Wawatay Native Communications Society (Wawatay for short) was formed in 1974 by the people of Canada's

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Nishnawbe Aski Nation (ᐊᓂᐦᔑᓈᐯ ᐊᔅᑭ ᐃᔥᑯᓂᑲᓇᓐ ᐅᑭᒫᐎᓐ (''Anishinaabe-aski Ishkoniganan Ogimaawin''), unpointed: ᐊᓂᔑᓇᐯ ᐊᔅᑭ ᐃᔥᑯᓂᐊᓇᓐ ᐅᑭᒪᐎᓐ; NAN for short) is a political orga ...

in the Kenora and Cochrane Districts of

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

, as a source of communications technology, namely radio, television, and print media services for the

Oji-Cree The Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a narrow band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree people are des ...

communities. Its mandate is to preserve the

indigenous language An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous peoples. This language is from a linguistically distinct community that originated in the area. Indigenous languages are not neces ...

and culture in its service area. Wawatay's general office is located in

Sioux Lookout Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Located approximately northwest of Thunder Bay, it has a population of 5,272 people (up 4.7% since 2011), an elevation of , and its boundaries cover an area of , of which is lake and wetl ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, with bureaus in

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

and

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

. Wawatay's mission statement says that they are "... dedicated to using appropriate technologies to meet the communication needs of people of Aboriginal ancestry in Northern Ontario, wherever they live." Wawatay is the primary source of news for the remote areas of Northern Ontario. The name comes from the Oji-Cree word for the

aurora borealis An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of br ...

Wawatay Radio

The society operates two radio networks: The Wawatay Radio Network (WRN; ᐙᐙᐦᑌ ᓇᐣᑐᐦᑕᒧᐎᐣ (''Waawaate Nandotamowin''); unpointed: ᐗᐗᑌ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐎᐣ) is a network of radio stations that broadcasts news, talk, sports, local and popular music. Native language and English are both heard. In many NAN communities the local WRN transmitter is the only station that can be picked up in the community without difficulty. WRN operates the following stations: * 89.9

CKWT-FM CKWT-FM is a radio station of Wawatay Radio Network in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. The station airs a programming format for First Nations, and serves much of Northwestern Ontario through a network of rebroadcast transmitters. Rebroadcaste ...

Sioux Lookout, Ontario Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Located approximately northwest of Thunder Bay, it has a population of 5,272 people (up 4.7% since 2011), an elevation of , and its boundaries cover an area of , of which is lake and wetla ...

106.7 CJWT-FM

Timmins, Ontario Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

with repeater stations: ** 89.9 CKMT-FM Attawapiskat ** 90.1 CFBL-FM Bearskin Lake ** 89.9 CJPS-FM Cat Lake ** 89.9 CKID-FM Constance Lake ** 90.1 CKDL-FM Deer Lake ** 90.1 CKFA-FM Fort Albany ** 90.1 CKFS-FM

Fort Severn Fort Severn, in present-day Annapolis, Maryland, was built in 1808 on the same site as an earlier American Revolutionary War fort of 1776. Although intended to guard Annapolis harbor from British attack during the War of 1812, it never saw ac ...

** 90.1 CFKP-FM Kasabonika ** 90.1 CKAS-FM

Kashechewan The Kashechewan First Nation (, cr, ᑫᔒᒋᐗᓐ ᐃᓕᓕᐗᒃ, kêšîciwan ililiwak) is a Swampy Cree, Cree First Nations in Canada, First Nation band government located near James Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The community is locat ...

** 90.1 CFKL-FM

Kingfisher Lake Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

** 89.9 CFHL-FM

Lansdowne House Lansdowne House now 9 Fitzmaurice Place is the remaining part of a building to the south of Berkeley Square in central London, England, not to be confused with 57 Berkeley Square – opposite – a much later quadrilateral building which take ...

** 105.1 CFMD-FM Muskrat Dam ** 90.1 CFNP-FM Naicatchewenin ** 89.9 CKFC-FM North Spirit Lake ** 89.9 CKWN-FM

Peawanuck Peawanuck is an isolated Cree community in the Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the confluence of the Winisk and Shamattawa rivers, about 35 km from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay. Its population is 237. Its popu ...

/ Winisk ** 90.1 CFBY-FM Poplar Hill ** 90.1 CFEY-FM Sachigo ** 89.9 CHIX-FM

Seine River ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributaries ...

** 90.1 CHBJ-FM Slate Falls ** 89.9 CKYW-FM Summer Beaver ** 89.9 CHIO-FM Wapekeka ** 90.1 CHWL-FM

Weagamow Lake Weagamow Lake is a lake in Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. See also *List of lakes in Ontario This is an incomplete list of lakes in Ontario, a province of Canada. There are over 250,000 lakes in Ontario, constituting around 20% ...

** 90.1 CKPN-FM

Webequie Webequie First Nation is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on Winisk Lake, 540 km (336 mi) north of Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. Webequie is a fly-in community with no summer road access. The primary way into the c ...

** 90.1 CHPM-FM Wunnumin Lake WRN can also be heard nationwide on

Bell Satellite TV Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Bell Fibe TV, Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite ...

channel 962. Wahsa Radio is a network of radio stations that broadcasts educational

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

and informational programming. The network is operated in conjunction with the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council. Wahsa Radio is heard on the following stations: * 91.9

CIDE-FM CIDE-FM is a Canadian First Nations radio station belonging to the Wawatay Native Communications Society, broadcasting at 91.9 FM in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. The station broadcasts distance education and informational programming through the Nort ...

with repeater stations: ** 91.9 CIDE-1 Bearskin Lake ** 91.9 CIDE-2

Big Trout Lake Big Trout Lake is a large lake in Northern Ontario. The Fawn River flows into it from the west and drains it from the east. The reserve of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, also known as Big Trout Lake, is located on Post Island on ...

** 91.9 CIDE-3 Cat Lake ** 91.9 CIDE-4 Deer Lake ** 91.9 CIDE-5

** 91.9 CIDE-6 Kasabonika ** 91.9 CIDE-21 Keewaywin ** 91.9 CIDE-7

** 91.9 CIDE-8

Lac Seul Lac Seul is a large, crescent shaped reservoir in Kenora District, northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately long. It has a maximum (regulated) depth of 47.2 m, with a surface elevation of 357 m above sea level. Its level is raised in ...

** 91.9 CIDE-9 Muskrat Dam ** 91.9 CIDE-10 North Spirit Lake ** 91.9 CIDE-11 Osnaburgh ** 91.9 CIDE-12 Pikangikum ** 91.9 CIDE-13 Poplar Hill ** 91.9 CIDE-14 Sachigo ** 91.9 CIDE-15 Sandy Lake ** 91.9 CIDE-16 Slate Falls ** 91.9 CIDE-17 Wapekeka ** 91.9 CIDE-18

** 91.9 CIDE-20

** 91.9 CIDE-19 Wunnumin Lake Wahsa Radio can also be heard nationwide on

channel 972.

Wawatay TV

Wawatay TV produces aboriginal TV productions which air nationally on the

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN, stylized aptn) is a Canadian specialty channel. Established in 1992 and maintained by governmental funding to broadcast in Canada's northern territories, APTN acquired a national broadcast lice ...

. The service also formerly leased time from the Ontario Parliament Network on its system of over-the-air transmitters in remote Northern Ontario communities."Northern graduates band together Taught by radio in remote areas, natives to get diplomas". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', June 20, 1992. Wawatay Television has produced many documentaries, children's programs such as ''Wawatay Kids TV'', and outdoor shows.

Wawatay News

Wawatay News (ᐙᐙᐦᑌ ᐋᒋᒧᐎᓇᐣ (''Waawaate Aajimowinan''); unpointed: ᐗᐗᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐏᓇᐣ) and its digital version Wawatay News Online (ᐙᐙᐦᑌ ᐋᒋᒧᐎᓇᐣ ᐲᐙᐱᐦᑯᐣᐠ (''Waawaate Aajimowinan Biiwaabikong''); unpointed: ᐗᐗᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐎᓇᐣ ᐱᐗᐱᑯᐠ) is a semi-monthly newspaper. According to Wawatay, the newspaper is in a tabloid format, distributed free to the residents of 93 First Nations in Northern Ontario. It is also sold via newsstand dealer to many other communities in Northern Ontario with a subscription rate for readers outside of the general circulation territory. Total circulation is 9,300 copies with a reading audience of over 58,000 Aboriginal people.

References

External links

Wawatay News Online
{{authority control First Nations mass media Radio broadcasting companies of Canada Television production companies of Canada 1974 establishments in Ontario Sioux Lookout Community radio organizations Radio organizations in Canada Nishnawbe Aski Nation Indigenous television in Canada