Missinipi to launch Aboriginal language news program in June

Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) ­ an Aboriginal radio station based in La Ronge ­ will incorporate an Aboriginal Language news program as part of their television news broadcast this year, with plans to launch it on June 21.
The program will air in several Saskatchewan communities through the regional broadcaster, Saskatchewan Communications Network, and can also be seen on the MBC Web site.
"Our radio programs are extremely popular and now MBC-TV News will share stories in our languages, in our dialects, in our views, in our perspective by, for, about and with Aboriginal People that matter in the province," stated Deborah Charles, MBC Radio's CEO and MBC TV's executive producer.
She said plans to launch the program are set to occur when the Honorable Christine Tell ­ the Minister of Sports, Culture, Recreation ­ signs a Strategic Alliance Agreement on National Aboriginal Day June 21.
"(The program is) a partnership between Saskatchewan Communications Network, Access Communications & Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation," Charles explained. MBC will produce the news program from their television studio in La Ronge, and SCN will broadcast the program across the province and throughout Canada through satellite.
"The MBC-TV News will air current affairs news in the three languages spoken in northern Saskatchewan (for half hour segments) in Cree, Dene, Michif with English sub titles. It
will air on our regional network SCN," she added.
Access Communications will offer the technical capabilities and will broadcast the weekly program on their community access channel, Access 7. Meanwhile, MBC will offer the human resources in language skills.
Although there are currently no language staff on site for the news language broadcast, they plan to hire broadcasters who demonstrate fluency in a specific dialect. MBC-TV News will employ five dedicated employees to start the program, with the hopes of growing in the future.
Charles stated the program is the first of its kind in Saskatchewan. She hopes the station can continue the pilot project after one year, which is possible if extended funding can be secured.
If the project continues after the one-year pilot, they aim to have reports from all four regions of the province.
"I've been working on this project for a couple of years and couldn't do it without the partners of SCN who has the broadcast license where we will be airing the product," she said.
"The news broadcast will shine a light on stories that were not heard before, helping to bridge the diverse cultures of Saskatchewan people: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, urban and rural, northern and southern."
The news language program will feature stories on current affairs, sports, local gatherings, special events, and local and regional news.