MBC Radio
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| Broadcast area | Northern Saskatchewan |
|---|---|
| Branding | MBC Radio |
| Frequency | varies by location |
| First air date | 1985 |
| Format | First Nations community radio |
| Language(s) | English, Cree, and Dene |
| Webcast | cjlr |
| Website | www |
Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, or MBC Radio, is a radio network in Canada, serving First Nations and Métis communities in the province of Saskatchewan.
The network's flagship station is CJLR in La Ronge. The MBC network broadcasts to more than 70 communities in Saskatchewan, including the major urban centres, and broadcasts a streaming audio feed over the Internet.
MBC's current CEO is Deborah Charles, the first female CEO of an aboriginal radio broadcast network in Canada. She also sits on the board of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
Starting in the 1960s, a provincial government radio service called Northern News, broadcasting from Prince Albert, was hosted by its first producer Helga Reydon. The program, a 15-minute weekly series, addressed issues and matters of interest for fishermen and trappers in the north. However, those broadcasts were plagued by poor reception and unequal signal distribution as they were broadcast on an AM radio station in the southern part of the province and had to "skip" into the north. The program also did not air content that was culturally specific to aboriginal people.
The provincial government realized its shortcomings in serving the northern citizens of Saskatchewan, and in 1973, the Department of Northern Saskatchewan (DNS) began producing a new Northern News program out of La Ronge. This program was hosted by producer/announcer Barrie Ward, with aboriginal language content added by Cree and Michif linguists Tom Roberts and Robert Merasty. The new radio program added more northern content and significantly included major aboriginal language content. The program, however, ended with the provincial government's disbanding of the DNS in 1982.
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