Mission statement
The Radio Malaspina Society is a non-profit media organization that operates CHLY 101.7FM, a campus-community radio station connected to Vancouver Island University through its purpose and membership.
Located in Nanaimo, British Columbia—the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation—CHLY is dedicated to inform, educate, and entertain, by broadcasting inclusive, intelligent, innovative and alternative media to its listeners on the Salish Sea.
Our broadcast community
Our catchment area on the Salish Sea at 3000 Watts ERP. Click to expand image.
CHLY 101.7FM broadcasts to Nanaimo and other communities on the Salish Sea to approximately 308,428 people. Among those an estimated 27,758 listen regularly to CHLY, and an additional 64,769 listen from time to time, for an estimated total of 92,527 potential listeners. We can be heard reliably in the majority of the mid-Vancouver Island region, north past the Comox Valley to Campbell River, and south to the Northern Cowichan Valley. Across the Salish Sea, we can be heard on much of the southern Sunshine Coast in Sechelt, Roberts Creek, and Gibsons. Our station can also be heard on the Gulf Islands of Denman, Hornby, Texada, Lasqueti, Gabriola, Mudge, Decoursy, Valdez, Galiano, Thetis, Penelakut, and Saltspring. We can also be heard in parts of the Lower Mainland before our broadcast frequency blends into that of CIVL 101.7FM out of the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
Governance
The Radio Malaspina Society is an NPO, incorporated under the Societies Act of BC, formed specifically to acquire and hold a radio license from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
As a campus subtype station, the society’s board of directors includes representation from its Student Membership and Community Membership, as well as faculty and administrative representation from Vancouver Island University.
Important: While The Radio Malaspina Society is registered as NPO with the CRA and can accept donations, the society is not a Registered Charity and cannot offer tax receipts. Unlike the United States, campus-community radio is not considered a charitable activity in Canada. While exceptions to this rule like CKUA do exist, these stations are legacied in charitable status by the CRA.
Funding
Operational funding for our station comes from the following sources:
Student fees paid by Student Members through the Vancouver Island University Students’ Union (VIUSU) at the Nanaimo campus of Vancouver Island University.
Membership fees from Community Members in Nanaimo, and the station’s broadcast community.
Donations from its listeners, readers, and supporters.
Advertising and sponsorships from primarily local businesses, non-profit arts and culture organizations, and musicians.
The Government of Canada’s Canada Summer Jobs wage subsidy grant.
Program and project funding:
Grants from the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
Grants from Coastal Community Credit Union.
The Province of British Columbia’s Community Gaming Grant.
Society & station timeline
1990—Missing his time at Vancouver CO-OP Radio, new Nanaimo resident and Malaspina College Professor Dr. John Black beings laying the groundwork for a campus-community radio station at the campus. He founds The Nanaimo Education and Community Media Society. Members include those from the community, as well as students from Malaspina College.
1995—Malaspina College becomes Malaspina University-College and begins granting degrees.
December 3rd, 1997—The Radio Malaspina Society is Incorporated under the Society Act of BC. Like the previous society, it includes members from the community and students from Malaspina University-College.
April 1st, 2000—On April Fools Day, our station begins to stream online at www.radio.mala.bc.ca, a relative first in campus-community radio in Canada.
June 5th, 2000—Our station is officially licensed as CHLY-FM by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). 🇨🇦
September 21st, 2001—CHLY-FM aired a test signal on 101.7 FM and ran promotional material about the station for two weeks prior to its official broadcast date.
October 5, 2001—At 6 PM, CHLY-FM broadcasts on 101.7FM for the first time. 🌶
2007—CHLY-FM’s broadcast licence is renewed.
September 1, 2008—Malaspina University-College becomes Vancouver Island University.
2016—The Radio Malaspina Society updates its constitution and bylaws to conform with the updated Societies Act of British Columbia.
December 3rd, 2017—The Radio Malaspina Society turns 20. 🥳
2014—CHLY-FM’s broadcast licence is renewed.
May 2018—Jesse Woodward is hired as Executive Director of the Radio Malaspina Society and Station Manager of CHLY 101.7FM.
October 30th, 2018—The Radio Malaspina Society has its 20th Annual General Meeting. Founding member and retired VIU Dean of Social Science, John Black gives a presentation on the history of our station, and Tod Maffin gives a talk on building empathy with listeners. 📻
March 2020—The COVID-19 pandemic starts. The station manages its way through global uncertainty.
2021—CHLY-FM’s broadcast licence is administratively renewed due to COVID-19.
October 5th, 2021—CHLY 101.7FM celebrates 20 years of broadcasting with an outdoor anniversary concert on Lois Lane. ❤️
May 5, 2023—The World Health Organization (WHO) declares an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency. CHLY 101.7FM pulls through the experience financially with the support of its listeners.
2023—CHLY-FM’s broadcast licence is renewed through a new simplified renewal process.
2024—???
Copyright
Content published, produced, and broadcast by CHLY 101.7FM (The Radio Malaspina Society) is protected by copyright.
Content published, produced, and broadcast with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative is Creative Commons.
Please remember to properly cite all content shared under the fair dealing clauses (§29, §29.1, §29.2) of the Canadian Copyright Act. The CHLY 101.7FM (The Radio Malaspina Society) reserves the right to request information and/or modification of a citation or accreditation of a work previously published or broadcast on CHLY 101.7FM or posted to its website or social media.
Please note that fair dealing in Canadian copyright law, is different from fair use in US copyright law, and they are not equivalent.
Licensing
The CRTC and Innovation Canada license the Radio Malaspina Society to operate CHLY-FM as a campus subtype (campus-community) radio station operating at 101.7 MHz with 3000 Watts ERP from a tower site located on Cottle Hill in Nanaimo, British Columbia. More on our CRTC licensing can be found here.
CHLY is licensed by SOCAN to broadcast music.
Disclaimers
Editorials and opinions expressed on CHLY 101.7 FM and its website are exclusively those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Radio Malaspina Society.
Additionally, the opinions expressed in advertisements appearing on CHLY 101.7 FM are those of the advertisers and not The Radio Malaspina Society unless explicitly stated.