CFMU-FM
Radio station at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario
CFMU-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 93.3 FM in Hamilton, Ontario. It is a campus/community radio station owned and operated by the McMaster Students Union at McMaster University.
History
CFMU began as a project of the McMaster Radio Club in the late 1960s as a closed circuit AM station, under the auspices of the Board of Student Broadcasting. In 1976, CFMU applied for its first FM license from the CRTC for 107.9, but was denied in favour of a broadcaster in Burlington.
CFMU was eventually launched on FM on January 13, 1978, broadcasting in mono at 50 watts. They were the third college radio station to launch in Canada, after CFRC from Queen's University and CJRT, which was started by Ryerson Institute of Technology (now Toronto Metropolitan University). CFMU started out with a Wilkinson transmitter and 2-bay circularly polarized Phelps Dodge antenna.
In 1985, CFMU petitioned successfully to move its transmitter from downtown Hamilton to the top of the escarpment, near Chedoke Hospital. In 1991, faced with a wattage increase at nearby CFRU-FM in Guelph, CFMU upgraded from 50 watts to a 250-watt stereo transmitter. In 2000, CFMU decreased to a 166-watt station and began sharing a tower at Mohawk College, with Mohawk's instructional station CIOI-FM.
The station can be heard throughout much of Hamilton and Burlington, although their vertically polarized signal means the station can be heard farther on car radios.
The public source identifies “CFMU-FM” as radio station at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around CFMU-FM, Radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “CFMU-FM”, the useful work is to connect “radio station at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5010716. Authority coordinates are 43.264, -79.918. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1976, 1978, 1985 and 1991.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “CFMU-FM”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow CFMU-FM primary sources, CFMU-FM archive and CFMU-FM research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “CFMU-FM”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “CFMU-FM” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.