Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Aug 27/01) - Radio buffs in the Kitikmeot community of Cambridge Bay now have more choice when it comes to surfing the soundwaves.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of a group of residents, people with radios can now tune in to 97.7 FM to listen to their very own community radio station.

Ten months in the making, CFBI -- run by the Cambridge Bay Communications Society -- officially made history Aug. 20 with its first broadcast.

"I'm impressed with the response we're getting," said Grant Corey, one of five directors to sit on the board of the radio station.

"At first, I didn't think we'd get a lot of interest or listeners, but people seem excited. This affords us the opportunity to do something good for the community," he said.

Listeners can now tune in to daily Innuinaqtun broadcasts and can expect to hear a lot more from the community's elders.

George Bohlender, another driving force behind CFBI, said elders have already expressed interest in going to air with traditional stories and historical tales. It's just a matter of wrapping up the necessary administrative details before spots are handed out.

Carey added that members of younger generations have also approached them with ideas for evening music request programs.

"We expect our schedule to increase and the airtime to increase significantly over the next month or two," said Carey.

"People are very interested in doing their own shows. It's just going to take a little bit of time to get them to air," he said.

Rob Esser also sits on the board. He said he suspects winter's approach will help build the station's listener base and reinforce the notion that CFBI is a community resource.

"We're getting positive feedback. I've talked to people who say they are listening and they enjoy it," said Esser.

"Hopefully it will spark some interest and get youth involved," he added.

Station organizers said they hope community members will use the station for radio plays, book and movie reviews and whatever other forms of entertainment can be conceived.

Listeners can contact board members with their ideas, inquire about radio spots or phone the on air line at 983-3232.