Set your dial to 93.9. Cabin Radio is getting a licence to broadcast in Yellowknife.
Federal regulator the CRTC on Wednesday awarded Cabin Radio the right to operate a commercial FM station in the city, ending a six-year battle.
“Yippee-ki-yay, Yellowknifers,” Cabin Radio’s owners said in a statement after the decision was announced.
“Over the past six years, thousands of people have stopped our staff and asked: ‘Hey, did you guys hear from the CRTC yet?’
“Shout it from the rooftops: Yes, we have heard from the CRTC.”
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Cabin Radio first applied for an FM licence in 2019.
The CRTC said no in 2023 on the basis that the city of 20,000 people could not sustain a second commercial station on top of the incumbent, Vista Radio-owned True North FM.
However, a year later, the regulator decided 2023’s wildfire season had demonstrated Yellowknife was “not as well served as it could be.”
In February 2025, the CRTC held a public hearing in Yellowknife that examined a new application from Cabin Radio and an application from Vista Radio to operate a second station in the city.
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On Wednesday, the CRTC issued a decision that awards Cabin Radio a licence but does not grant a second licence to Vista Radio. (Its first licence, for True North FM, is not affected by Monday’s ruling.)
“Cabin Radio’s proposal received strong local support, met the CRTC’s requirements for commercial radio, and was found to better enhance competition and the diversity of voices in the Yellowknife radio market,” the CRTC stated in a news release.
“It also included commitments to diversity, emerging artists, and French-language programming.
“To maintain market stability, the CRTC approved only one new station and denied Vista’s application, noting concerns about the financial impact of adding two FM stations – an issue raised by both applicants.”
Vista Radio’s president, Bryan Edwards, told the company’s own newsroom: “We respect the commission’s decision and congratulate Cabin Radio.”
“We always had faith that Cabin Radio would come through this rigorous process and we could successfully demonstrate the merits of our application,” Cabin Radio stated.
“That faith mostly came from the incredible support shown by the population of Yellowknife and the NWT. Thank you for helping us reach this point.”
Cabin Radio’s existing online stream will remain. Listeners will be able to access the same service via the Cabin Radio website, app, or 93.9 FM.
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A launch date for the FM service has yet to be confirmed. Cabin Radio said it needs time to “ensure all the hardware is in place and technical requirements met.”
The station promises to bring Yellowknifers hit music from the past 60 years alongside northern and Indigenous music on a daily basis, plus a broadcast version of its online news service, which has won national awards.
“Most importantly, every single decision will be taken in the NWT. The songs are chosen here. The voices come from here. The ads are sold and created here. The owners live here,” Cabin Radio stated.
“And finally, we can say we’re on the dial here.”
