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New GNWT funding helps CKLB radio back on the air Tuesday June 2 2015 23 ARTS CULTURE BROADCASTING By MEAGAN WOHLBERG Comments of joy and excitement flooded CKLB Radios Facebook page on the weekend as Nadira Begg took back to the airwaves for the much loved Saturday request show for the first time in almost a year. Someone send me a request .. My tower is on and ready for CKLB Radio request show - its been too long wrote Jasmine Hardisty. MyworldiscompletenowthatwegotCKLB RadioonairagainStephanieBeaverhoadded. The Native Communications Society NCS radiostationstoppedthepopularrequestshow along with all of its other news Dene language and live broadcast programming last July due to funding disputes with its core funder the federal department of Canadian Heritage. ButradioprogramdirectorDenezeNakehko - who was laid off last month but is back working part time - said new funding from the NWT government has made it possible to re-hire some staff and get programs back up and running. The GNWT has really stepped up he said. Earlier this spring they gave us 200000 and that helped us along and now theyre putting their money where their mouth is in terms of supporting us and just agreed to 400000 for the rest of the year. So that helps a lot and well be able to phase in pro- gramming as well as staff. Last Friday Education Culture and Em- ployment ECE Minister Jackson Lafferty announced that 400000 in funding would continue on a yearly basis with an additional 100000 going to the Inuvialuit Communi- cations Society for their broadcasting. LaffertysaidthemovetosupportCKLBfalls in line with the governments ongoing priority of protecting and promoting the territorys 11 officiallanguagesnineofwhichareAboriginal. Aboriginal language broadcasting contrib- utes to both our oral traditions and recording languagesforthosefuturegenerationshetold legislature.Havingthemonourradioscomput- ers and televisions ensures that the North con- tinues to hear read and explore our languages that are so closely connected to our cultures. Language programs back on air As of June 1 programming resumed at the station in two Dene languages. Lawrence Nayally is on during the 1130-100 slot with his Dehcho Gohndi show featuring news and happenings from the Dehcho region in South Slavey. Eva Beaverho will follow with her Tlicho Yati show from 100-230 which brings news and interviews from the Tlicho region in the Tlicho language. Bytheendofthesummerthestationhopesto bebroadcastingfull-forceinsevendifferentlan- guagesincludingregularshowsinChipewyan GwichinandNorthSlaveyacoupleofnewEng- lishprogramsinthedayandeveningandFrench programmingwhichwillbenewtothestation. Right now there are five part-time employ- ees working in radio and four additional staff involved in the administrative side of NCS. Programs are set to roll out in stages but Nakehko said staff will be around to put out important messages over the air if needed. Communications really critical at this time of year with all the forest fires so whenever theres something people need to know well get on and let them know he said. CKLB still pursuing federal funding Though CKLB hasnt received any federal moneysincethe447500inbackloggedfund- ing they received last year NCS hasnt ceased communication with Canadian Heritage. We were created because of the North- ern Aboriginal Broadcast Program through Canadian Heritage. That one program was designed specifically to support communi- cations organizations that support and use languages Nakehko said. So it just makes sense to continue there. Lafferty also put a call-out on behalf of the GNWT for the Canadian government to step up in its support of the radio station. As is true for Aboriginal language revi- talization generally it is truly a shared re- sponsibility and for that reason I continue to lobby the federal government to increase their funding for Aboriginal and French lan- guage programming in the current round of negotiations of the renewal of the Official Languages Agreement the minister said. Nakehko said it was tough on staff and lis- teners for the station to be off the air for so long and people are ecstatic to hear voices coming through the airwaves again. When I had the opportunity to travel to different communities 99 per cent of the peo- ple always ask about CKLB and a lot of people really miss it so Ive really come to find out how important we are to the fabric of life in Denendeh and the small communities he said. Weve got a lot of love from them and so were pretty happy people are excited that were going to be getting back on the radio. PhotoJoshLong Dehcho Gohndi host Lawrence Nayally is back on the air bringing CKLB listeners news and views from the Dehcho in South Slavey.