CHOQ.ca

What CHOQ.ca does

CHOQ.ca is the official student-run web radio station of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), founded in 2002 and operated as a non-profit organization. It functions as both a media outlet and a "radio-école" (training radio), distributing over 65 weekly radio shows per academic session via a web streaming platform at choq.ca and across major podcast directories including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iTunes, and BaladoQuébec. Programming covers student life, cultural coverage, alternative news, and music, with the station recently becoming the first Quebec student radio accepted as an associate member of the Conseil de presse du Québec.

The station's product surface includes the core CHOQ.ca platform, the Palmarès music chart system (with separate Local and International weekly rankings of 40 tracks each), the "Intervenir ensemble" podcast produced with UQAM's Clinique Carrière and Faculté des sciences de l'éducation, and a paid Studio Rental service offering professional audio production facilities to cultural, academic, and corporate clients. Revenue is derived from three streams: the Cotisation Automatique Non Obligatoire (CANO), an optional automatic fee collected on UQAM student bills; sponsorships and advertising aimed at the student and Greater Montreal community; and studio rental income. Operations are supported by a 250+ community of animators, volunteers, and employees drawn primarily from UQAM's student body, governed by a Board of Directors with student-association representation.

Name

CHOQ.ca

Legal name

CHOQ.ca, la radio Web de l'UQAM

Website

https://choq.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CHOQ.ca is the non-profit student-run web radio of Université du Québec à Montréal, distributing 65+ weekly shows and podcasts while functioning as a media training ground for the UQAM student community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms (MPAIADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG), Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins) (MPACADAJ), Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM)

Keywords

• University web radio
• Student media training
• Podcast production services
• Music chart programming
• Professional studio rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cotisation Automatique Non Obligatoire (CANO): Partial funding through non-obligatory automatic student association fee collected on UQAM student bills, which allows the radio to fulfill its cultural and university mandate
2. Sponsorships and Advertising: Sponsorships and advertising partnerships aimed at student community events and Greater Montreal region
3. Studio Rental Revenue: Revenue from renting professional audio studios to external clients for podcasts, interviews, and audio productions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CHOQ.ca is a non-profit, student-run digital university web radio station at UQAM that produces and distributes over 65 weekly radio shows, podcasts, and news reports via web streaming and major podcast platforms. It also operates a curated music chart system (Palmarès) highlighting local and international emerging artists, and offers professional studio rental services for podcast creation, interviews, and audio productions. Beyond media output, it functions as a radio-école (radio school) providing hands-on media training opportunities to UQAM students.

Product overview

CHOQ.ca is a digital university radio platform operated by UQAM students, functioning as both a media outlet and a radio-école (training radio). The core product is the CHOQ.ca digital radio platform, which distributes over 65 weekly programming hours across live radio shows, podcasts, and radio reports. Supporting the platform are distinct product lines: the Palmarès music chart system (with separate Local and International rankings), the Intervenir ensemble podcast series (produced in partnership with the UQAM Career Clinic), and a Studio Rental service offering professional audio production facilities for community, cultural, academic, and corporate use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing student base, facilities, and academic partnerships. CHOQ serves as a radio-school and offers training opportunities to UQAM students through the Clinique Carrière and various faculties including the Faculté des sciences de l'éducation
• Clinique Carrière UQAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the 'Intervenir ensemble' podcast project, providing career counseling content in collaboration with the Faculty of Education
• Faculté des sciences de l'éducation UQAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for the 'Intervenir ensemble' podcast focused on career counseling in health and social services
• Conseil de presse du QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional press association that accepted CHOQ as associate member, recognizing ethical journalism standards
• Student Media ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organization of federal election debate with other UQAM student media including Le Culte, Montréal Campus, and L'Apostrophe

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CFRC 101.9 FM (Queen's University Radio): Queen's University's campus radio station in Kingston, Ontario. Operates a similar volunteer/student-driven model with music programming, podcast distribution, and community-focused content.
• CJLO 1690 AM (Concordia University Radio): Concordia University's campus radio in Montreal, also volunteer-run with similar music, talk, and cultural programming aimed at the university community. Operates within the same Montreal media ecosystem as CHOQ.
• CKUT 90.3 FM (McGill Campus Radio): McGill University's campus/community radio in Montreal operating as a non-profit volunteer-driven station with similar programming, training mandate, and Montreal-area listenership. Direct geographic and operational peer to CHOQ.
• CJAM 99.1 FM (University of Windsor Radio): University of Windsor's campus/community radio with a comparable volunteer model, alternative music programming, and podcast distribution across major platforms.
• CITR 101.9 FM (UBC Radio): University of British Columbia's campus radio in Vancouver. Comparable Canadian university web radio with student-run programming, music charts, and podcast distribution.

Broad incumbents

• SiriusXM Canada: Major Canadian subscription audio entertainment provider with national reach across music, talk, and sports radio. Operates broadly in the same audio broadcast market as CHOQ.
• Stingray Digital Group: Montreal-based digital audio media company offering music streaming, radio broadcasting services, and in-store audio solutions. Comparable geographic footprint and overlapping audio/music programming focus.
• Spotify: Global audio streaming and podcast platform that distributes CHOQ's content. Sets the competitive baseline for podcast discovery, recommendation algorithms, and audience scale that CHOQ operates within.
• Apple Podcasts: Dominant podcast directory and listening platform that hosts CHOQ's podcast catalogue. Defines the technical and audience-acquisition environment for any podcast publisher including CHOQ.
• CBC Radio One: Canada's national public broadcaster operating extensive radio and podcast programming. While CHOQ serves a niche university audience, CBC operates in the same talk/news/culture podcast space with significantly larger reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/choq_ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choq-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CHOQ.ca