Media Beat: October 26, 2018

By David Farrell

First Peoples Radio Inc. (FPR) officially launched its ELMNT FM stations in Toronto and Ottawa at noon ET yesterday, hosting a media scrum at the Corus Quay headquarter. The location is also home to ELMNT’s head-office that is flooded with natural light and overlooks the city’s waterfront. The twin stations in Toronto and Ottawa have studios in Corus-owned buildings in both cities, and have separate on-air staff (see below).

The “Indigenous-variety” format features English and Indigenous-language spoken-word (Cree, Inuktitut, Ojibwe and Mohawk. The programming features 25 percent of its playlist dedicated to Indigenous talent, a 35 percent CanCon quota, and a pledge that 60 percent of airtime will be devoted to local programming.

In addition to local and national news and current affairs segments, 95.7 FM in Ottawa and 106.5 FM in Toronto will feature content generated by APTN National News and The Canadian Press with plans for a network call-in talk show hosted by journalist David Moses, that will also air on stations operated by Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation in Saskatchewan and Native Communications Incorporated in Manitoba. 

A third FM is to be launched in Winnipeg sometime in the near future.

Operations Manager for both FMs is Dave Charles who can be reached at dcharles@elemtfm.ca

Luca Capone is the music director for both FMs who can be reached at lcapone@elmntfm.ca.

95.7 ELMNT FM, The Spirit of Ottawa on-air line-up includes:
– Aiden Wolf, truck driver, gone professional voiceover artist, wakes you up weekday mornings at 5:30 a.m.
– Kayla Whiteduck, multi-faceted Algonquin woman from Kitigan-Zibi and classic rock lover fills your mid-day with music and news from Noon to 3:00 p.m.
– Missy Knott,award-winning singer and songwriter, drives you home with SkyWords Traffic hot spot updates and a variety of music.
– Cody Coyote, Ottawa’s favourite Hip-Hop star and D.J. stars in his radio show from 7:00 p.m. weeknights and hosts an all-star DJ music mix on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m.

 
106.5 ELMNT FM, The Spirit of Toronto on-air lineup includes:
– Bob Magee, renowned Canadian radio personality, returns to Toronto radio to host ELMNT FM morning show. Weekdays at 5:30 a.m.
– Julian Taylor, Canadian singer-songwriter extraordinaire drives you home with great music variety and SkyWords Traffic hotspot updates. Weekdays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
– Janet Pani, award-winning, Juno-nominated, Métis-bohemian pop artist hosts Panic in the Night on weekday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
– Christa Couture, award-winning performing and recording artist, non-fiction writer, broadcaster and cyborg, brings your weekend mornings in focus, starting at 6:00 a.m.

Related reading:

Indigenous Broadcasting and the CRTC: Lessons from the Licensing of Native Type B Radio – Julia Szwarc, Department of Communication, U of Ottawa

CRTC market assessments

Ottawa:

In 2011, the Indigenous population of the Ottawa CMA was 30,570. From 2001 to 2006, that CMA’s Indigenous population increased by over eight times the rate of its overall population, and from 2006 to 2011, by over five times the rate of its overall population.

The Ottawa radio market is served by 19 commercial radio stations (17 FM and 2 AM). From 2011 to 2015, total radio revenues as well as the PBITs and PBIT margins declined.

In regard to the economic outlook for Ottawa, the region is benefiting from positive economic indicators, including higher household incomes and lower unemployment levels when compared to the national average.

In light of the above, the Commission finds that the Ottawa radio market can sustain the addition of one new radio station serving its urban Indigenous community.

Toronto:

In 2011, the Indigenous population of the Toronto CMA was 36,995. From 2001 to 2006, that CMA’s Indigenous population increased by over three times the rate of its overall population, and from 2006 to 2011, by over four times the rate of its overall population.

The Toronto radio market is served by 31 commercial stations (18 FM and 13 AM). From 2011 to 2015, total radio revenues declined steadily with a CAGR of -1.1%. The PBIT and PBIT margin also declined slightly over that period. The PBIT margin peaked at 35.1% in 2012, and in 2015, at 29.8%, was well above the Canadian average of 18.9%.

In regard to Toronto’s economic outlook, the city is expected to have Canada’s fastest growing economy for the second consecutive year in 2017. Toronto also benefits from positive economic factors, such as higher household incomes and growing retail sales when compared to the national average.

In light of the above, the Commission finds that the Toronto radio market can sustain the addition of one new radio station serving its urban Indigenous community.

Below is an interview, conducted by Broadcast Dialogue, with Jean La Rose, chair of First Peoples Radio and CEO of APTN.