Don’t touch that dial: Future of Canada’s campus radio stations in doubt

Elke Sorensen was in her second year at Vancouver Island University when she first got involved with the campus-community radio station — an experience that may soon become less common.

After spending some time asking questions about CHLY 101.7 FM before volunteering, the then-21 year old says she was immediately put in the “hot seat” inside a live radio booth.

Like many student rookies, Sorensen started off hosting a show focused on Canadian music that she says allowed her to make local connections.

“I really ingrained myself and got to know the community and felt more like a citizen in this new city that I now call my home,” she said in an interview.

Sorensen was later able to launch her own biweekly literary show focused on Canadian authors that she was able to use for academic credit.

She says that gave her the opportunity to combine her passions for both radio and literature — and give her a voice in the space.

But more and more, fewer people are getting the chance to tune in as campus radio stations fight to stay on-air.

Barry Rooke, executive director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, says campus radio has reached a crisis point and needs help from Ottawa to survive as stations adapt.

He says declining post-secondary enrolment, the shuttering of journalism programs and optional student fees at some schools are threatening the existence of campus radio stations across Canada.

The Memorial University of Newfoundland’s student union voted Wednesday to cease funding for CHMR, according to campus media, in an effort to address a deficit.

In Canada’s capital, CHUO 89.1 FM lost its student fee and was charged rent by the University of Ottawa it couldn’t afford, according to Rooke. It halted live broadcasts in December last year.

Campus stations at Fanshawe and Algonquin colleges are also slated to go dark as the academic programs that supported their operations are shuttered.

“There’s so much stress on the system … that it’s becoming more and more difficult to fundraise and find that advertising at the local level because everybody’s gone digital,” Rooke said.

“Yet in many of the campus and community radio stations, and especially the Indigenous ones, they’re often the only source of information and news in those spaces — let alone a spot for people to share their passion and learn as an entry level into the media.”

Amara Sheppard was able to find a new way to express her voice on the University of Guelph’s CFRU 93.3 FM after looking for a direct equivalent to the competitive debating she did in her youth.

As a student, Sheppard acquired a job at the station doing outreach and helped to relaunch a music program that includes live performances and artist interviews. She continued to volunteer with the program since graduating for the value it brings.

“It is in a lot of ways still kind of like the Wild West in that it’s not as regulated as some other forms of media, and it hasn’t quite been touched by the AI phenomenon yet,” Sheppard said.

Federal caps on international students first introduced in 2024 have led to widespread layoffs and program cuts at post-secondary institutions. As economic pressures rise and enrolment drops, several media programs have also been suspended or consolidated.

And in Ontario, the government is considering more optional student fees through its Supporting Children and Students Act — while student associations nationwide look for ways to save.

These realities, Rooke said, have created “a perfect storm.” He expects without intervention, campus radio stations will be wiped out at an accelerated rate.

Rooke said that is why it’s crucial the federal government listen to a new campaign calling for $30 million per year in funding for campus and community radios.

“Within that ask, there’s approximately $25 million that would go directly to these 255 radio stations by virtue of their licence. So that’s around $95,000 per station,” Rooke said.

That cash boost would help stabilize the airwaves for some 45 campus radio stations, said Rooke, and bring Canada in line with other countries.

“We’re really one of … the only set of community-based radio stations in the world that aren’t funded,” he added.

Rooke’s association is also hosting a national meeting of campus stations later this month with the goal of teaching them how to scale down without going dark and diversify revenue by transitioning to broader media hubs.

Scotty Hertz, who hosts a weekly politics show for CFRU, said the Guelph-based station has found success by offering space for content creation, grassroots music support and as a career launch pad.

“It’s not just campus radio anymore, it’s a media centre,” Hertz said.

Sorensen, the B.C. university student, plans to continue volunteering for CHLY 101.7 FM after graduating this year. She hopes grassroots radio can survive for the sake of both its operators and listeners.

“There’s so much benefit in turning on your radio and hearing local stories by people you may know,” Sorensen said.

“It’s such diverse programming. You’re going to hear music from across the world and music from your neighbour and you know you feel more involved when you listen to stories that are happening in your neighbourhood.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2026.