CKIA FM 88.3

What CKIA FM 88.3 does

CKIA FM 88.3 ("Radio Urbaine") is a non-profit, French-language community radio station licensed to broadcast at 88.3 MHz in the Quebec City metropolitan area. Founded in 1984 per firmographic records (with current website copyright dating to 2013), it operates from 556 Carré Lépine, Québec, with a small staff of 1-10 employees. The station produces a diverse programming slate spanning local public affairs, news, cultural commentary, and music genres including blues, reggae, alternative, classical, and opera, alongside literary programming and on-demand podcasts ("balados") such as L'angle mort, Chut! Madame lit!, and Dread Al Control.

The station's core technical platform is a single FM frequency at 88.3 MHz supplemented by digital distribution through web streaming (stream2.statsradio.com), the ARCQ-branded iOS/Android mobile application, podcast distribution via iTunes, and an email newsletter via Mailchimp. Its product portfolio includes live broadcasting, on-demand podcasts, local news articles, a public programming schedule, and a membership/donation program managed through the Zeffy platform.

CKIA's business model is community-supported: there are no commercial customers, no paid subscription tiers, and no disclosed revenue. Funding flows from individual listener donations, member subscriptions, a membership-card partnership program with local Quebec City businesses, and government cultural subsidies from Culture et communication Québec, Ville de Québec (Entente de développement culturel), and the Fondation canadienne des radios communautaires (FCRC). Its customer base is the general Quebec City French-speaking public and local cultural and community organizations, with a stated mission of providing an alternative to commercial radio and a platform for local artists and community voices.

Name

CKIA FM 88.3

Legal name

CKIA FM 88.3

Website

https://ckiafm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CKIA FM 88.3 is a non-profit French-language community radio station broadcasting at 88.3 MHz in Quebec City, offering local news, cultural programming, and music, funded by donations, memberships, and government cultural subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• French-language radio
• Local public affairs
• Cultural programming
• Podcast distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarke City

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CKIA FM 88.3 operates a French-language community radio station (Radio Urbaine) in Quebec City broadcasting at 88.3 MHz, offering local public affairs, music, cultural programming, and live community news coverage. The station also provides online audio streaming, on-demand podcasts (balados), and a membership and donation program to support its non-profit operations.

Product overview

CKIA FM 88.3 is a community radio station based in Quebec City offering a unified broadcasting platform centered on FM radio transmission at 88.3 FM combined with digital audio streaming. The core product portfolio consists of live radio broadcasting, on-demand podcast (balado) episodes, local news coverage, and a programming schedule system. Supporting the core offering are membership programs, donation functionality, newsletter subscriptions, and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The station's programming spans diverse content categories including music shows (L'angle mort, Dread Al Control Reggae Radio Show), literary programming (Chut! Madame lit!), cultural affairs, and community news (Les capés, D'un autre angle). CKIA operates as a community-supported station offering free over-the-air reception supplemented by premium engagement options for supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CKIA 88.3 FM Radio Broadcasting (En Direct) Community radio station broadcasting at 88.3 FM in Quebec City, featuring urban music, cultural programming, local public affairs, and live news content for French-speaking listeners.
• Émissions / Balados (Podcasts) On-demand podcast episodes of radio shows available for streaming and subscription, covering music, literature, culture, and social issues (e.g., L'angle mort, Chut! Madame lit!, Dread Al Control Reggae Radio Show).
• Actualité (Local News) Local news coverage and public affairs reporting focused on Quebec City and surrounding regions.
• Membres (Membership Program) Station membership program offering benefits including discounts from partner organizations such as La Librairie du Quartier (15% discount) and other local cultural businesses.
• Donation Support Financial donation functionality via Zeffy platform enabling listeners to support the station's operations.
• Grille Horaire (Programming Schedule) Weekly broadcast schedule showing all radio programs, their airing times, and hosts.
• Mobile Application (ARCQ) Dedicated mobile app available on Google Play and Apple App Store providing access to CKIA FM and other Quebec community radio stations.
• Newsletter Subscription (Infolettre) Email newsletter subscription service via Mailchimp for station updates and programming announcements.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• La Librairie du QuartierminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal bookstore partner offering 15% discount to CKIA FM members as part of the membership card program. This partnership provides added value to station members and supports local cultural commerce.
• La Fabrique culturelleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-format digital platform by Télé-Québec dedicated to promoting Quebec arts and culture. La Fabrique culturelle has 10 regional offices for cultural content production across Quebec.
• SCFP-Québec (Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique)minorOthersStrong and democratic union representing workers in health, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public services, transportation, emergency services, air transport, communications, and maritime transport sectors.
• Conseil central de Québec-Chaudière-Appalaches CSNminorOthersUnion central promoting and defending professional, economic, social, and cultural interests of workers and affiliated unions without discrimination.
• FSSS-CSQ (Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire)minorOthersFederation exclusively representing school and centre support staff in Quebec, representing 81 job classes with 30,000 members, affiliated with CSQ.
• Librairie La LibertéminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQuality bookstore in Quebec City offering personalized service, research tools, bibliographic expertise, and hosting regular author, publisher, and collection director events.
• Brasserie artisanale Nano CincominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCraft brewery located in the popular Limoilou neighborhood of Quebec City. Founded by three amateur brewers with years of recipe experimentation, specializing in IPAs, sour beers, session beers, stouts, and barrel-aged beers. Serves as a gathering place for local events and culture.
• Tintico - L'art du café colombienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerColombian coffee shop located in the Saint-Sauveur neighborhood of Quebec City, specializing in fair trade women's coffee from single origin.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CKRL 89.1 FM: French-language community radio station also based in Quebec City, operating as a non-profit with similar cultural programming and listener-funded model. Most directly comparable peer given shared city, language, format, and governance structure.
• CISM 89.3 FM: French-language community radio station at Université de Montréal, offering alternative music and cultural programming with a non-profit, listener-supported model. Comparable to CKIA as a Quebec Francophone community broadcaster serving a similar urban audience with eclectic, non-commercial content.
• CFIM 92.1 FM: Community radio station in Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, with similar non-profit, French-language community-broadcasting model. Comparable as a small Quebec Francophone community station serving a defined local audience.
• CKUT 90.3 FM: McGill University community/campus radio station in Montreal offering alternative programming in a non-commercial format. Comparable to CKIA as a Quebec community radio station with diverse music and public-affairs content funded through listener support.
• CJLO 1690 AM: Concordia University community radio station in Montreal with alternative, cultural, and public-affairs programming. Comparable as a Quebec community broadcaster with a similar non-commercial, listener-supported model.
• CHOQ-FM (CHOQ.ca): French-language community radio station based in Toronto serving the Ontario Francophone community. Directly comparable as a non-profit, community-supported French-language broadcaster with cultural and public-affairs programming.
• CJAM 99.1 FM: University of Windsor campus/community radio station offering alternative music and cultural programming as a non-profit. Comparable to CKIA as a small-team community broadcaster with eclectic non-commercial content and donation-based funding.

Broad incumbents

• Radio-Canada (CBC) Première Chaîne: Public broadcaster operating French-language radio networks across Quebec including local stations in Quebec City. Overlaps with CKIA in French-language local news and cultural programming but operates at much greater scale as the national public broadcaster.

Emerging players

• CITR 101.9 FM: UBC Vancouver campus/community radio offering eclectic programming. Comparable in mission and non-profit funding model, though operates in a different market (British Columbia) and primarily in English.

Others

• Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec (ARCQ): Umbrella association representing Quebec's community radio stations; CKIA's mobile app is published under the ARCQ banner. Ecosystem participant and trade body rather than direct competitor, but materially relevant to understanding CKIA's institutional context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CKIAFM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ckia-fm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CKIA FM 88.3