campus and community radio station. CFRU is a member of the National Campus and Community Ra ...
in Guelph, CFMU upgraded from 50 watts to a 250-watt stereo transmitter. In 2000, CFMU decreased to a 166-watt station and began sharing a tower at
Mohawk College
Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario. Established in 1966, the college currently has five main campuses: the Fennell Campus on the Hamilton Mountain, the M ...
, with Mohawk's instructional station
CIOI-FM.
The station can be heard throughout much of Hamilton and
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
, although their
vertically polarized signal means the station can be heard farther on car radios.
Programming
CFMU has several long-running shows:
Classical Todayhosted by Richard Kohar has been on the air for over 10 years.
Echoes from the Amber Coast - Gintariniai Aidai a Lithuanian cultural show, has been on the air since the station launch in January 1978;
Leave Luck To Usdebuted on February 2, 2008;
Live N Directhas been broadcast since 1996;
Lullabies in Razorlandby Ric Taylor has been on the air for over 25 years;
In Tha Kuthas been on-air for over 20 years.
The station's programming includes local news and current affairs, politics, ethnic and religious community broadcasting, and local music, as well as a variety of genre shows.
Administration
CFMU employs several full-time and part-time staff and runs with the help of over 200 volunteers. CFMU relies on an annual fundraising drive, donations, show sponsorship, and grants to continue serving the community.
Awards
CFMU won Radio Station of the Year at the
Hamilton Music Scene Awards in 2010. CFMU has won Radio Station of the Year from the
Hamilton Music Awards ten times since the awards were founded in 2004, most recently in 2016. Director Rachel Connell won Music Director of the Year in 2016; Ben Robinson won the same in 2015.
Individual programs have won numerous awards, including:
* Radio Show of the Year, Lou's Control with Lou Molinaro
* Radio Show of the Year and Media Person of the Year, Ric Taylor for Lullabies in Razorland
* Media Person of the Year, Kristin Archer for I Heart Hamilton
References
External links
CFMU-FM*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cfmu-Fm
Fmu
Fmu
McMaster University
Radio stations established in 1978
1978 establishments in Ontario