Almost 50 years later, CJAM continues to support local and survive in a digital world
“A car without a radio is like a house without a fridge”
It’s been almost 50 years since CJAM first went on air. First known as CSRW or Canada Student Radio Windsor, CJAM has been supporting local and offering a platform for everything that the mainstream does not.
Through the years, the station’s reach has grown from a humble carrier-current AM station broadcasting at a mere 50 watts, to a powerhouse of local community broadcasting at over 2000 watts through FM frequencies in Windsor, Detroit, and beyond. The station is available on iHeart radio, and most recently, was listed on Radio Garden.
In conversation with station manager Garth Jackson, we discovered the history, impact, and future of CJAM, as well as the broader campus radio community. “I think part of the reason why they brought me into the role is because I've worked in so many different studios and TV networks” said Jackson.
With over 30 years of experience working in the media industry, Jackson aims to fulfill his lifelong dream of working in radio by strengthening ties with the University’s administration, increasing CJAM’s community presence, offering his experience as a mentor to students and young programmers, and turning the station into a community “amplifier”.
Station manager Garth Jackson with a pair of independant musical artists
“I think it's our job to be an amplifier. It's our job to care what other arts organizations are doing. It's our job to care what artists are doing, what shows are on even if we're not putting the show on ourselves”.
According to Jackson, CJAM originally served as a record listening club and later transitioned into a campus radio station. “It actually was just through the phone lines. So they would actually broadcast [through] little speakers all over campus that you could turn up and down. And that's how they started”.
Many notable figures in Canadian radio are aware of, and have been associated with CJAM. Famous host of Windsor’s 89X, Dan MacDonald began his career in radio at CJAM as a volunteer, and was recently featured as a guest on CJAM in Jackson’s show Broken Speakr. Veteran sports commentator, Joe Bowen, the “Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs” worked as a programmer at CJAM. According to Jackson, there is a signed photograph by Bowen at the station which reads “Follow your dreams, it starts here”.
Program director, Heloisa Selles ensures that CJAM provides an “empowering and rewarding” platform for independent and Canadian artists (also known as Cancon). “We also have The Singles Club, a selection of singles from Windsor and Detroit artists, curated by our Music Director” said Selles.
You can check out last month's list here: https://www.cjam.ca/2026/04/02/singles-club-march-2026/
One of CJAM’s most prominent shows is Pledge Drive. A chance for students and other listeners to offer their support to the station. Exclusive CJAM t-shirts and other merchandise can be collected during Pledge Drive events. The underlying purpose of Pledge Drive is to establish community outreach by attracting local talent to meet with CJAM’s team and share their insights.
Selles offered some transparency on CJAM’s operations. “As a not-for-profit campus community radio station, most of our funding comes from the University of Windsor's undergraduate students' ancillary fees. In spite of that, we remain an independent media outlet, and we don't bombard our listeners with ads, something that is getting rarer by the day”.
What sets traditional media apart from today’s digital world is the simplicity, exclusivity, and most importantly, the locality.
“One of the things about broadcasting over the air, there's no login, there's no sign up. You don't have to have an email; there's no two-step verification and all that stuff! All you need is a receiver” Jackson remarked.
We asked him how CJAM and The Lance can navigate the uncertain road ahead. Jackson remarked that we should “do what we’re doing right now”, supporting each other through community-driven initiative. “I definitely think for local communities, things like CJAM and the Lance, anything that's hyper local, real media is so, so important at this point in history”.
An “open door” policy was promised to invite any future collaborations with student groups and to encourage volunteers to make an impact through CJAM.
“I feel like we are in an era of post-isolation where people yearn for community, but don't always know what that looks like. CJAM is the perfect place to geek out on music, elaborate your hot takes and banter into spoken word programming, and really develop your voice in the sense that you learn how much you can impact your local community and bring visibility to the topics that matter to you” said Selles.
Inside one of the three studios at the CJAM station.
When asked if he thinks radio is dying, Jackson expressed unprecedented confidence that it wont. Jackson is convinced that radio will never leave people’s cars. “The day that they stop putting an AM/FM receiver in cars, I'll believe it, because they're never gonna do that. Because part of North American culture is the idea of the open road and the radio playing in the car”.
Amidst increased efforts by people to participate in the “digital detox”, a form of grassroots resistance to social media and streaming content fatigue, old-fashioned media are re-entering the spotlight. If vinyl can make an unexpected commercial revamp, maybe radio and student journalism can as well.
“It's more of a conscious thought than just mindlessly scrolling through so many options. You don't take it for granted. No. 100% percent. It's right there. It's like appointment television,” said Jackson.
“I don't know about everybody else, but my favourite show, drops on a Wednesday. I'm watching it at 8 o'clock, which is basically, like, appointment television the way it used to be in the '80s and '90s. So, I think there's a way that these two ecosystems are going to coexist”.
Looking ahead, CJAM plans to share the spotlight with every other department or student group on campus. The next big on-campus opportunity will be the series of student-orientation events that take place annually. “As far as partnerships go, CJAM is excited to be a part of Welcome Week this year put on by Student Success and Leadership. Our aim is to broadcast from the CAW Atrium every week in July. We also have a few other things in the works, so lots of exciting projects are on the horizon”.
Listen to CJAM on 99.1FM.
