About CJSR

Independent, volunteer-powered, campus-based, community radio, broadcasting from amiskwaciy-wâskahikan / Edmonton / Treaty 6 territory / Region 4 of the Métis nation of Alberta

Located in the lower level of the University of Alberta’s Students’ Union Building, CJSR operates as a non-profit arts & media organization. We amplify voices and issues that are often underrepresented in mainstream media, with a specific focus on local and Canadian content. We also provide students and community members training in radio production, podcasting, and journalism.

Our Mandate

“To enlighten and entertain our audience through high quality and diverse programming that constantly challenges the status quo”.

We do this by the creation and presentation of eclectic audio programming that enriches the lives of U of A students and the broader Edmonton community. Broadcasting in a handful of languages, we seek to reflect and meet the needs of our diverse community of listeners in and around the Edmonton area.

Volunteer run

People-powered

CJSR has a volunteer base of approximately 200 volunteers, with a small staff to manage and support them all. Volunteers are the life-force of CJSR, doing anything from making buttons to DJing live on air. Every person you hear from on station is a volunteer sharing what they love with the world! We’re always looking for new volunteers for on-air and behind the scenes work.

We are student and listener-supported radio. Thanks to the generous help and financial support of listeners and students from the University of Alberta (undergraduate and graduate), CJSR continues to provide a wide range of educational, technical, and artistic opportunities to our community.

Volunteer with us

Award Winning Radio

CJSR is nationally recognized for it’s programming! Our shows and producers routinely win awards for excellence in programming, national initiatives, and community involvement.

Our story

January 7, 1984

Inaugural broadcast

CJSR made its first FM broadcast on January 7, 1984—the first song was “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” by Joni Mitchell—but its roots stretch to the founding of CKUA in 1927. That station, which was owned by the university until 1944 and whose studios were located at the Power Plant, provided the foundation and infrastructure for the creation of the University of Alberta Student Radio Directorate, the direct progenitor of CJSR.

1978

Call letter change

The Radio Directorate, which changed its name to the Radio Society in 1948, broadcast over a closed PA system all over campus, and weathered funding cuts, format changes and a temporary shutdown due to lack of funds. By the ‘70s it had built an AM antenna—that could only broadcast as far as Lister Hall—and gained the call letters CKSR. In 1978 the station was renamed CJSR when a television station in Chilliwack wanted the call sign and the CRTC granted the request.

Meet the CJSR team

Asad Chishti
News Director
Chad Brunet
Program Director and Volunteer Coordinator
Matthew Gooding
Music Librarian
Miles Wilkinson
Engineer
Sarah Hoyles
Executive Director and Station Manager