Rez 91 will be adding a chat session with Regional Chief to its playlist
By Rick Garrick
Wasauksing’s community radio station, Rez 91, is planning to add a chat session with newly elected Regional Chief Isadore Day to its playlist. The FM radio station has already been featuring Chat with Pat sessions with Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee since last September.
“Occasionally the Grand Council Chief stops by to leave us with some words, and we dub those sessions Chat With Pat,” says Vince Chechock, public relations at Rez 91.
Since Rez 91 was established in 2002, the station has been serving the Parry Island community as well as Parry Sound and the adjacent townships.
“From the beginning, our mission statement was to ‘Build A Strong Community through a Strong Community Voice,’” Vince says. “Anishinabemowin is a huge component of that mission statement, and in keeping with that and in consultation with our community language group, we launched a language program which is aired daily at every other hour.”
Geared towards beginner and intermediate speakers, the Anishnaabembda Noongo (Let’s speak Anishinaabemowin today) language program was made possible through funding from Canadian Heritage’s Aboriginal Languages Initiative.
“It’s become very popular — it’s one of our best programs,” says Anita Chechock, Rez 91’s manager. “It’s repeated every other even-numbered hour so it’s a great way to learn because you hear the words throughout the day, over and over.”
Anita says about 150 different three-minute lessons, which feature a couple of words or phrases each day, were taught throughout the program’s initial five-month run on Rez 91, which ended in March. The program will now feature an additional 247 lessons thanks to additional funding from the Aboriginal Languages Initiative.
“The instructor … sometimes has different Elders and guests on to give the instructions for the day,” Anita says. “He consults with the Elders to make sure he has the proper pronunciation and the right dialect for this area. He also invites Elders and speakers as special guests to do lessons.”
Rez 91 has also been streaming its signal online via a link on its rez91.com website since the fall of 2014.
“This opened up a whole new world of possibilities,” Vince says. “As well as availing us the ability to reach a larger audience for the language lessons, it allowed us to work with Anishinabek News and Muskrat Magazine out of Toronto. We began focusing our news stories with more local content versus a national and international feeling.”
Rez 91 now airs a daily noon news spot called Dehbaajmiiwaat (what they are talking about) Stories with reports from a variety of sources, including Anishinabek News, Nation Talk and Jennifer Ashawasegai’s Aboriginal News Round Up.
“Whenever we can cover something locally we’ll do it ourselves,” Vince says.
Rez 91 features a weekday morning program, Nimaajadaa (let’s get going), featuring Vince from 7:30-8:30; a weekday afternoon program, Shkwaa naakwe (After lunchtime), featuring Anita from 1-6; a Saturday morning program, Local Spotlight, showcasing local musical talent; and a Sunday morning program, Inspiring Stories, featuring Pastor Brenda Duckworth from the Wasauksing United Church at about 8:10.
Rez 91 also focuses on music programs on the weekends with the Friday Night Show, with Anita from 6-12; the Saturday Night Blues Show with Vince from 8-10; the ReZ 91 Night Rock Show with Michelle from 10 until the wee hours of Sunday morning; and the Bob Bowland Oldies Show on Sunday afternoons from 1-6.