A guide to ethnic radio in Montreal
Montreal has five radio stations that are licensed as “ethnic” by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and two other stations that broadcast in third languages. Under CRTC rules, ethnic stations are generally required to broadcast programming in multiple languages and toward multiple ethnic groups. CFMB 1280 AM Power: 50,000W On the air since: 1962 Programming: Mainly Italian. Also serves Algerian, Brazilian, Cambodian, Chinese, Greek, Haitian, Jewish, Lithuanian, Pakistani, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian communities.
Website: cfmb.ca CHOU 1450 AM (Radio Moyen Orient) Power: 2,000W On the air since: 2007 Programming: Mainly in Arabic and related dialects. Serves Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Maghrebi and Armenian communities. Website: 1450am.ca Note: The station began in 1996 as a subchannel of Université de Montréal station CISM-FM. CJWI 1610 AM (CPAM Radio Union) Power: 1,000W On the air since: 2002 Programming: Mainly directed at Haitian immigrants. Broadcasts in French and Creole for various ethnic groups that speak French. Website: cpam1610.com Note: In 2009, the CRTC approved a request to change frequency to 1410 AM. This switch is still pending. CJRS 1650 AM (Radio Shalom) Power: 1,000W On the air since: 2006 Programming: Billing itself as North America’s only Jewish radio station and officially licensed as a religious broadcaster, it carries Jewish programming in English, French and Hebrew six days a week. On the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), it airs French gospel music.
Website: radio-shalom.ca CINQ 102.3 FM (Radio Centre-Ville) Power: 2,300W On the air since: 1975 Programming: Mainly French on weekdays, with English programs on Saturdays. Also has programs in Spanish, Chinese, Creole, Portuguese and Greek.
Website: radiocentreville.com
Note: Licensed as a community radio station. CKDG 105.1 FM (Mike FM) Power: 141W On the air since: 2004 Programming: English during rush hours, mainly Greek otherwise. Also serves Armenian, Russian, Hungarian and Chinese communities. Website: mikefm.ca Note: CKDG began as a closed-circuit cable radio service for decades before getting an FM licence. CKIN 106.3 FM Power: 102W On the air since: 2010 Programming: French during rush hours, mainly South Asian otherwise. Also serves Haitian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern communities. Website: ckinfm.ca Note: CKIN and CKDG are owned by Canadian Hellenic Cable Radio, and the two stations share offices.
Montreal is also served by one ethnic television station, CJNT (Metro 14). The station is in limbo as the CRTC decides whether to accept joint proposals to sell it to Rogers and simultaneously launch a new co-operative ethnic television station.