Measurements of multiple rotational lines in the (1,0) band of the A 2 Π i −X 2 Σ + “red” system of the cyanogen radical (CN) at sub-Doppler resolution are reported. The CN radical was produced by 193nm photodissociation of NCCN (ethane dinitrile) and detected with a Ti:sapphire ring laser operating near 10 900cm −1 . The sample was exposed to a weak, frequency-modulated probe beam and a strong, counterpropagating bleach laser beam. Demodulated probe laser signals display absorption and dispersion features derived from Doppler-free saturation of the hyperfine components as the laser scans across the central region of a Doppler-broadened rotational line spectrum. Hyperfine-resolved transition frequencies were combined with known ground-state X 2 Σ hyperfine term values to determine A 2 Π state hyperfine term values, which were analyzed in terms of an effective Hamiltonian for the A 2 Π state. All the expected hyperfine and 14 N quadrupolar parameters were determined and their values analyzed in terms of a simple molecular orbital picture of the bonding in the radical. Higher sensitivity obtained with 400kHz amplitude modulation of the bleach laser and additional phase-sensitive detection allowed hyperfine splittings in some rotational lines of 13 C 14 N to be observed in natural abundance. Excited state hyperfine splittings were determined for a selection of rotational states, but not enough to determine the 13 C hyperfine parameters.