Walk into the offices at CJLO on Concordia’s Loyola Campus and it's immediately obvious this isn’t your typical university radio station.
There are some vinyls lying around — mostly remnants from its founding stations, CRSG and CFLI — but what’s most striking is CJLO’s robust digital setup. The station has a reliable online and streaming presence, an outstanding digital archive and a beautifully renovated recording studio.
The space is both forward-thinking and steeped in its own contemporary history.
This month, CJLO is celebrating two major milestones: the 20th anniversary of its founding as an online streaming station and the 10-year anniversary of the day when it hit the airwaves at 1690 AM.
Allison O’Reilly, program director at CJLO, says the first song the station played on air in 2008 was “Left of the Dial” by The Replacements.
“It was very appropriate since we are on the very end of the dial,” she says. “A lot of people look down on AM broadcasting but I think it’s a magical, beautiful thing. You get a certain amount of exposure and reach when you're on the airwaves.”
Funding drive and open house
While plans to commemorate both dates are still in the works, the station recently held a kick-off party at Turbo Haüs with local bands GG Love, WET FACE and Pith.
CJLO also started its funding drive this month and will host an open house on Monday, October 15. Students, alumni and community members can swing by room 430 of the Central (CC) Building to learn more about Concordia’s only radio station.
“We’re going to feed everyone, we’re going to get a big cake and we’re going to offer the opportunity for alumni and current students to mingle, talk and just have a good time together,” O’Reilly says.
With more than 16,000 unique online listeners each month, there is no denying CJLO has a committed following. O’Reilly, who joined the station in January 2017, attributes this success to its mandate to serve underrepresented groups.
“We prioritize marginalized people, we only play music that is often ignored by the mainstream and everything we do is 100 per cent non-profit and for the community,” she explains.
“The main purpose of CJLO and campus/community radio is to train students and community members on broadcasting because they can take those skills and apply them to so many places in their lives.”