About the project
Our Nonprofit Newsroom Project sets out to establish a sustainable non-profit newsroom, supported by our listeners, readers, sponsors, and advertisers. This project take advantage of two funding streams from the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), and Radiometres which helps to provide funding runway as we build up the support.
Non-profit newsrooms exist for the public good and revenues generated go back into furthering the mission of reporting the news, funding the work of journalists. Revenue does not end up in the pockets of owners or stakeholders—our organization is owned by it members collectively.
You can find stories produced as part of our Nonprofit Newsroom Project in our news section, and in the excerpts below. Further below, you can also find a history of the project, and station updates related to the project.
If you would like to support local journalism, support this project with a donation today!
History of the Project
Below is a brief history of the project.
June 2023—Executive Director Jesse Woodward applies for funding from the the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) through the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC).
July 4th, 2023—Mick Sweetman starts at CHLY as our LJI Reporter reporting on local civic and community news.
July 2023—Funding approved for Midcoast Morning from CRFC’s Radiometres program for 2023-2024. Midcoast Morning is a news and current affairs program focusing on local civic and community news, as well as arts and culture.
August 2023—Meta bans news on Facebook and Instagram in retaliation for Canada’s Online News Act.
September 2023—Lauryn Mackenzie is hired to host and produce Midcoast Morning, starting in September.
Summer 2023—Jesse Woodward takes on the role of Managing Editor/Executive Producer for the Nonprofit Newsroom project, with a goal of building up the project into something sustainable as funding becomes increasingly avaiable.
September 2023—Midcoast Morning starts airing on CHLY 101.7FM and via podcast feeds.
November 2023—Additional funding from the LJI becomes available, Lauryn Mackenzie moves into an additional LJI Reporter role, and People First Radio host and producer Joe Pugh takes over hosting and producing Midcoast Morning.
March 2024—The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage announces funding renewal for the Local Journalism Initiative for the next three years with 58.8 million committed. It is coined “LJI 2.0” and the CRFC continues to admin the program for the campus-community radio sector.
March 2024—Mick Sweetman wraps up his role as an LJI Reporter. Happy trails Mick!
March 30th, 2024—Local Journalism Initiative 1.0 funding ends after a three-year run starting in 2020.
April 2024—Bridge funding becomes available to carry LJI Reporter Lauryn Mackenzie through to LJI 2.0 funding (pending grant approval).
June 2024—Radiometres 2024-2025 funding approved for the Nonprofit Newsroom Project.
June 2024—LJI 2.0 funding approved.
December 2025—Heather Watson Hired in partnership with (CVOX—now DigFM).
March 2025—LJI 2.0 bridge funding approved to end of September.
September 2025—LJI 2.0 bridge funding approved to end of November.
September 2025—Jesse Woodward Accepted into LION Publishers’s Train the Trainers program.
October 2025—Jesse Woodward becomes a member of CAJ seeking editorial mentorship.
October 2025—Jesse Woodward applies for funding from the City of Nanaimo to support the organization’s arts and cultural mission, with a hope to hiring a Arts and Culture Reporter for the Nonprofit Newsroom project.
October 2025—Jesse Woodward attends first of five Train the Trainers online live training sessions.
Updates about the Nonprofit Newsroom Project
Newsroom Library
With funding from listeners and grants, we have built a small library of books on journalism and media to support the Nonprofit Newsroom Project. These are accessible to our station staff, journalists, and volunteers.
NPR’s Podcast Start-Up Guide.
Imagined Audiences.
Editing Canadian English.
The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking.
Media Law for Canadian Journalists.
Elements of Nonprofit News Management.
The Associated Press Guide to News Writing.
Essential Radio Skills.
Essential Radio Journalism.
Media Ethics: A Guide for Professional Conduct.
The Subversive Copy Editor.
Decolonizing Journalism by Duncan McCue.
Elements of Indigenous Style by Younging.
The Elements of Style by Stunk / White / Kalman.
Media, Culture, and Society (2nd Edition) by Hodkinson.
Changing Models For Journalism by Brant Houston.
The Art and Craft of Feature Writing by William E. Blundell.
The Craft of Science Writing.