About UMFM 101.5 (CJUM)

UMFM 101.5 (CJUM)

UMFM 101.5 (CJUM-FM) is the volunteer-driven campus and community radio station of the University of Manitoba — transmitting with 1,200 watts from an antenna at Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg. Its call letters stand for "University of Manitoba." The station has one of the most distinctive histories in Canadian campus radio: the original CJUM was one of the first two campus stations ever granted a broadcast licence in Canada, signing on at 101.1 FM on October 27, 1975, alongside Carleton's CKCU-FM — then closing in June 1980 and signing off with Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." Students brought it back in 1998 at 101.5 FM, where it has thrived ever since.

Overview

CJUM-FM is a campus and community radio station licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba, owned by UMFM Campus Radio Inc. (formerly the University of Manitoba Students' Union). It broadcasts on 101.5 MHz with 1,200 watts (Class A), with studios in University Centre (Room 310) on the University of Manitoba campus.

The station is primarily run by volunteers — students from the University of Manitoba and community members in and around Winnipeg. It is a member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA). The CRTC requires its board to include balanced representation from the student body, the university, station volunteers, and the community at large.

History

The original CJUM began broadcasting at 101.1 FM at 6 a.m. on October 27, 1975 — one of the first two campus radio stations ever granted a broadcast licence in Canada. The station was renowned for programming produced and hosted by local jazz aficionados, including two hours of "Morning Jazz" every weekday, establishing it as the go-to spot for Winnipeg jazz listeners. Many staff and volunteers went on to careers in commercial and public broadcasting.

Financial difficulties forced the station to close in June 1980; it signed off with Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." One reason cited was the high cost of a BBM ratings subscription.

In spring 1996, University of Manitoba students campaigned to bring radio back to campus. A referendum sought a $5 increase in student fees for the new station, passing with 2,520 votes. The Students' Union applied to the CRTC for a licence at 101.5 MHz with 1,200 watts, approved October 2, 1997. The reincarnated station signed on September 4, 1998, at 6:00 p.m. On October 30, 2014, the CRTC approved the transfer of the station's assets from the Students' Union to UMFM Campus Radio Inc.

UMFM's story is one of death and rebirth. The station began at 6 a.m. on October 27, 1975, at 101.1 FM — one of the two first campus radio stations ever granted a broadcast licence in Canada (the other was Carleton University's CKCU-FM). Financial difficulties forced it off the air in June 1980; the original station signed off with Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," done in partly by the high cost of a BBM subscription. It had nonetheless been renowned as the go-to spot on the Winnipeg dial for jazz — two hours of "Morning Jazz" every weekday morning, programmed by local aficionados like Raymond Alexander, Maury Bay, Danny Carroll, Neal Kimelman, Bill Mudge, and Kristen Templin. Many of its staff and volunteers went on to careers in commercial and public broadcasting, including Steve Baidwan, Rick Carter, Andy Frost, Marty Gold, Dale MacIntyre, and Howard Mandshein.

In spring 1996, University of Manitoba students campaigned to bring radio back to campus; a referendum that year passed a $5 student-fee increase by 2,520 votes to fund construction and maintenance of a new station. The University of Manitoba Students' Union commissioned Scott Baldwin, a recent Asper School of Business MBA graduate, to put the CRTC application together; the licence for 101.5 MHz at 1,200 watts was approved October 2, 1997. The reincarnated station began broadcasting September 4, 1998, at 6:00 p.m. central.

The revived UMFM kept the mission: "Winnipeg's Hit Free Radio" — a volunteer-driven freeform station providing a forum for music and voices that would otherwise go without, heard throughout Winnipeg and surrounding areas at 101.5 FM from an antenna at Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg (Class A, 133-metre HAAT). Broadcasting from Treaty One territory, it is primarily run by students and community volunteers — and long-running shows like the Saturday-morning "Beer for Breakfast" local-music magazine (on air since 1999, at UMFM since 2012) show the station's role in the local music ecosystem, interviewing and recording emerging artists like Vance Joy long before they became headliners.

Programming

Since its 1998 revitalization, UMFM has provided a diverse range of music, talk, and specialty programming to the Winnipeg community. It offers an alternative form of media — a forum for music and voices that might otherwise go unheard. The station champions diverse and emerging acts year-round; Vance Joy recorded a live version of "Riptide" and an interview at the station in 2013 before breaking through. Annual events include the Winnipeg Folk Festival ticket giveaway.

Coverage and Audience

UMFM broadcasts at 1,200 watts from the University of Manitoba, on Treaty One territory, heard throughout Winnipeg and surrounding areas at 101.5 FM, and streams live online 24/7. Its audience is the university community and Winnipeg's independent-music and arts communities.

The original CJUM's programming left a deep imprint on Winnipeg's music culture. Besides the morning jazz block, the station hosted what was probably the most popular evening radio show in Winnipeg — "Time Space and Dream Machine," an eclectic mix of underground and fusion music plus pop and rock, often featuring Canadian indie bands; legend has it every cab driver in Winnipeg was tuned to it. At the other end of the spectrum, "Polifonie" was a successful classical music show hosted by Canadian composer Peter Allen, then a student in the U of M School of Music, featuring the traditional classical repertoire, live concert recordings of local artists, and progressive avant-garde and experimental music from internationally acclaimed 20th-century composers. The revitalized station — reincarnated September 4, 1998, at 6:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time — inherited that anything-goes spirit: "Hit Free Radio," freeform music and spoken word, a forum for music and voices that would otherwise go without.

Ownership

CJUM-FM is owned by UMFM Campus Radio Inc., a non-profit corporation. The station is primarily volunteer-run, with students and community members producing all programming.

UMFM's digital home is umfm.com, where the station streams live and archives sessions — including the stripped-down in-studio performances it records with touring acts. The station is active on social channels, running ticket giveaways (the annual Winnipeg Folk Festival ticket draw is a fixture) and promoting live sessions with artists passing through Winnipeg. Broadcasting from Treaty One territory — the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Nehiyawak, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis nation — the station's online presence extends the campus signal to listeners well beyond the 1,200-watt footprint.

Digital Presence

UMFM streams live online 24/7 and maintains an active web presence with program schedules and archives. The station maintains social media accounts promoting its programs, live sessions, and events. The station is associated with the umfm.com web portal; Wikipedia lists umfm.com as the station's official website.

The station's history — from the pioneering 1975 launch through the 1980 closure to the 1998 rebirth — is documented by the Canadian Communications Foundation's broadcasting-history.ca project, the NCRA, and CRTC licensing records.