CFRC 101.9 FM scores major win for Kingston music

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On June 20, CFRC 101.9 FM — Queen’s University’s campus-community radio station — was awarded the National Campus and Community Radio Association’s (NCRA) Local Talent Development Award, recognizing its standout efforts in spotlighting and supporting emerging artists from the Kingston area and beyond.

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The award was presented at the National Community Radio Awards Gala, held at the Malaspina Theatre in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Facing budget constraints, CFRC’s Executive Director, Dinah Jansen explains how CFRC chose to allocate funds toward its programs instead of attending the gala in person, but they marked the occasion by recording a video acceptance speech that was showcased during the event.

According to a media release published by CFRC, the station’s “achievement came as a result of three major projects that have amplified the voices and talents of local musicians in addition to its decades-long work in promoting weekly concerts and events and an innovative volunteer-driven project to broadcast and film more local and touring musicians to CFRC’s studios.”

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CFRC has been turning up the dial on local music with its Airwave YGK DJ Artists in Residence Program, where artists step behind the decks to lead DJ workshops, spin live sets from the studio, and chat on air about their craft. The station’s program also struck a chord with judges, earning recognition for giving young and emerging local musicians free rein of CFRC’s studios—transforming the space into a creative hub where artists can write, rehearse, record, and debut brand-new tracks both on air and on YouTube.

With over 100 stations across Canada being considered for the award, Jansen is very happy about the victory. “We submitted an application detailing what we did in 2024 on our airwaves to support local musicians, including student musicians, in a variety of capacities and we ultimately won,” Jansen said in an interview with The Whig.

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For CFRC the anticipated impacts will be huge, according to Jansen.

“My hope is that the work we’re doing with local talent development at CFRC provides opportunities not only for local [Kingston] musicians, but also Queen’s campus musicians,” she said.

Spanning from supporting campus musicians to reaching 29,000 weekly listeners across Belleville to Brockville, Jansen explains that CFRC not only amplifies Queen’s artists but also provides program participants with valuable opportunities to build their artistic credentials.

“CFRC is thrilled to provide meaningful, paid opportunities for local DJs and musicians to share their creative excellence to our community from our space and through our channels,” Jansen said in the press release.

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According to Jansen, what set CFRC apart in being considered for the award was its strong partnership with the City of Kingston and its unique ability to engage and grow the local music scene — something other stations struggle with due to their narrow playlists focused mainly on Top 40, Country, or Rock genres. “CFRC has the capacity to play across genres, we have probably 40 or 50 different genres of music represented on our station weekly meaning we have the capacity to be able to provide opportunities for artists regardless of their genre and how famous they are,” Jansen said in the interview.

“The most important way the local community radio used to be used, was as the primary means of discovery before people would get picked up by a major label. This still helps [artists], especially when you know, you’re getting promoted on a community radio station, more people are going to attend shows, buy your music, buy your merch, … and then listen on an artist’s Spotify,” she explained.

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According to the press release, Jansen is grateful to the City of Kingston Arts Fund, administered by the Kingston Arts Council for supporting CFRC’s projects and programs.

“Congratulations to CFRC on this much-deserved recognition of their work as community builders and for the local talent development that they have invested in over the years through innovative and creative programming,” Danika Lochhead, director, arts & culture services, City of Kingston, said in the release.

“The Kingston Music Office congratulates CFRC on their well-deserved win for the National Local Talent Development Award,” Music Officer, Tourism Kingston, Moira Demorest, said in the release.  “As a valued partner, we applaud their continued leadership in amplifying local music and supporting Kingston’s vibrant music and arts community.”

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Jansen gave special recognition to Hayden Chandler’s work conducting musician interviews, alongside student contributors Joseph Guido, Faiza Chowdhury, and Josh Kowal. Jansen also praised Aarushi Mathur for winning her third consecutive national award for Best Alternative Music Radio Show with Yellow Brit Road. Behind the scenes, Chancellor Maracle and Jesse Bell were commended for their essential technical support in producing live studio broadcasts and recordings.

CFRC is no stranger to national recognition. In 2024, the station took home the award for Best Local News Programming for The Corridor, a show delivering local and regional news in collaboration with other media outlets and radio stations through the Heritage Canada-funded Local Journalism Initiative, Jansen said.

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“There were many many people involved in the success of the station in getting the award,” Jansen said. In the press release, Jansen thanked CFRC’s staff, volunteers, interns, and local artists for making the station’s projects—and the national recognition—possible, highlighting their role in bringing creative learning, engaging discussions, and live local music to the community.

Looking ahead, Jansen said CFRC has several projects planned for the coming year and hopes more bands and musicians will want to participate in radio sessions.

She encourages artists to get in touch.

“[Artists] are always welcome to reach out to us — I’d love to hear from them, and we can try to make it happen.”

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