On a Sunday drive from Vancouver to Abbotsford, British Columbia last June, Aaron Levy narrated the landscape, pointing out locations used during the filming of various series (including some of my personal favorites: Riverdale and Bates Motel) in British Columbia. CIVL 101.7 FM, where he serves as Executive Director, had its star turn in 2024, when the college radio outlet had a brief cameo in Danger in the Dorm, a Lifetime movie that is notable in part because of the casting of former reality star Bethenny Frankel. Sadly, the radio station isn’t the site of peril or heroics in the film, but it makes for a fun bit of trivia for the campus and community station at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).
CIVL on Film
After arriving on campus, Levy shared souvenirs from the film shoot, including goofy student activities flyers for a “Self-Love Social Club” and a “Volleyball Competition” and signage for the radio station at the fictional Brighton University. He said the flyers were “just things they put up to make it look like it’s a random campus community radio station.” The generic styling for the movie-version of CIVL (which had different call letters in Danger in the Dorm) is vastly different from the actual station, whose call letters and dial spot appeared adjacent to the words “semi-obscure” on Levy’s car radio display.
However, the spirit of the “real” CIVL is captured in the 2025 documentary, Counterculture: 20 Years of CIVL Radio in the Fraser Valley, which I caught at a screening during the National Campus and Community Radio Conference just a few days before visiting the station. In fact, that film and Levy’s passion for campus radio is what led me to venture out of the city for another radio field trip.
History of CIVL Radio
In 2003, the germ of an idea for a radio station at UFV began with the work of the Radio Station Development Committee. Student surveys at the time indicated great interest in launching a station and by 2005 a non-profit radio society was founded. Although an FM license was granted in 2006, CIVL didn’t take to the terrestrial airwaves until 2010. In the meantime, the station streamed online, beginning in 2008. Recently, CIVL expanded its broadcast range after receiving CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) approval in 2025 for a transmitter at 92.3 FM in Chilliwack, where UFV has an additional campus.
Touring CIVL at University of the Fraser Valley
Located in the Student Union Building on UFV’s main campus, CIVL is upstairs in a high visibility area. Nearby, a CIVL banner hangs amongst the variety of flags from student organizations, nations and affinity groups displayed over the center atrium of the building. Passersby can peek into the studio and DJs can look out into the building and a campus eatery. Housed in this space since 2015, CIVL’s digs are full of a familiar mix of the old and the new. Music-related artifacts populate every room, including illustrated event posters and cabinets plastered with band and radio station stickers.
At around 20 years old, CIVL is one of the newest campus and community radio stations in Canada. Its studio is outfitted with some of the latest tech gear, including an inherited (yet barely used) industrial-looking sound board and automation software. But CIVL also cherishes music history and has a library full of LPs, 7″ records, cassettes, and CDs, with many dating back to before the station began.
Music Library Runs the Gamut from Old to New
The majority of the older records are located in the back of the station and are loosely organized in cabinets and shelves. Unfortunately after a station move a decade ago, CIVL ended up with less space, so the library is not as easy to navigate. As we poked around, the variety of records was fascinating. Stacks of 1950s and 1960s-era releases from Harry Belafonte, John Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary, Perry Como and the Ventures were steps away from a Dixieland Jazz record and an LP from the Soviet Army Chorus. Decorative album covers propped in CIVL’s front window represent the 1970s and 1980s, with releases from Olivia Newton-John and The Cars alongside the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and its parody Saturday Night Fiedler.
Levy told me that not as many people use the records as he’d like, which isn’t that uncommon at stations with easy-to-use digital libraries. DJs are encouraged to play physical music and a “newest releases” bin contains some of the latest CDs added to the library, including albums by Contrived, Kelly McMichael, Veronica Lewis and Alana Yorke. People also frequently bring in their own music, including vinyl records. As is the case at other Canadian stations, CIVL must generally air 35% Canadian content, so there’s a big emphasis on supporting local artists. Recent “Top 30” lists from CIVL lend credence to this emphasis on local, with the top 15 artists and 21 of the top 30 artists on the February 10, 2026 chart hailing from Canada.
Fraser Valley Music Awards and Support of Local Music
In addition to supporting local artists over the airwaves, CIVL has been hosting its annual Fraser Valley Music Awards since 2016. The event specifically focuses on artists local to the area and winners are recognized across a range of categories, including “artist of the year” in genres groupings organized around jazz/roots/blues, punk/metal, adult alternative, singer-songwriter, rock, experimental, country, electronic, hip hop, pop, and RNB. Nominees and winners are all featured on the CIVL website, with links to their music.
Broad Music and Programming Mix on CIVL
The variety of genres covered by the Fraser Valley Music Awards is representative of the breadth of music played on CIVL. The schedule includes a mix of syndicated and locally-produced music and spoken word programming. Highlights include SemiObscure (“hip-hop to harsh noise, top 40 to the underground”), Zuba Zuba Trio (“three Japanese international students talk about the cultural differences between Japan and Canada”), Naija Vibes (music from Nigeria), and The Coleman Show (talk show focused on hockey, including the Vancouver Canucks and the Abbotsford Canucks).
Additionally, this diversity of programming has garnered accolades over the years. Awards on display at CIVL include numerous trophies and certificates granted in recognition for music shows, public affairs programming and community service. There’s also a 1st place award for the 2009 Punk Bowlers Ball, which was held in Vancouver.
During my weekend visit, automation was running through a pre-set line-up of music. Levy said that most of the live in-person shows are on weekdays, typically in the mornings. Following the pandemic, many hosts now opt to pre-record their programming. Initially that was facilitated through an emergency relief grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Thanks to that funding, CIVL purchased portable mixing consoles and microphones, which allowed programmers to produce show from home.
Located near the campus newspaper, The Cascade, CIVL also contributes a regular column, “The Shuffle,” written by Levy. He’s been writing the column for 18 years and joked that he’s probably been published in the paper more than anyone else “because I never stopped.” Recent editions of “The Shuffle” are themed annotated playlists featuring music selections related to timely events or holidays, including the Superbowl, Black History Month and New Year’s. It’s a wonderful way for Levy to share his music taste, especially since he initially learned about campus radio when he was a college student at University of Guelph and was drawn to CFRU because it was “the room full of CDs.” He reminisced with me, saying that at the time he was into a range of artists, from Madlib to Yo La Tengo.
Thanks to CIVL + Station Tour Archive
Thanks to Aaron Levy for the wonderful road trip and tour of CIVL. This is my 193rd radio station tour report and my 134th college radio station tour. You can view the entire collection of my radio station visits in numerical order or by station type in our archives.
