CKHQ-FM

On January 22, the CRTC approved the application for a licence for a Mohawk (55%), English (40%) and French-language (5%) FM radio station at Kanehsatake on the frequency 101.7 MHz, channel 269LP, with an effective radiated power of 10.7 watts. The licence would expire August 31, 1990. CKHQ-FM had already been operational without a CRTC licence. The Department of Communications walked the owners through the application process rather than trying to shut the station down.
 

On June 4, the CRTC renewed CKHQ-FM’s licence to August 31, 1992. The renewal application included a proposal to decrease Mohawk-language programming from 55% to 25% and to increase English-language programming from 40% to 70%. In view of the fact that there were other English-language stations operating in the market, and in accordance with the Commission’s policy statement on The Review of Community Radio (Public Notice CRTC 1985-194 dated 26 August 1985), a Type B special FM community radio licence would be issued for the station. The remainder of the station’s programming would be in French (5%). It was a condition of licence that the licensee not broadcast more than an average of 4 minutes of advertising per hour per day, with a maximum of 6 minutes per hour, in accordance with the community radio policy for Type B stations.
 

CKHQ-FM had gone dark in the past couple of years. In 2003, the licence was administratively renewed by the CRTC to August 31, 2004. The licence lapsed and was never renewed.
 

CKHQ-FM returned to the air as an unlicenced pirate station. In December, James Nelson applied to the CRTC for a licence.
 

On June 17, the CRTC approved the application by James Nelson, on behalf of a not-for-profit corporation to be incorporated for a broadcasting licence to operate an English and Mohawk language, low-power Type B Native FM radio station in Kanesatake. The station would operate on 101.7 MHz (channel 269LP) with an average effective radiated power of 11 watts (maximum ERP of 27 watts with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 29.2 metres). The applicant indicated that it would broadcast approximately 15 hours of spoken word and 68 hours of music programming each broadcast week, all of which would be local. 

The applicant also stated that approximately 95% of the spoken word programming would be in the English language with the remaining in the Mohawk language. Approximately 15% of the music programming would be performed or composed by Aboriginal artists, including Mohawk emerging artists from the community. The licence would expire August 31, 2020.

A short time after the new licence was granted, CKHQ began running on-air with a live DJ. Programming was mostly country music, with some community announcements and other spoken word features in English.
 

CKHQ 101.7 returned to the air after being silent for a number of years.