Given the recent referendum on whether to reinstate funding for University of Waterloo's campus radio station, SoundFM, has been a subject of student discussion. While CKMS was the name of the former campus radio station, the reborn and rebranded station SoundFM currently continues to broadcast at its current location, the Bauer Warehouse on north campus. The CKMS' funding of $5.50 per student per term was removed in a referendum in February 2008. So this month's referendum was not the first — the spectacle of a radio referendum was merely recently repeated. SoundFM had proposed to continue providing a link to local music and unique programming, with a lower annual fee than previously allocated to CKMS, at $2.50 per term. Exactly 25,177 undergraduate students were eligible to vote on the November 9, 2009 SoundFM referendum, with many either apathetic or unaware of campus radio's contributions. James Walker, host of the Road Dog Show on SoundFM, who has been involved in campus radio since 1972, said that “the university should have be very proud of what they have here; I know [that the] 2000 people [who voted yes] were very proud of what they have and the 2400 that voted no, I don't think they knew what they had.”

Campus radio at UW goes back many decades to 1964, when a weekly program called Campus Sound was aired on CKKW, a local AM radio station. In 1970, funds were made available to set up a studio in the Campus Centre, but a campus radio signal on FM radio was not established until 1977. Bill Wharrie, former CKMS technical co-ordinator and employee of the station since 1977, said, “Before 1977, CKMS wasn't even broadcasting over the air, it was only available on cable, so the very first broadcast on October 15, 1977 was certainly a high point for CKMS.” The broadcast came after a long fight for funding and a FM broadcasting license. In November, 1977, CKMS petitioned to become a separate corporation from the Federation of Students, creating the separate refundable fee in order to satisfy Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission rulings. A problem experienced in 1977 was that the antenna was placed on top of what is now the Dana Porter Library. The signal was too strong, to the point of blocking the reception of many other radio stations on campus. In 1978, a costly installation of the 100 foot tower at the Bauer warehouse was made to rectify the situation. The station was already in debt at that point, with high refund rates of the $2.50 a term fee, resulting in a dire need for fundraising initiatives. However, by 1979, CKMS had a newsroom with a mini-studio on-campus, was able to maintain an on-campus presence, and had the production of radio theatre projects among its notable achievements.

CKMS, despite a rocky start, continued to provide a outlet to local bands. “We used to do live-to-air concerts. There was a recording studio there and we could bring bands in the studio and put them live on the air,” said Wharrie. What Wharrie remembers as the most pertinent contribution of CKMS was “being on the cutting edge of the music scene. The volunteers doing the programming were big music fans and were aware of what was happening in the music scene and exposed the listeners to new music, which has been going on since the radio station's inception.” In 1989, a compilation of local independent bands, A Giant Leap of Faith, was recorded in CKMS' studio and funded by the bands themselves. Two other volumes followed, and according to Wharrie, “They could give them out at shows or use them as promotional material.” Without the access to resources that CKMS provides, such as a studio and radio play for local independent bands, “That outlet for the local bands, whether they are based in KW or the University of Waterloo will be gone. Just being played on a radio station gives these bands credibility,” states Wharrie. This is also true for University of Waterloo's musical talent, as in 2005, a compilation of 18 tracks of completely UW affiliated talent was produced by CKMS with the proceeds funding an undergrad scholarship.

By 2001, CKMS had received the stronger broadcasting frequency of 100.3 MHz and began online broadcasting, extending its reach globally. Walker, who is also a current board of directors member, remarked that “emails are coming in from Australia, Germany, South America, Africa, who are listening to our network that were all former students that are all asking questions about what is happening with the radio station.” Webcasting of CKMS extended the University of Waterloo's connection to those who are unable to be part of the community physically. CKMS has also provided voice for diversity on campus within its programming. However, the situation has changed with loss of campus radio. “Eight different languages from all over the world have now been silenced, they have no place else in this region where they have a voice. So they cannot speak on radio,” said Walker. In the past the station has also displayed diversity in the genre of artists interviewed, from country to classical. “We've had endless amounts of talent come through the doors here, from Hawksley Workman, Blue Rodeo, Billy Talent, Neil Young, The Guess Who, and the list goes on and on.” said Walker. In fact, according to Walker “Canada's first heavy metal band, Helix who did work [at CKMS], as well as Saga, both of which are Juno winners.

Some bands have gotten their start at the radio station. As well, in 2006 CKMS hosted their first annual Sonic Booms awards show in a gala style. Local and campus artists alike were invited to perform, as two major awards were presented: the Matt Osborne award and the Best Program on CKMS awards. The Matt Osborne award was given to a local group, who, much like Osborne, played an active role in the community, inspiring the growth of musical talent. Furthermore, the winners of this award were given $500 and approximately 15 hours of recording time to boost their music career. The Best Program on CKMS award was an honour given to the program voted best on CKMS by listeners and UW students.

In sum, CKMS has historically had a direct effect on the vibrancy of the university and broader community's arts scene. Walker states, “It's the arts that makes the city. What makes a city exciting is the arts that a city has to offer. When the artists are silenced the city suffers from not being unique from the rest of the world. We are now starting to go backwards.” Without CKMS, the diversity of the arts scene would have been far more influenced by mainstream music in the past, as Walker states, “Pre-programmed music is all owned by the big record companies, and they are going to tell you what to listen to.” As for the current situation at the station, Walker states, “There is a team working to get a station off campus in the community, but the station needs to have university students. We want their voices to still be heard.” He summarizes the situation as “31 years of history in the music industry that at this moment has had the breaks put on it.” Despite the politics and lack of awareness of the campus radio issue, campus radio is nonetheless a part of our voice and an inseparable component of the community that needs support. Based on the contributions it has already made and can make in the future, campus radio will continue to be as hard-fought for its existence as it has been in the past.