CHES-FM, branded as ''Erin Radio 91.7'' is an

English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...

station based in the town of

Erin Erin is a Hiberno-English word for Ireland originating from the Irish word ''"Éirinn"''. "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in prepositional phrases such as ''"go h� ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Overview

The station serves the town of Erin as well as outlying communities. The station features regular news updates, and community events. Music formats include

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, pop,

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, roots,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, bluegrass,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, R&B,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

. The station also focuses on the airplay of independent local, regional and national

Canadian music The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been i ...

, with the goal of promoting new talent in Canada.

History

The concept of "Erin Radio" was given a kickstart after the hydro blackout in August 2003. The mayor and council arranged to have a local company provide free bottled water to Erin residents, but there was no way to get the word out. Phone systems were down, home radios and televisions were off and there was no emergency communications system in the town. If Erin Radio had been operating at the time with a diesel generator, emergency information could have been broadcast to those with car or transistor radios. * On April 21, 2006, a local community group, Erin Community Radio, was granted approval by 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 ...

to operate a new community radio station at 101.5 MHz in Erin. It launched in September 2006, and the official launch took place at the Erin Fall Fair on October 8, 2006. * On January 29, 2010, CHES applied to change frequency from 101.5 to 88.1 MHz, receiving CRTC approval on June 16, 2010. On April 11, 2011, CHES began a test broadcast on 88.1 FM. * On April 20, 2012, CHES rebranded from "Erin Radio" to "Main Street Radio FM 88". On November 29, 2012, CHES rebranded from "Main Street Radio" to "Mix 88.1". Their studio also moved from 106 Main Street to 8 Thompson Crescent in Erin. * On November 1, 2013, the CRTC approved Erin Community Radio's application to increase the average ERP of CHES-FM from 125 to 570 watts (maximum ERP increasing from 250 to 1,250 watts). * On December 11, 2013, Erin Community Radio submitted an application to operate a new FM transmitter at Orangeville, which would repeat the programming of CHES-FM as CHES-FM-1 at 89.1 MHz with 50 watts. This application was denied by the CRTC on October 30, 2014. * Erin Radio Studios moved to Fergus in May 2014 but continued broadcasting to the Erin area. As of January 5, 2015, the station broadcasts from the United Church on the Main Street in Erin. * On April 24, 2015, Erin Community Radio submitted an application to change CHES-FM's frequency from 88.1 MHz to 91.7 MHz. On May 18, 2016, the CRTC approved Erin Community Radio's application to move CHES-FM from 88.1 MHz (channel 201A) to 91.7 MHz (channel 219A) and increasing its average effective radiated power (ERP) from 570 to 850 watts (maximum ERP from 1,250 to 2,500 watts).Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2016-189
''CRTC'', CHES-FM Erin – Licence amendment and technical changes, May 18, 2016 * On June 21, 2016, CHES-FM changed its frequency from 88.1 MHz to 91.7 MHz.

References

External links

Erin Radio 91.7
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ches-Fm Hes Hes Radio stations established in 2003 2003 establishments in Ontario