UWindsor radio station, CJAM, in jeopardy
By Hannah Larking
News Editor
February 25, 2009
 The University of Windsor’s community radio station, CJAM-FM (91.5), could lose its license in a battle for air against a cross-border rival.
CJAM station manager Adam Fox said that although the threat of being overpowered by a commercial radio station in Michigan is a real concern, in general, the threat of being overtaken is not new.
“Technically, it’s always been a potential problem because we [CJAM] were never issued protected status,” Fox explained. Being unprotected has garnered the station several problems in the past, including difficulties with expanding their range.
“In the mid 1990s, we applied for a signal increase, and there were problems with this application because the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] was concerned about the way 91.5 interfered with WUOM-FM (91.7),” he said.
CJAM was approved and given a power increase under the condition that they would retain low power designation, meaning their signal would remain unprotected and available for other stations, both domestic and international, to potentially apply for.
However, after the signal increase, many students still complain that it is difficult to hear CJAM clearly even when they are just off campus.
“I live in a dorm and many people have told me they have difficulty receiving CJAM depending on where they live in the building or how strong their clock radio is,” said Madeline MacIsaac, president of UWindsor’s Art Society and cofounder of the SAVE CJAM! campaign.
“When you’re unprotected, it’s almost like you don’t exist,” said Fox, adding that this is not the first time that CJAM has been threatened.
CBC applied to move its Radio One service to CJAM’s frequency last fall, but withdrew the application in favour of an alternate channel.
Losing CJAM would also mean losing any form of alternative music of its kind from here to London, pointed out the second SAVE CJAM! campaign cofounder and UWindsor’s Social Science Society president Robert Woodrich.
“CJAM is the one link that students who do not live in residence have to their university 24/7... It has been the only area station that has given a platform for local musicians to showcase their music, as well as a place for students and members of the community to train on professional broadcast equipment and to host their own shows,” Woodrich said.
“CJAM is the only station that features content in languages ranging from Chinese to Ukrainian to Slovak, with cultural programming on weekends almost always attracting the most listener donations that keep CJAM alive and on-air,” Woodrich added.
CJAM’s existence is also beneficial for students interested in pursuing careers in media. “Part of going to university is the ability to get involved in different things and have unique experiences, and CJAM definitely offers a unique experience,” said MacIsaac. “They offer training that can last a lifetime and give people the chance to get involved with radio,” she added.
CJAM’s application for a new license to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be reviewed on Mar. 9, and, barring any problems, it is likely they will be moved to 99.1 FM at that point. However, Woodrich adds that it won’t be clear skies from there.
“WVMV-FM (98.7), the smooth jazz station out of Detroit, has a broadcast power of 50,000 watts, which is nearly certain to limit the reach of CJAM’s relatively puny, newly decreased 475 watt signal,” Woodrich explained. To make matters worse, there is a country music station at 99.5 FM with a broadcast power of 17,500 watts.
“Surrounded by such behemoths, CJAM will be struggling to send its signal beyond the borders of our campus. There’s even a translator for a Lansing, Michigan mega-station in Detroit that broadcasts on 99.1 FM, although its power is limited to 40 watts. To sum it up, CJAM’s troubles are not likely to end with a successful license application,” Woodrich said.
Woodrich and MacIsaac launched a Facebook group on Feb. 10 that has since grown to over 1,500 members. “As soon as I heard about what was going on, I decided that I had to do something since I figured that—as a Communication Studies student—I had the resources to do so. The group reached 600 members in two days or so, and a press release written by [MacIsaac] and I was sent to every campus media outlet in the country,” Woodrich said.
Woodrich, MacIsaac and Fox encourage all students to write the CRTC at a link posted on the Facebook group and CJAM’s website before Mar. 9, the application deadline. Students can also sign a petition at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-cjam.
“As easy as it is to think ‘Hey, Mar. 9 is a long way away’, or even to think that someone else will come along and help CJAM, it’s not the case,” MacIsaac said. “If we, the student body, put off saving CJAM, the next time we tune in we could very well end up listening to smooth jazz, country music or just static.“
“Every voice counts on this issue,” Woodrich said.
For more information on the SAVE CJAM! Campaign, visit the Facebook group, or http://web2.uwindsor.ca/cjam/index.htm
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