Radio Western is licensed as London’s Campus & Community Radio station broadcasting at 94.9 FM in London, Ontario, Canada. The station was branded “Radio Western.” The C and H don’t mean anything. It aims to deliver a voice to Western and London communities. FM is deeply-rooted in developing communities’ capacity through volunteerism and training. The channel works under the management of the University of Western Ontario. The programming on the FM is almost 100% designed and produced by Western students and community members.
The students must look outside what commercial channels and CBC are doing. They have also been ahead of a common trend of giving media access back to the community. The students, community members, and volunteers made its current Board of Directors. This Board has evolved, but it came up with the CHRW Mission, Principles & Vision statements that guide the station. Radio Western is the legal designation of the non-profit organization that runs the radio. The transmission is available in the English language. The programming includes news, sports, live events, contest, new hot stories, information, entertainment, and music. It also streams live on the internet to entertain worldwide listeners.
History of Radio Western
Origins
The station has a long history, its origin date from 1959 when student politicians suggested the thought of a student-run radio station. In 191, that student group started broadcasting on CFPL AM 980 for six hours every Sunday. This step encouraged the Western University Students’ Council (USC) to give financial support for a closed-circuit station to be set up. This was set up first in Somerville House and inside the University Community Centre. The radio is a member of the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the National Campus Radio Association, and the Pillar Nonprofit Network.
The 1970s
Radio Western has its roots as a weekly radio show in 1971, starting broadcast overnights on CFPL FM. USC subsequently launched a carrier current channel. In 1978, it was added to the city’s cable FM service and was also available on AC radios in some university buildings at 610 kHz.
The 1980s
FM was formally organized as CHRW in January 1980 and applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for an FM license. The application was approved in 1981 at 94.7 MHz on the FM dial with 50 watts of power. On October 31 of that year, it moved to the public airwaves. The first song played on the station was “On the Air” by Peter Gabriel by Chief announcer John R. Quain. It increased its power from 50 to 5,000 watts in 1987 and in 1990 decreased it from 5,000 to 3,000 watts.
The 1990s
In October 1990, 3,000 watts of increased power were granted and implemented. It also covers the surrounding area from Chatham to Woodstock.
The 2000s
It was recognized for Outstanding University Sports Coverage in 2000 with the Fred Sgambati Media Award. FM increased power again to 6,000 watts in November 2003 and flipped to its current frequency, 94.9 FM. I moved its tower to One London Place from its previous location in the Cherryhill area. Listeners can hear its transmission across London and through many counties in Southwestern Ontario, surrounding communities between Lake Erie and Lake Huron, and also reaching past Woodstock, St. Thomas.
The 2010s
The Western University Students‘ Council held a referendum in January 2018 to determine if the radio was still relevant to students’ funding. The vote resulted throughout three years; student tuition funding decreased from $12 to $10.50. In addition, a previously unreleased recording of an interview with Kurt Cobain from 1991 was on-aired by a former volunteer in November 2018.
Programs
Monday
Radio Free London – 12:00 – 6:00 am
Open Slot – 6:00 – 7:00 am
Music is the Medicine – 7:00 – 9:00 am
From Bach to Rock – 9:00 – 11:00 am
Outlook – 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Super Rad – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
TBD w/ Aria Title – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Faster & Louder – 8:00 – 10:00 pm
It’s Trash – 10:00 – 12:00 pm
Tuesday
Music For A While – 9:00 – 11:00 am
Grad Cast – 11:00 – 11:30 am
Coasting – 12:00 – 2:00 pm
Don’t Quit Your Day Job – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
TuneUp – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Beyond The Beyond – 9:00 – 10:00 pm
Solo Location – 10:00 – 11:00 pm
Midnight Looms – 11:00 – 1:00 am
Arcade Blues – 8:00 – 9:00 pm
Wednesday
Pleasure Tantrum – 9:00 – 11:00 am
Dead Mauve Radio – 12:00 – 2:00 pm
The Far Side – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
On The Flip Side – 6:00 – 8:00 pm
The Blues Never Die – 8:00 – 9:30 pm
Hardcore Country – 10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Midnight Looms – 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
A Laura Borealis – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Thursday
Vitamin G: Jazz with the Nightingale – 9:00 – 11:00 am
Objectively The Best Music in the Universe – 12:00 – 2:00 pm
A Person Disguised As People – 2:00 – 4:00 pm
History of Us – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Radio What Wave – 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Word is Bond – 10:00 – 12:00 am
Fast ‘n Bulbous – 8:00 – 10:00 pm
Friday
Chin Music – 12:00 – 2:00 pm
Club 519 with Nic Nemesis – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Suspended in Acid – 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Forest City Selections – 8:00 – 10:00 pm
Pure Concrete – 10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Saturday
Speed of Sound – 12:00 – 4:00 am
Momentos – 6:00 – 8:00 am
Assyrian Radio of Canada – 8:00 – 9:30 am
Saturday Morning with Howie Zowie – 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Caribbean Pepperpot – 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Drop The Needle – 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Old School / New School – 8:00 – 10:00 pm
Break North Radio – 10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday
All You Can Eat – 12:00 – 2:00 am
Conexiones – 8:00 – 9:00 am
Nasha Kasha – 9:30 – 10:00 am
Polish Programme – 10:00 – 11:30 am
Fantasia Musicala Italiana – 11:30 – 1:00 pm
Rendezvous with Greece – 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Portuguese Voice of Friendship – 2:30 – 4:00 pm
La Voz Hispana – 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Let It Shine – 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Chinese Perspectives – 8:00 – 10:00 pm
All Indigenous Music – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Hosts
Adam Zochowski, Adele Kei, Albert Ocran, Alex Leonard, Alex Mesly, Alfred Benjamin, Alyssa, Amanda Lynn Stubley, Amber Smith, Amy Vieira, Andrew Barton, Anna Svikhushian, Anthony Cardillo, Ariana Magliocco, Barrie Woodey, Benjamin Vazquez, Bernie Koenig, Brian Kijewski
Contact Details
Address: Room 250, University Community Centre, Western University London, ON, Canada N6A 3K7
Phone: 519-661-2111 ext 83601
Text: 519-661-3600
Email: facebook@chrwradio.ca
Official Website: https://www.radiowestern.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radiowestern949
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/radiowestern
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radiowestern
Consider Listening: Energy 99.7 FM