Community Radio Stations Across Ontario
Local airwaves speak the language of their listeners through music, current affairs, culture and more.
By Valerie Howes | Illustrations by Mike Haddad
If you tune in to your local airwaves on any given day, you’ll find mainstream radio stations playing commercial hits alongside news and ads. But you can also find independent community stations that do things a little differently, whether they’re playing a local band’s first single, investigating Indigenous issues not covered by most outlets, or broadcasting live from a kids’ camp.
Across Canada and across the dial, the best community stations act as homegrown platforms for sharing culture, ideas, music, events and news. All you need to do is listen in.
The Borderline: Radio Soo
The Borderline is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., a city of 77,000 just across the St. Marys River from its same-named Michigan counterpart. Station co-founder Adrian Vilaca sees this part of the world, known as the Soo, as an important cultural crossroads connecting the Great Lakes, several First Nations, Canada and the U.S., and that’s what shapes the station’s programming.
Plugged into his city’s live music scene, Vilaca set out to create a one-hour podcast. While he was digging through his vast collection of concert CDs spanning jazz, country, hard rock, heavy metal and more, it dawned on him: “I’ve got so much music here that it’s almost like having a radio station.”
In 2020, he and his wife, Marnie Stone, launched the Borderline as an online radio station, with a mandate to focus on local culture. Today it has grown into a multimedia hub, streaming shows and podcasts and showcasing visual arts and live music at galleries and event spaces downtown.
Local listeners, as well as Saultites (Sault Ste. Marie natives) living as far afield as Finland, Argentina and the U.K., tune in to their favourite shows online to feel connected to their home and culture. Borderline shows such as Lisa Tucker’s The Book Cover have featured more than 160 interviews with authors from the region, while the Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour — a show filled with storytelling, nature and history — is now carried on NPR-affiliated stations around the Great Lakes.
“I would encourage people anywhere to create a voice for the arts,” says Vilaca. “It’s essential to the fabric of every community.”
“We try to [be] a partner for people — for entertainment, but also a bit of a friend.”
CIUT 89.5 FM
At the University of Toronto, the almost 40‑year-old campus and community station CIUT is drawing a new generation of listeners. “Gen Z is curious about this thing called radio,” says Ken Stowar, station manager and program director. “They’re gravitating toward Walkmans, CDs and ‘old stuff’ again.”
That appetite for discovery is what powers universities and colleges with community radio stations. Listeners get curated music from across cultures and genres, with hosts and guests providing stories and context. For instance, The Drill Squad transforms Tuesday mornings into a celebration of old-school hip hop and DJ culture, while The Cool Side of the Pillow brings ambient sounds and meditative music to Friday afternoons.
CIUT brings the same spirit of curiosity to current affairs. “We don’t shy away from asking harder questions and bringing in voices… [that are] not being heard in the mainstream media,” Stowar notes. The Taylor Report, for example, explores war, peace and resistance, featuring guests who challenge mainstream media narratives around global issues.
Programs draw on expertise from the university as well. “We’re sitting on this hotbed resource,” says Stowar. One deep-dive series, Blinded by Science: The AI Chronicles, examines artificial intelligence from all angles. “Every… department at the University of Toronto is grappling with AI,” he says. “We have Geoffrey Hinton — who walked away from Google after warning about the risks of AI — right here on campus.”
Some of CIUT’s greatest success stories have been the students who discovered their vocation in the studio. Over the past 10 to 15 years, more than 100 alumni have gone on to work in media. Others pursued different careers but stayed on to host the shows they launched as undergrads. “Even after they graduate, it’s difficult to get rid of them,” Stowar says with a laugh.
99.3 County FM
Prince Edward County (PEC) is a dynamic rural community built on agriculture, where tourism, winemaking, farm-to-table dining, entrepreneurship and the arts thrive. With a handful of paid staff and 107 volunteers, County FM has local life covered.
The station aims to keep listeners informed about events such as road accidents, waterway spills and storms, but helping folks feel connected and included matters, too. “We try to [be] a partner for people — for entertainment, but also a bit of a friend,” says general manager Craig Mills.
The Grapevine, its signature magazine-style show, delves into issues through a local lens. It offers lifestyle content, too, such as cooking with County chefs and profiling adoptable pets from local shelters. Music-wise, County FM is committed to playing at least eight local artists a day. “But it’s way more than that,” Mills says. “People come to us with songs, and if they sound good, we put them on the air.”
Community is the common thread that runs through County FM’s programming. The station broadcasts live from events that include the County Kids of Steel triathlon and PEC Pumpkinfest. It also produces special reports on topics such as rural homelessness, food security and how to outsmart scammers — a series they made with the local police. And the annual Celebrate Christmas show, launched in 2020, represents 17 faith communities with carols and readings.
“We’re just doing our best to support people in the community,” says Mills, “and we hope they’ll support us in return.” CAA
3 radio listening apps to try
These apps help you find public, community and commercial radio stations around the world.
Radio Garden
Spin a 3-D map of Earth, pick a glowing dot and click to tune in to an international radio station. Curious about what’s playing in Ghana, Ireland or Pakistan? Radio Garden offers real-time access to more than 40,000 stations. Save your favourites so you can tune in again, or use the “balloon ride” feature to randomly float to new locations and discover their radio offerings.
Online Radio Box
Stream more than 100,000 live and internet stations from all over the globe — for free. You can filter by music genre and set an alarm to wake up to your favourite show. Bonus: see which track is currently playing before you commit to a station.
Radioplayer Canada
Whether you’re at home or travelling overseas, this app allows you to stream more than 500 Canadian stations. Access your regular news, sports and entertainment shows, and use the “near me” function to keep your listening live and local. Bonus: the app has a sleep timer, so you can doze off lulled by the radio waves.
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If you tune in to your local airwaves on any given day, you’ll find mainstream radio stations playing commercial hits alongside news and ads. But you can also find independent community stations that do things a little differently, whether they’re playing a local band’s first single, investigating Indigenous issues not covered by most outlets, or broadcasting live from a kids’ camp.
Across Canada and across the dial, the best community stations act as homegrown platforms for sharing culture, ideas, music, events and news. All you need to do is listen in.
The Borderline: Radio Soo
The Borderline The Borderline is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., a city of 77,000 just across the St. Marys River from its same-named Michigan counterpart. Station co-founder Adrian Vilaca sees this part of the world, known as the Soo, as an important cultural crossroads connecting the Great Lakes, several First Nations, Canada and the U.S., and that’s what shapes the station’s programming.
Plugged into his city’s live music scene, Vilaca set out to create a one-hour podcast. While he was digging through his vast collection of concert CDs spanning jazz, country, hard rock, heavy metal and more, it dawned on him: “I’ve got so much music here that it’s almost like having a radio station.”
In 2020, he and his wife, Marnie Stone, launched the Borderline as an online radio station, with a mandate to focus on local culture. Today it has grown into a multimedia hub, streaming shows and podcasts and showcasing visual arts and live music at galleries and event spaces downtown.
Local listeners, as well as Saultites (Sault Ste. Marie natives) living as far afield as Finland, Argentina and the U.K., tune in to their favourite shows online to feel connected to their home and culture. Borderline shows such as Lisa Tucker’s The Book Cover have featured more than 160 interviews with authors from the region, while the Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour — a show filled with storytelling, nature and history — is now carried on NPR-affiliated stations around the Great Lakes.
“I would encourage people anywhere to create a voice for the arts,” says Vilaca. “It’s essential to the fabric of every community.”
Radio Garden
Spin a 3-D map of Earth, pick a glowing dot and click to tune in to an international radio station. Curious about what’s playing in Ghana, Ireland or Pakistan? Radio Garden offers real-time access to more than 40,000 stations. Save your favourites so you can tune in again, or use the “balloon ride” feature to randomly float to new locations and discover their radio offerings.
Online Radio Box
Stream more than 100,000 live and internet stations from all over the globe — for free. You can filter by music genre and set an alarm to wake up to your favourite show. Bonus: see which track is currently playing before you commit to a station.
Radioplayer Canada
Whether you’re at home or travelling overseas, this app allows you to stream more than 500 Canadian stations. Access your regular news, sports and entertainment shows, and use the “near me” function to keep your listening live and local. Bonus: the app has a sleep timer, so you can doze off lulled by the radio waves.
CIUT 89.5 FM
At the University of Toronto, the almost 40‑year-old campus and community station CIUT is drawing a new generation of listeners. “Gen Z is curious about this thing called radio,” says Ken Stowar, station manager and program director. “They’re gravitating toward Walkmans, CDs and ‘old stuff’ again.”
That appetite for discovery is what powers universities and colleges with community radio stations. Listeners get curated music from across cultures and genres, with hosts and guests providing stories and context. For instance, The Drill Squad transforms Tuesday mornings into a celebration of old-school hip hop and DJ culture, while The Cool Side of the Pillow brings ambient sounds and meditative music to Friday afternoons.
CIUT brings the same spirit of curiosity to current affairs. “We don’t shy away from asking harder questions and bringing in voices… [that are] not being heard in the mainstream media,” Stowar notes. The Taylor Report, for example, explores war, peace and resistance, featuring guests who challenge mainstream media narratives around global issues.
Programs draw on expertise from the university as well. “We’re sitting on this hotbed resource,” says Stowar. One deep-dive series, Blinded by Science: The AI Chronicles, examines artificial intelligence from all angles. “Every… department at the University of Toronto is grappling with AI,” he says. “We have Geoffrey Hinton — who walked away from Google after warning about the risks of AI — right here on campus.”
Some of CIUT’s greatest success stories have been the students who discovered their vocation in the studio. Over the past 10 to 15 years, more than 100 alumni have gone on to work in media. Others pursued different careers but stayed on to host the shows they launched as undergrads. “Even after they graduate, it’s difficult to get rid of them,” Stowar says with a laugh.
99.3 County FM
Prince Edward County (PEC) is a dynamic rural community built on agriculture, where tourism, winemaking, farm-to-table dining, entrepreneurship and the arts thrive. With a handful of paid staff and 107 volunteers, County FM has local life covered.
The station aims to keep listeners informed about events such as road accidents, waterway spills and storms, but helping folks feel connected and included matters, too. “We try to [be] a partner for people — for entertainment, but also a bit of a friend,” says general manager Craig Mills.
The Grapevine, its signature magazine-style show, delves into issues through a local lens. It offers lifestyle content, too, such as cooking with County chefs and profiling adoptable pets from local shelters. Music-wise, County FM is committed to playing at least eight local artists a day. “But it’s way more than that,” Mills says. “People come to us with songs, and if they sound good, we put them on the air.”
Community is the common thread that runs through County FM’s programming. The station broadcasts live from events that include the County Kids of Steel triathlon and PEC Pumpkinfest. It also produces special reports on topics such as rural homelessness, food security and how to outsmart scammers — a series they made with the local police. And the annual Celebrate Christmas show, launched in 2020, represents 17 faith communities with carols and readings.
“We’re just doing our best to support people in the community,” says Mills, “and we hope they’ll support us in return.” CAA
