CKON Music Programs

By Diane McDonald

CKON is Akwesasne’s Live and Local radio station. CKON is a primarily country music station that offers a special Free Format Friday program airing every Friday. The station also offers contemporary and some rock music programming for the evening listeners that enjoy that music genre. Rock and roll oldies and classic country are other music programs offered along with a Sunday morning gospel program that is growing in popularity. The station receives calls regarding the selection of music being played on the airwaves most notably on Fridays. The request was made to play more lively music. Generally, the music played during Free Format Fridays is by request. We ask the listeners to keep in mind that CKON has open request lines and it is the stations mandate to oblige callers when they request a specific song that falls within the music category that is currently airing. However, on Free Format Friday, CKON receives requests for a wide range of music that the announcers try to play if the station has the music available. The requests can range from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, fiddle music, early rock and roll and easy listening music. The station strives to offer music for all age groups, for example, taking into consideration that some elders prefer the older country and easy listening music versus alternative rock or hip hop. Like all radio stations, not everybody will like all of the music being played and that holds true for CKON. Currently, on-air programming is being reviewed to determine if modifications would benefit the listening audience. The station is always searching for feedback on ways to encourage the public to tune in to CKON. The feedback received helps to determine whether or not programing needs to be modified to keep up with current radio music trends.

CKON asks listeners to be patient as CKON conducts their periodic auditing of all the music played to ensure it is family friendly music. The station is directed, by CKON Policy, to ensure that music played is not offensive in any manner. Although audits are conducted, there are times when a song may slip through unintentionally. For instances when this may occur, CKON offers sincere apologies to anyone offended and welcomes listeners to contact the station during regular business hours to speak to the General Manager to report any concerns regarding music being aired. At the same time, this is your community radio and we welcome your ideas and suggestions. The contact information is 518-358-3426 – 518-358-3427 or 613-575-2101 – 613-575-2100.