CHSR-FM is a campus-licensed
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 radi ...
in
Fredericton,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, Canada. The station has an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...
of 250
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
s. The broadcast signal is also streamed live on the internet.
Most of its members are students at the
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...
and
St. Thomas University, however, it has many non-student volunteers.
[CRTC renewal 2015 https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2014/2014-295.htm] Its broadcast studio and record library are located in the Student Union Building (the SUB) which is shared by the two institutions.
History
The organization now known as CHSR was founded in the late 1950s, and officially went on-air January 22, 1961 as ''Radio UNB''. It is one of the oldest community radio stations in
Atlantic Canada and boasts the largest music library east of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, although
Fredericton is much smaller than other communities in the Atlantic Region. The library holds a large variety of musical genres, on a variety of formats (
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
,
cassettes,
compact discs
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in October ...
, etc.) from the past six decades.
Like many student media organizations, the relationship with various university, student and community leaders were occasionally strained. One of the more persistent sources of disputes was largely resolved with an agreement signed in 1999, which stabilized CHSR's largest source of funding: undergraduate students at the University of New Brunswick. The new agreement requires a signed petition and a referendum to change or remove the media fee, whereas previously funding could be (and once was) removed by a simple motion of Student Union Council.
As a community radio station housed on a university campus, CHSR makes an extra effort to reach out to the off-campus community, playing local content and providing on-site training for new
DJs who later are able to host their own show.
A founding member of the national community broadcasters collective, the
National Campus and Community Radio Association
The National Campus and Community Radio Association/L'Association nationale des radios étudiantes et communautaires (NCRA/ANREC) is a non-profit organization of campus radio and community radio stations in Canada.
It represents the interests of t ...
, CHSR remains an active member of the alternative media, including participation in the NCRA's
Dig Your Roots
''Dig Your Roots'' is the third studio album by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. The album was released on August 26, 2016, by Big Machine and Big Loud Mountain. As with their first two albums, it is produced by Joey Moi. The tw ...
project. CHSR is also a voting member of the
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (french: link=no, Association Mondiale Des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires, AMARC) is the international umbrella organization of community radio broadcasters founded in 1983, with nearly 3,000 me ...
and the
Grassroots Radio Coalition
The Grassroots Radio Coalition is a coalition of community media activists. The GRC has a mailing list and holds a conference every year, but has so far not incorporated. There are no dues, no hierarchy and no bylaws. At the GRC11 in 2006, confe ...
.
Notable shows
*"The Crazy Train" was Atlantic Canada's longest running Heavy Metal radio program. It won CHSR's "Barry Award" for Best Specialty Music program in 1994, during the 5-year span when it was hosted by Jason Shipley.
*''According with Carmen'' was a long-running show featuring "the best in old Country, Pop, Bajan, Cajun, Irish, Newfoundland and other Island music." Host Carmen Kilburn, 2006 inductee to the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame
welcomed live guests and special requests.
*''Diversions'' is a long-running show of classical and opera music. Hosted by Dr. Adrian Park,
this program celebrated its 20th anniversary in April 2010.
*"More Of What You Like With The Mistress" was the first Hip Hop show to air in Fredericton with a top ten list published in Billboard. The show, hosted by Mindy Crawford, aired from 1989 - 1994 and paved the way for Hip Hop Artist to begin performances in the Maritimes.
*''Strictly HipHop'' is a long-running show, 90 minutes of funky beat mix, hosted by DJ STV. This program celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013.
Logos
References
External links
CHSR 97.9 FM*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chsr-Fm
Hsr
Hsr
University of New Brunswick
Radio stations established in 1961
1961 establishments in New Brunswick