CKRZ-FM

CKRZ-FM (100.3 MHz) is a community radio station in Ohsweken, Ontario. Owned by the Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society (SONICS), the station airs programmes for the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations. Programs are in English and several indigenous languages, including news, talk and music.

CKRZ-FM

Ohsweken, Ontario
Broadcast area	Six Nations/Brant, Midwestern Ontario
Frequency	100.3 MHz (FM)
Branding	100.3 CKRZ-FM
Programming
Format	Community radio
Ownership
Owner	Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society
History
First air date	1991; 34 years ago (1991)
Technical information
Class	A1
ERP	5,000 watts
HAAT	46 metres (151 ft)
Links
Website	ckrzfm.com

In addition to its FM over-the-air broadcasts, CKRZ is available on Rogers Cable channel 951 in Brantford, Kitchener, Woodstock and London.

History

Founding

In 1987, permission was granted from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to begin building a community radio station in Ohsweken.^[1] CKRZ signed on the air in 1991. The studios and offices were located at 1721 Chiefswood Road.^[2]

CKRZ's programs are multilingual, broadcasting in Cayuga, Mohawk and other indigenous languages as well as English. On Sundays, CKRZ hosts a radio bingo with jackpots of up to $16,000.

Financial problems

On January 29, 2009, the station announced that due to a rising debt load of more than $100,000 and reduced advertising revenue, it would leave the air on February 1, 2009.^[3] At an emergency meeting of SONICS' board and membership, the members subsequently voted to continue the station, as they considered it an asset to the community.

Walt Juchniewicz, a broadcast engineer from Hamilton who had worked with the station in the past, offered to donate services and equipment to help upgrade the station's studios. Juchniewicz called Six Nations one of the nicest communities he had ever worked in, adding that "there are a lot of good people at that station and it's got a better chance of recovering than some of the bigger broadcasters that are in trouble now, too."^[4]

The station resumed broadcasting on February 12. It was temporarily reduced to prerecorded automated programming, with a single live personality to read news reports and community announcements. This was done to give SONICS time to eliminate the station's accumulated debt.^[4]