CHLY 101.7 FM

Community Radio Broadcastingchly.ca

CHLY 101.7 FM is a CRTC-licensed campus-community radio station in Nanaimo, BC, operated by the nonprofit Radio Malaspina Society in partnership with Vancouver Island University. It delivers eclectic music programming, local civic journalism, podcasts, and youth media training to the Salish Sea region.

Company typePrivate
Founded1994
HeadquartersNanaimo, Canada
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What CHLY 101.7 FM does

CHLY 101.7 FM is a campus-community radio station licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and operated by the Radio Malaspina Society, a British Columbia nonprofit incorporated on December 3, 1997. The station began as a student club at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in 1994, received its broadcast license in 2001, and first went on the air on October 5, 2001. It broadcasts at 101.7 FM from its studio at 2-34 Victoria Crescent in Nanaimo, BC, on the Traditional Territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, with additional distribution through online streaming at chly.ca and selected podcast feeds.

The station's core offering combines an eclectic music format spanning jazz, blues, classical, electronic, metal, punk, hip-hop, and world-beat with locally produced civic journalism, including the "Midcoast Morning" news program, daily news updates, and a Nonprofit Newsroom project supported by the Local Journalism Initiative. Supporting products include five Student Media Collectives (News and Current Affairs, Music, International, Mariner Sports, and Indigenous) funded by a $47,000 CRFC grant in 2019, the "VIU Meter" student music show, a Summer Radio Camp for youth, and syndicated programs such as BBC Newshour and Midday Mozart. Underlying technology is conventional FM broadcast infrastructure integrated with online streaming, podcast distribution, and Spinitron for music playout/scheduling.

CHLY is a listener-supported nonprofit. Revenue is generated through sustaining monthly donations ($5–$10/month), annual community memberships ($30/year with free student memberships through VIU), limited local advertising and sponsorships, government grants (CRFC Radiometres, Canada Summer Jobs, Local Journalism Initiative), and a VIU student fee approved by referendum in November 2024. Go-to-market is community-led: grassroots listener acquisition through email newsletters, local events, community partnerships, and VIU student involvement. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, but annual fund drive targets of $20,000–$40,000 and a small paid staff supported by 60+ volunteers indicate a sub-$1M operating budget.

CHLY 101.7 FM firmographics

Firmographics

Name: CHLY 101.7 FM
Legal name: Radio Malaspina Society
Website: https://chly.ca
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1994
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: CHLY 101.7 FM is a CRTC-licensed campus-community radio station in Nanaimo, BC, operated by the nonprofit Radio Malaspina Society in partnership with Vancouver Island University. It delivers eclectic music programming, local civic journalism, podcasts, and youth media training to the Salish Sea region.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

CHLY 101.7 FM industry classification

Industry

Product category: Community Radio Broadcasting
NAICS: Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)
SIC: Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
akta.pro primary industry: Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV) (MPABACAH), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

Community radio broadcasting
Local journalism
Music programming
Nonprofit broadcasting
Campus radio station

Where CHLY 101.7 FM is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Nanaimo
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

CHLY 101.7 FM business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Listener Donations: Sustaining monthly donations and one-time contributions from listeners. Fund drives target specific amounts ($30,000-$40,000 annually).
Membership Fees: Community member membership at $30/year; Student members from VIU included automatically
Government Grants: Canada Summer Jobs funding for youth positions; Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) funding for reporters; CRFC Radiometres grants
Student Fee Referendum: Fee increase approved by VIU students through referendum for station support
Advertising and Sponsorships: Limited advertising and sponsorship packages for local businesses

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Community Membership
Subscription	Monthly	Sustaining Donor
Other	Pay-as-you-go	One-time Donations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

CHLY 101.7 FM product offering

Product offering

Core offering

CHLY 101.7 FM is a campus-community radio station broadcasting at 101.7 FM from Nanaimo, BC, delivering eclectic music programming (classical, jazz, blues, electronic, metal, punk, hip-hop, world-beat) alongside locally produced civic news and current affairs content. The station distributes content through FM broadcast, online streaming (chly.ca), and podcast platforms, serving the Salish Sea region including Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox Valley, and the Southern Sunshine Coast. Supporting programs include the Midcoast Morning news program, Student Media Collectives, Summer Radio Camp, and a Nonprofit Newsroom funded through the Local Journalism Initiative.

Product overview

CHLY 101.7 FM operates as a campus-community radio station based in Nanaimo, BC, offering a unified platform combining broadcast radio (101.7 FM), online streaming, podcasts, and local journalism. The station's core offering includes live radio programming featuring eclectic music genres (classical, jazz, blues, electronic, metal, punk, hip-hop, world-beat) alongside locally produced news content through Midcoast Morning and daily news updates. Supporting products include the VIU Meter student music show, five Student Media Collectives, Summer Radio Camp for youth, and a Nonprofit Newsroom project. The station generates revenue through sustaining memberships, donations, and limited advertising, maintaining listener-supported nonprofit status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

CHLY 101.7 FM Broadcast Radio Campus-community radio station broadcasting at 101.7 FM in Nanaimo, BC, offering eclectic mix of music programming (classical, jazz, blues, electronic, metal, punk, hip-hop, world-beat) and local news coverage for general community listeners across the Salish Sea region.
Local News Updates Daily news coverage covering local government, community events, arts and culture, sports, and civic matters within the Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox Valley, and Salish Sea broadcast range.
Midcoast Morning News and current affairs program and podcast covering civic and community news from Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox Valley, and the Salish Sea region.
VIU Meter Student-driven drive time new music program featuring independent music from Canada and around the world with interviews with local and touring musicians.
Podcasts Podcast versions of selected radio programs available for on-demand listening, including Midcoast Morning news episodes, distributed across multiple podcast platforms.
Summer Radio Camp Two-week day camp for youth teaching media, music, broadcasting, podcasting, and interviewing skills.
Student Media Collectives Five student-led programming collectives including News and Current Affairs, Music, International, Mariner Sports, and Indigenous collectives, supported by Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) funding.
Nonprofit Newsroom Nonprofit local journalism initiative providing civic and community news, supported by Local Journalism Initiative funding and producing content for Midcoast Morning and daily news updates.
Online Streaming Live streaming of CHLY 101.7 FM broadcast via the chly.ca website, accessible globally to listeners beyond the regional FM coverage area.

Quantifiable outcome

25 years of continuous broadcasting
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use CHLY 101.7 FM

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

CHLY 101.7 FM technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

CHLY 101.7 FM partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

CVOX (Comox Valley Community Radio)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024Collaboration between CHLY 101.7 FM and online-only CVOX for Local Journalism Initiative reporter Heather Watson covering the Comox Valley area.
Vancouver Island University (VIU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994CHLY operates as a campus-community radio station of VIU students. VIU provides space, student fee support through referendum, and collaborative opportunities for student media collectives. Station broadcasts from VIU campus and serves as training ground for student journalists and broadcasters.
UNESCOminorOthersCHLY participates in UNESCO's annual World Radio Day celebration (February 13). 2026 theme explores intersection of radio and artificial intelligence.
National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHLY is a member of the national association for campus and community radio. NCRA Executive Director Barry Brooke submitted interventions in support of CHLY's license renewal.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

CHLY 101.7 FM competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC): National industry association of which CHLY is a member, representing campus and community radio stations across Canada. Relevant as the umbrella ecosystem that provides training, advocacy (including CHLY's license renewal intervention), and peer benchmarking infrastructure.

Direct peers

CJLO-FM (Concordia University): Concordia University's campus-community radio in Montreal. Directly comparable as a CRTC C/C-licensed campus station with similar volunteer pipeline, music programming breadth, and nonprofit revenue model.
CFRO-FM (Co-operative Radio Vancouver): Vancouver-based listener-supported community/co-op radio station operating on a similar nonprofit, volunteer-driven model with eclectic music programming and local news. Directly comparable as a British Columbia community broadcaster reliant on memberships and grants.
CFUV-FM (University of Victoria): Campus-community radio station at the University of Victoria, broadcasting on 101.9 FM on Vancouver Island. Closely comparable as a BC university-anchored station with VIU-equivalent student involvement and CRTC campus-community licensing.
CITR-FM (University of British Columbia): UBC's campus radio station and a longstanding NCRA member. Directly comparable as a BC campus-community broadcaster with music-heavy programming, volunteer operations, and CRTC-licensed status.
CKUW-FM (University of Winnipeg): University of Winnipeg's campus-community radio station. Comparable in scale and structure to CHLY, operating as a listener-supported, volunteer-staffed nonprofit under CRTC campus-community licensing.
CFRC-FM (Queen's University): Long-running Canadian campus-community radio station at Queen's University, founded in 1922. Comparable as a university-anchored, volunteer-driven community broadcaster operating under the same CRTC C/C license category.
CJSF-FM (Simon Fraser University): Campus-community radio at Simon Fraser University, a BC-based peer operating under the same CRTC campus-community framework. Directly comparable in programming philosophy, volunteer model, and audience scale.
CIVL-FM (University of the Fraser Valley): Campus-community radio station serving the Fraser Valley under a CRTC campus-community license. Comparable in scale, university-anchored volunteer model, and listener-supported nonprofit structure.

Regional players

CVOX (Comox Valley Community Radio): Online-only Comox Valley community radio that actively collaborates with CHLY on Local Journalism Initiative reporting (Heather Watson). Comparable community-radio mission and overlapping Vancouver Island geography, though it does not hold an FM license.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

CHLY 101.7 FM compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance1 record

CHLY 101.7 FM financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

CHLY 101.7 FM leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

CHLY 101.7 FM funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

CHLY 101.7 FM M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHLY 101.7 FM

What does CHLY 101.7 FM do?

Is CHLY 101.7 FM a public or private company?

CHLY 101.7 FM is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was CHLY 101.7 FM founded?

CHLY 101.7 FM was founded in 1994. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is CHLY 101.7 FM based?

CHLY 101.7 FM is headquartered in Nanaimo, Canada, in the North America region.

How does CHLY 101.7 FM make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Listener Donations are the primary driver. The others are membership Fees, government Grants, student Fee Referendum and advertising and Sponsorships.

Who are CHLY 101.7 FM's main competitors?

National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) is listed as an others. Direct peers are CJLO-FM (Concordia University), CFRO-FM (Co-operative Radio Vancouver), CFUV-FM (University of Victoria), CITR-FM (University of British Columbia), CKUW-FM (University of Winnipeg), CFRC-FM (Queen's University), CJSF-FM (Simon Fraser University) and CIVL-FM (University of the Fraser Valley). CVOX (Comox Valley Community Radio) is listed as a regional player.

Does CHLY 101.7 FM have an API?

No public API is recorded for CHLY 101.7 FM.

What industry is CHLY 101.7 FM in?

CHLY 101.7 FM's product category is Community Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPABACAH, University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.