CJNY 106.3 FM hit play on Friday March 3 when it launched at Hoobiyee Ts’aamiks Vancouver with a ceremony. Serving Coast Salish and First Nations in B.C., the Vancouver classic rock will feature Indigenous artists, and plans to host several cultural shows.
To kick off the programming, The Good Medicine Show, hosted by Ashley Pimlott, launched on March 6. With half an hour aimed at health and wellness, this show airs every Monday at 6 p.m. and is rebroadcast on Sundays at 4 p.m.
CJNY 106.3 will be a platform for cultural information, community information and messaging, local events, talents, and artist. The station will also have local and regional news, weather, and road reports.
“There's a real need and want for authentic Indigenous radio in the Lower Mainland,” said CJNY Senior Account Executive Yulanda Leighton (Hltaaxuuland Dllga Gyaagang), a Haida member from the Juus Xaay Daga Clan. “We've perfected that, worked really, really hard at that up north here for the last 35 years and are really proud and honored to be able to bring that down south to Vancouver and authentically and accurately represent the communities that we broadcast to.”
Ron Bartlett (Legath Nee Myant) is from Kitsumkalum First Nation of the Tsimshian Nation’s house of Legath. As the CJNY and CFNR general sales manager, Barlett is part of a team of 18 people connected to their Indigenous communities. They take pride in and have built trust in communities by prioritizing proper pronunciation, and being aware of the cultural significance, he said.
Though the CJNY 106.3 FM can be reached online, the station is broadcasted from Vancouver to Sechelt, as well as Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, Bellingham, Sidney, Nanaimo and the surrounding eastern Vancouver Island towns, among others.
“We've actually been quite instrumental in breaking down cultural barriers,” said Bartlett. “The music is so popular amongst non-First Nations community, that they listen for the music, but they get a big dose of our culture.”
With the large population of Vancouver, Bartlett explains that they hope that CJNY will also facilitate the breakdown of cultural barriers.
Northern Native Broadcasting is also parent company to Canada’s First Nation Radio (CFNR), which serves 82 communities that extend from Quesnel, Bella Bella, Haida Gwaii, up to the Alaska border, Yukon border and eastern border of Alberta, said Bartlett.
“By tuning in to our programming for our great music, people will also learn and understand more about Indigenous people,” said Leighton in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “This is an important part of reconciliation, and we are proud to contribute to that.”
