CKRZ-FM

CKRZ-FM
Ohsweken, Ontario;
Broadcast area	Six Nations/Brant, Midwestern Ontario
Frequency	100.3 MHz (FM)
Branding	100.3 CKRZ-FM
Programming
Format	Community radio
Ownership
Owner	Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society
Technical information
Class	A1
ERP	5000 watts
HAAT	46 meters
Links
Website	ckrzfm.com

CKRZ-FM is a radio station in Ohsweken, Ontario. Owned by the Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society (SONICS), the station airs a community radio format for the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations.

History

The station started broadcasting in 1987.^[1] Its frequency is 100.3 FM and is available on Rogers cable, channel 951 in Brantford, Kitchener, Woodstock and London.

CKRZ's broadcasts are multilingual, broadcasting in Cayuga, Mohawk, and other languages. On Sundays, CKRZ still hosts a radio bingo with jackpots of up to $16,000.

Financial crisis

On January 29, 2009, the station announced that due to a rising debt load of more than $100,000 and reduced advertising revenue, it would leave the air on February 1, 2009.^[2] At an emergency meeting of SONICS' board and membership, the members subsequently voted to continue the station, as they considered it an asset to the community.

Walt Juchniewicz, a broadcast engineer from Hamilton who had worked with the station in the past, offered to donate services and equipment to help upgrade the station's studios. Juchniewicz called Six Nations one of the nicest communities he had ever worked in, adding that "there are a lot of good people at that station and it's got a better chance of recovering than some of the bigger broadcasters that are in trouble now, too."^[3]

The station resumed broadcasting on February 12. It was temporarily reduced to automated programming, with a single live personality to read news reports and community announcements, in order to give SONICS time to eliminate the station's accumulated debt.^[3]