LAST WEEK, FIRST Peoples Radio (FPR) , a subsidiary of APTN, launched ELMNT FM, an urban radio brand entirely devoted to Indigenous Peoples – but also targeting a wider audiences (24 to 50 years old) who will be exposed to Aboriginal music, along with its mix of popular fare, too.
Dubbed “The Spirit of” Ottawa/Toronto, the Ottawa station will broadcast on 95.7 FM and the Toronto station will use 106.5 FM.
ELMNT FM offers its audience English and Indigenous-language spoken-word and musical programming. The local and national news and current affairs segments will feature content generated by APTN National News and The Canadian Press.
The musical programming blends Rock (classic rock, alt-rock, and new rock) and pop (hip-hop, R&B, soul, rap and crossover country). Twenty-five per cent of all music aired is devoted to Indigenous talent, and 60% of airtime goes to local programming.
The launch of the stations last week has been a long journey. First granted to aboriginal Voices Radio (AVR), in 2000 for Toronto and 2001 for Ottawa, the licences were revoked in 2015 by the CRTC after a series of non-compliance issues. Those original stations had also faced a series of technical and financial issues with delayed launches, 2005 for Toronto and 2008 for Ottawa (it then went dark in 2014). AVR unsuccessfully appealed the CRTC decision.
After a call for applications and hearings here and here, FPR was issued licences in June 2017. FPR had also applied for licenses in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver but the CRTC granted these to other applicants.
That decision was also appealed unsuccessfully to the Government, which delayed their launch.
The stations, for which hopes are high, will be sharing facilities (offices) with Corus stations in both markets. All on air talent will be new to radio and have been undergoing professional training which is one of the core missions of APTN.
(Pictured above is APTN CEO Jean LaRose, second from left, with the Ottawa station staff.)
