CHON is almost 40...How are we doing?
Did you know that CHON-FM is turning 40 soon? The late George Henry had a vision back in the early 1980s that he made come true through years of hard work, enthusiasm and dedication. He partnered with the Hougen's Group and CRKW to ensure Yukon First Nations had the training and expertise to get things started. Hundreds of Yukon First Nations people have benefited over the decades from the training and mandate to bring culture, language, and belonging into homes through the magic of radio and television.
We no longer run a television station, but CHON-FM Indigenous Radio has the same mandate as in 1984 when we first hit the airwaves. How are we doing? Well... a lot has changed since then; CHON-FM is not funded as much as it used to be and Yukon First Nations are not as engaged as they once were, due in part to the work of implementing land claims and self-government, which is understandably taking the attention of entire communities. Social media is also having a huge impact on the broadcast industry. That's why CHON-FM, moving forward, will adjust its approach to news by embracing social media. We also need to decide if advertising is the way to go forward to save your station. In the early days, CHON-FM was not allowed to have commercials because its status as a not-for-profit community radio station. After the laws changed to allow community radio stations to collect from advertising, CHON-FM began focusing much of its production talent on creating ads. Some say advertising saved CHON-FM. But at what cost? One host noted that there were once 47 commercials in his 3-hour show!
A few Yukon First Nations governments make annual contributions in order to support specific programming, including Ben Charlie's Gwich'in language show Vuntat Njiik Nakaii, and Charles Eshleman's Indigenous Connections. However, most Yukon First Nations are not engaged at all with their radio station. We, at CHON-FM, want to change that. Please let us know what YOUR COMMUNITY needs from us. This is what we were made for. And we will continue to discuss how to bring back the vision of George Henry, with more language, culture, and community involvement.
If you are a Yukon First Nation citizen, please join our Annual General meeting today. Put your name forward to be on our Board of Directors. Get involved! We need you.
DATE: June 30, 2023
TIME: 1pm - 4pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89493985128?pwd=K1U5VG1IR3VBMldPL1l3OFJRUE1DZz09
Meeting ID: 894 9398 5128
Passcode: 568790
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