Did you know that our university used to have its very own campus radio station? Its origins begin in the mid-1960s, with students on campus working hard to create a station that could broadcast music for others in the KW area. In the years since, this radio station shifted to become what is now CKMS-FM — a local station independent from UW or its students — but there is a long and fascinating history of the time in which it was operated by and for the student body.
In 1968, a group called the UW Broadcasting Association began closed-circuit programming on campus, running out of the small, windowless room 1304 in the Engineering 2 building. Things were still quite experimental at this point — the group would broadcast music for one week on a trial basis, using secondhand equipment they’d acquired from a station in Hamilton. In the documentary Radio Waterloo, released in 2018 by CKMS-FM, many members of the Broadcasting Association revealed what these early days looked like. “It was masking tape and epoxy glue,” joked Bruce Steele, who was part of the group from 1967-1972.
Some time later, operations moved to the Campus Centre — now known as the SLC — placing the Radio Waterloo station right in the hub of campus activity. At this point, the Bombshelter pub was still in operation, making the Centre a hot spot for dances and other social gatherings. In 1970, the station began broadcasting on cable radio through Grand River Cable, since at this point universities were not allowed to have FM radio stations. This meant that listeners would only be able to access the station from a few locations, including places at UW like the Campus Centre and St. Jerome’s, and at four Waterloo Lutheran locations, which was the previous name of Wilfrid Laurier University.
Radio Waterloo began thinking about where a transmitter might be placed on campus in order to cover more territory, and experimented with broadcasting from the roof of the Dana Porter Library. From the university administration side however, there was some concern about allowing students 24-hour access to the roof, and so Radio Waterloo soon made its big move to the Bauer Warehouse just off campus. Here they would have access to a broadcasting tower, and finally get proper studio space and equipment.
After being denied an FM license during the first several years of the station, there was a split within Radio Waterloo. Some members decided to try going for a community radio license, separating themselves from the university-specific broadcast. The group, called Wired World Inc., established CKWR — a broadcast call sign meaning “C Kitchener-Waterloo Radio” — which still runs today.
But for those who remained with Radio Waterloo, there was still no FM license. That finally came in 1977, when the Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved their application for a broadcasting license and Radio Waterloo was granted the call sign of CKMS. This meant that the station could be tuned into across the whole of KW, expanding their reach to students and other young people alike. Also during this year, the station became a founding member of the Ontario Radio Campus Organization. “I think [the] spirit of the time was free-form alternative radio,” said Bill Wharrie, who joined Radio Waterloo in 1972 and spoke about his time there in the documentary. “We realized at the time that a campus radio station, and the schedule that a campus radio station has, is different from any other radio stations,” he added, explaining that new kinds of music or programming would play every couple of hours. As such, Radio Waterloo created FM Times, a program guide that would let listeners know when to tune in for specific broadcasts.
Shows featured on the broadcast ranged far and wide — from all kinds of music to spoken radio shows and plays. Looking at these program guides can shed a light on what students were interested in over the years. The variety is huge: literary campus aired for half an hour every Tuesday, where original work written by students would be read live, such as short stories and poetry. Leaping Lesbians began airing in 1979, a show programmed by lesbian students that included music, community news and events, and discussions with listeners. Radio Waterloo Sports Report broke down the latest in campus sports, including interviews and information on upcoming events. As such, the station became not only a medium for sharing music, but also for connecting the community.
As the years went on, CKMS began to struggle more and more with funding. In October 1983, budget constraints led to the last issue of FM Times being released. Several years later in February 2008, a referendum was held that allowed students to vote on whether they would continue funding the station. At this point students were paying about $5 per term — a fee which was refundable, upon request — which comprised roughly 90 per cent of the station’s operating budget. The result was about a 2 to 1 vote to defund the station. As a result, CKMS was forced to undergo a massive restructuring, firing longtime staff and attempting to rebrand themselves in an effort to gain back student support. This led to another referendum in November 2009, which asked students to pay just $2.50 per term to support the station. An article from The Cord showcases the slim margins of the resulting vote: with only 18 per cent of students voting in the referendum, 2,005 voted in favour of the fee and 2,460 voted against it.
Wharrie tried to sketch a broader picture of what the station meant to the community: “It’s like everything else in a democratic society that we pay a small amount for each individually. But because we each contribute a small amount to it, this bigger thing is allowed to exist.” He explained that for the average student, however, this didn’t seem to matter, with everything coming down to the money. According to Wharrie, students’ prevailing sentiment was: “Am I gonna pay $5.50 a term or not? Well, it doesn’t do anything for me, I don’t listen to it, so I’m not gonna pay for it.”
Locked out of the Bauer Warehouse, CKMS pulled things together to move to Maxwell’s Music House. Those who wanted to host shows on the station had to pay to do so, and were responsible for finding sponsors that would help pay the bills. But rent was still too expensive and the station moved to a building on Waterloo Street, then to King Street, and finally to Duke Street, where it is currently located, operating as a community radio station.
Those involved with the station in recent years say that things are still tough, and that they likely always will be. But the dedication of the Radio Waterloo team through the years goes to show that they certainly won’t go quietly.
