CKUT FUNDING DRIVE 2025 | BOOMING AND BLOOMING - MAY 2ND - 11TH

CKUT’s Annual Funding Drive is IS COMING UP from May 2nd–11th, 2025, and this year we’re Booming & Blooming — louder and brighter than ever. Our goal: $55,000 to power the future of independent, community radio in Montreal.

When you donate to CKUT, you’re not just supporting a station. You’re planting a seed in a wild garden of sound, storytelling, and resistance. CKUT is powered by YOU – our community – and your support helps us stay independent, accessible, and alive.

Expect 10 jam-packed days of special programming, events, limited edition merch, prizes, and more fun than you can keep up with.

Keep your eyes peeled, and your ears open for more announcements to come!

Support our wild beautiful garden of sound by making a donation: ckut.ca/donate

Transparent Thursdays | CKUT Funding Drive Countdown!

Anabasine • Destiny • DJ Spence • Hex P (Live) @ Systeme
📅 Thursday, May 1st, 2025
🕙 10:00 PM – 3:00 AM
📍 Système – 7119 Rue St-Hubert
💸 Free entry • Donations accepted at the door

We’re kicking off the CKUT Funding Drive 2025 in full bloom with four late nite radio veterans crammed together in the booth.

This is the unofficial launch of our 2025 Funding Drive, and it’s your first chance to dance, connect, and support the radio that supports the culture. No cover—just good vibes and open ears. Bring a friend, bring some bills, and help us bloom!

“International Radio Report” featured on Radio World!

We don’t just make the news– sometimes we ARE the news!

Sheldon Harvey and Gilles Letourneau, the hosts of “International Radio Report” (Sundays 10:30-11:00 am) which has been on the air since CKUT’s inception in 1987, were recently profiled by Radio World.

“No matter what subject you’re interested in, you can probably find a program about it on the radio. But a radio program on the radio that actually talks about radio?

For 38 years, “International Radio Report” has done just that. Co-hosted and co-produced by enthusiasts Sheldon Harvey and Gilles Letourneau, the report is a weekly 30-minute program heard Sunday mornings at 10:30 Eastern (1430 UTC during Daylight Saving Time) on CKUT(FM) 90.3 MHz in Montreal, and livestreamed to the world on CKUT’s website. The most recent three months’ worth of programs are available on the station’s Archives page.”

Radio World is the leading news and career resource for broadcast radio all over the world.

Read the full article here— and catch IRR on the air every Sunday from 10:30-11am!

McGill cuts ties with student union, bans protest following student strike for Palestine

Funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, CKUT’s Local Journalism Initiative will publish local news stories from reporter Jules Bugiel.

McGill is cutting ties with its undergraduate student society and barring protest on its campus after a student strike for Palestine.

In an email sent last Monday to the campus community, deputy provost of student life and learning Angela Campbell said McGill was ending the memorandum of agreement with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). She cited a three-day student strike for Palestine as the cause.

Students looking to voice concern over the termination may have a hard time doing so. The following Thursday, McGill’s lawyers went in front of a judge to demand an injunction against further protests on campus. That injunction was granted Tuesday.

RIBBON SKIRT - THE CKUT INTERVIEW

Alex Leitman sat down with Montreal’s Ribbon Skirt for an interview in advance of their new record.

NEW POSTS ON THE MUSIC BLOG: DIG IN

M FOR MOTHLAND BY MUNIRA

EXODUS IN GRIFFINTOWN BY MC

SLASH NEED INTERVIEW BY CECELIA

PELADA SAY FAREWELL BY MARCEL 

NEW AMBER MARK EP BY YH

Pioneer Grooves: Celebrating Ollie: A national Canadian icon in his 90th year

CKUT podcast project Pioneer Grooves features a diverse array of Montreal-based musicians whose music is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of Montreal and Canada. Many of these artists left their birthplace in search of a better life, bringing with them a rich tapestry of musical genres.

Having originally profiled the legendary Steelpan players of Expo ’67, we now are pleased to publish a new episode, Celebrating Ollie: A national Canadian icon in his 90th year.

On a snowy afternoon last February, we had the privilege of spending hours with the legendary Oliver Jones in his home. He played music and shared captivating stories of 90 years of a wonderful life. Lovingly known as Ollie, he took us on a journey through his youth in Little Burgundy, with icons like Oscar Peterson and Daisy Sweeney, and gave us a glimpse into the dizzying heights of his remarkable career. We’re thrilled to share this episode with you — an entertaining and intimate look into the life of a Montreal master.

CKUT's Featured Archives

We’ve been broadcasting 24/7 for decades so for new ears it can be a little hard sometimes to know where to dive in. With hundreds of volunteers in the mix at any given time, even here at the station it can be tricky to know what is going on at times.

So – we’ve been trying to use our Featured Archives zone as a way to highlight great programming. It’s by no means an exhaustive list but it’s a good place to start if you’re trying to listen to some recent CKUT archives.

Thanks to our new website (WFMU heads might find it feels familiar) hosts are able to post playlists for their programming and help shine some light on the artists and figures hitting the air.

We’re hoping to turn this into a sort of “This Week at CKUT” update… stay tuned.

Black Education In Quebec

Black Education in Quebec is a compelling 9-part podcast series produced by the LaSalle Multicultural Resource Centre, aimed at enriching the Quebec educational landscape.

Hosted by journalists Phil Carpenter and Pat Dillon-Moore, and executive produced by Gloria Ann Cozier and Dr. Lerona Dana Lewis, this series delves into the Quebec school system through the candid stories of mostly retired Black teachers.

This podcast highlights the unique and pivotal contributions of Black teachers to the Quebec education system and beyond. It explores the vital importance of Black teachers’ representation and the profound impact their work has had on the lives of not only Black students but all Quebec students.

Inspired by the 2023 LMRC-led research project, “Changing Black Youth Futures,” which examined the experiences of Black students in Quebec schools, the research  showed  exclusionary practices that have affected the academic success and trajectories of Black Anglophone and Francophone youth. The two-year study revealed that Black students in Quebec are often placed into special groups, subjected to racially hostile environments, and faced with biased practices.

Time Capsule: The Subterranean Jungle

From the crypt…

Subterranean Jungle was a radio show that aired on CRFM/CKUT from 1985 to 1999 and was hosted by Flipped Out Phil.

We recently acquired some never-before-listened-to-in-a-long-time cassette tape recordings (pulled direct from the late ’80s FM airwaves by a young listener) and have posted them in our time capsule, along with a piece of writing from Donald Côté, who made the recordings.

Take a listen and a read back in time for a taste of this influential radio program and what it meant to an anonymous listener out there soaking in the air waves.