XFM 98.9 Radio

In an era when you can tune into just about any radio station on earth through the Internet, download MP3s of your favourite band to your iPod and subscribe to satellite radio so you hear nothing but national and international programming, one Nova Scotian radio station is proving that staying local is the key to success.

Antigonish calls itself the Highland Heart of Nova Scotia, and CJFX (98.9 XFM) may well be the heart of the community. A glance through the playlist reveals an eclectic mix of music from the rootsy rhythms of Cape Breton’s Rankin Family to the hard-rocking sound of local band The Trews, with a healthy dose of well-known country, Celtic and crooning thrown in for good measure. Popular shows include the Farmers’ Forum, The Wine and Food review and the Sunday Ceilidh.

Why such a diverse lineup? Well, when you’re owned by your listeners, you listen to them.

“The station is owned by shareholders from communities throughout northeastern Nova Scotia,” explains Dave MacLean, CEO of Atlantic Broadcasters Ltd., the company that manages the station. “Regardless of how many shares any one individual has, the ownership structure stays the same. That way we remain diverse, as opposed to consolidated.”

Consolidation has been the name of the media game for some time now, with already-large conglomerates continuing to snap up smaller newspapers, TV and radio stations. In fact, one such conglomerate now owns 52 stations in 29 markets across Canada. It’s a trend that supporters say has saved some financially unstable stations; while critics claim it has narrowed the cultural funnel by restricting airplay of local or lesser-known talent.

Through it all CJFX has stood, and continues to stand, independent and stable. And MacLean believes the reason is the support of Nova Scotians. “We couldn’t exist anywhere else with the same level of success we’ve enjoyed in Nova Scotia,” continues MacLean. “There is a unique culture to this area. We maintain very strong ties with our audience and reflect their culture back to them through our programming. This would be difficult to do if we were someplace else, such as California. They wouldn’t have the same connection, the same sense of community, the same unique culture.”

It was that desire to keep communities connected that inspired the birth of the station back in 1939, a time when Canada, and Nova Scotia in particular, was still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. There were labour problems in the coal mining and steel industries, and the fishing and farming industries faced their own serious challenges, as well.

Two visionary priests, Fathers Moses Coady and Jimmy Tompkins of Antigonish’s St. Francis Xavier University, were already encouraging the development of credit unions and other forms of economic co-operation to help establish businesses and financial self-sufficiency in the area. The university wanted a way to reach out to more people living in northeastern Nova Scotia, so they could share information and raise awareness of ways to deal with the economic issues.

They decided they needed a radio station—a co-operative radio station—one that would be owned by the communities it served. When word of their venture got out, it was met with an enthusiastic response. Fishermen, coal miners, farmers and other Nova Scotians immediately recognized the benefit of having a station of their own and, despite the hard times, rallied together to raise the money. “Money was scarce then,” says MacLean, “but hundreds of people were able to dig down into their own savings and come up with $100, an enormous amount at the time, to participate in the project. Many of them did it on a check-off system and paid a little bit every month.”

In 1943 the station went on the air, with the university providing an educational component in the day-to-day programming. “There was a whole series of broadcasts known as the People’s School,” says MacLean, “which would deal with fisheries, agriculture, labour movement, credit unions and co-ops.”

The area’s unique musical culture was part of the playlist from the start. “John Allan Cameron used to live here in the building,” reminisces MacLean. “He would get up, take out his guitar and perform a couple of songs on the morning show before going off to his classes at the university.” Another Nova Scotian singer encouraged by the station went by the name of Clarence Snow. He would eventually change his name to Hank and go on to become the single biggest country star to come out of Canada—and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Today, the station continues its tradition of supporting local talent such as JD Fortune, who grew up in Pictou, Nova Scotia, and went on to win Rock Star: INXS. There is also singer/songwriter Molly Rankin, daughter of Cape Breton’s legendary John Morris Rankin.

MacLean also credits another pool of unsung talent for the station’s continuing success: the people behind the controls. “Being located in Antigonish has provided a real advantage to us,” he explains. “We have access to highly skilled, well-educated, and motivated people who have attended either St. Francis Xavier University or the nearby campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College.” The station’s reputation has also attracted people from other parts of Canada, who, as MacLean puts it, “can’t believe they actually get paid to enjoy the rewarding lifestyle of Antigonish, with its beauty, vigour and culture, and the many festivals that take place throughout the year,” such as the Highland Games, the Hector Festival, Celtic Colours and the Stan Rogers Folk Festival.

While radio is a mature medium, CJFX continues to find innovations. “We’ve been working closely with Nautel, a manufacturing company in Hacketts Cove, Nova Scotia. They’ve been leading the way in designing transmitters that enable AM and FM stations to broadcast digitally in HD (high definition) Radio. We provided the real-life experimental ground for their product—ours was their 001 model—that they now sell all over the world and have domination of that particular market worldwide.”

From a vibrant past and solid present, MacLean turns his view to the future, but is careful to add that any decisions will have to consider the viewpoints of CJFX’s many community representatives. While the programming may have changed over the years, one thing is for certain: what started as the People’s School of the air will remain the people’s station—an independent voice of success in northeastern Nova Scotia.

Feature Story Written By: Margaret MacQuarrie