Welcome to CHLY 101.7FM!
Do you know that as a student at Vancouver Island University, you are a Student Member of a non-profit campus-community radio station? We offer a fantastic variety of opportunities for students at VIU to gain real-world work experience all in a fun independent-media setting! Learn more about us below!
22+ Years!
CHLY 101.7FM is a listener and student-supported non-profit campus-community radio station located in downtown Nanaimo. We broadcast an eclectic mix of music, as well as a variety of informative news and talk programs both on-air and online. By volunteering at our station, you contribute to an important cultural legacy in Nanaimo and on the Salish Sea!
Curated and Eclectic Music!
Every day, we curate and play music not typically heard on commercial radio, or recommended by your Spotify algorithm! The band or artist that you love? Far more likely than not, they first saw significant airplay at a campus radio station! You can be a part of breaking new sounds by joining us as a volunteer! Hosts and DJs at CHLY 101.7FM are given a lot of leeway to play the music they love, with some emphasis on new and recent releases from local and Canadian artists selected by our music librarians!
Get Out of Your Campus Bubble!
Get to know students outside of your classes, and meet VIU staff and faculty from other faculties on campus in producing content for broadcast, podcast, or publication on our website! Volunteering at the station is a great way to make lifelong friends!
Join a Student Collective!
Student Collectives lead in hosting and producing content for preexisting on-air programs! You don’t need to start your own program to get started at CHLY! Join any of the following:
🎧 The Music Collective (hosting and producing The VIU Meter);
🌏 The International Student Collective (hosting and producing WorldVIU Radio);
🗒 The News & Current Affairs / Mariners Sports Collective;
🐢 The Indigenous Collective;
🏳️🌈 The LGBTQ2+ Collective;
🌲 The Environmental Collective;
🤔 The Philosophy Collective (hosting the Canadian Philosophy Show).
Host your own show!
After on-air training is complete, students can pitch and host their host their own program! You can also pitch a new student collective!
Student Benefits ❤️
There are plenty of benefits to having a campus station beyond the eclectic mix of music we play!
✅ Great vibes! We’re an inclusive space with a love for music, arts, community, news and local stories. You can meet local and touring musicians and more!
✅ The privilege to volunteer at the station. Become a program host, producer, or music librarian!
✅ Student jobs when funding is available!
✅ Free advertising for Campus Clubs and their Events!
✅ Work Integrated Learning opportunities through internships and co-ops.
✅ Curated music discovery. Our hosts play music your Spotify algorithm isn’t just going to recommend to you! Get out of your music rut!
✅ Members-only Q&A sessions with CHLY Hosts and DJs.
✅ Access to ticket draws for community events, shows, and festivals (available to email newsletter subscribers)
✅ Free and reduced prices for CHLY trainings, workshops, panel discussions, and music events.
✅ When it’s available, limited-edition merchandise and exclusive member pricing.
✅ Get perks with our Friends of CHLY program that has 30+ restaurants, shops, and experiences to take advantage of. (Coming Soon)
✅ Connections with creative and thoughtful locals in our broadcast community on the Salish Sea!
✅ Voting Privileges at our General Meetings.
A Cultural and Creative Incubator!
Stations like CHLY across Canada make an impact on the lives of those who volunteer with them. Journalists, actors, politicians, authors, and more have found valuable experience in their campus radio stations! Below are two success stories from our station!
“My time at CHLY with my show “The Native Perspective” was the humble continuation of my young career in broadcasting while I studied a BA in Digital media studies. Through the facilities and mentorship of CHLY, I was able to hone my skills as a radio host, find my voice and cadence for my broadcasting presence and earn important writing skills on how to better tell my story and other peoples stories on air. Thanks to this help it has been a vital part in motivating and inspiring to complete my diploma in Broadcasting and online journalism. I am now a multimedia reporter for CHEK news and an award winning host of the podcast “Our Native Land” through CHEK TV. CHLY is integral to providing students with an approachable and safe environment to express themselves on the airwaves.”
“Volunteering with CHLY gave me all the hands-on experience I needed to launch my career in radio. My time at the station helped me learn how to produce a show, conduct on-air interviews and develop my broadcast voice. If it wasn’t for CHLY I don’t know if I’d be working in radio today. Radio is magic and CHLY is one of the best possible places to experience that magic in its purest form!”