The McGill Radio Association (later known as the Amateur Radio Club) was founded on October 6, 1921 and was focused on ham radio projects, which involve person to person communication (rather than a wider broadcast to the public) using radio waves .

Starting in 1943 there was also the “Radio Workshop“, which had the goal of providing insight to students into the inner workings of radio broadcasting, an opportunity to use microphones, and encouraging the writing and production of original radio scripts.

In 1953 they began collaborating with local radio station CFCF for free workshops related to microphone technique, programming and production, announcing, writing, and more. Graduates of the workshops would receive a diploma intended to help them secure a job in the industry.

Check out David Elliot in the back left here in 1961 – he went on to establish the Elliot Family Production Internship in 2026, which supports emerging audio producers and broadcasters in gaining real-world experience inside CKUT.

These student projects eventually led the members of cable radio project CFRM to write a successful application for an FM licence, which was granted in 1987 and gave birth to the CKUT we know today — transforming what was for decades a student-only project into a hybrid organization combining the enthusiasm and insight of student members with diverse and intergenerational contributions from Montreal’s greater cultural community.

CKUT bloomed into a legendary institution in Montreal, home to many of the city’s most respected DJs, activists, journalists, and cultural commentators. The station’s custom mix of eager new voices and steady veteran hosts has been steady trucking thru the 00’s and today as 90.3FM continues to be a place where you can hear things that you won’t hear anywhere else.

Our Time Capsule Blog offers deep looks into the history from 1987-onwards and we are still working on putting the early pre-FM days together.