Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Jan 07/02) - Whether it's hawking office supplies, putting up travellers in one of their hotels or building an office complex, the Evaz Group Ltd. is one of Nunavut's busiest corporations. Its latest project: community radio.

Terri Chegwyn tunes a radio to 99.9 FM -- the frequency of Iqaluit's new commercial radio station. Developed by the Evaz Group Ltd., the Top 40-format CKIQ is scheduled to hit the airwaves next fall. - Kerry McCluskey/NNSL photo

According to Terri Chegwyn, the manager of the Evaz company Qamutik Travel, the corporation is ready to tackle the communications sector.

Slated to leave Qamutik Travel and manage the up-and-coming radio station after 11 years with Evaz, Chegwyn said the company tried to keep the news under wraps until they'd managed to leap some of the administrative hurdles.

But the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is now processing the Evaz application and a call number has been issued -- CKIQ 99.9 FM. So Chegwyn went public just as 2001 drew to close.

She said Evaz must still comply with all CRTC and Industry Canada regulations, but plans for the station are moving forward.

To hit Iqaluit's airwaves after equipment arrives on the sealift next fall, the station will try to introduce what Chegwyn called fun and light-hearted programming into the rapidly growing capital.

Raven Radio, as it is tentatively dubbed, will play Top 40 music plus at least 20 hours of Inuktitut programming each week, along with public service and community ann-ouncements, feature guest hosts and a professional disc jockey.

"We want to touch all parts of the community," said Chegwyn, who plans to work do sales, production and on-air work for the station.

"It's so exciting. It's something my bosses brought up to me two years ago. I never would have chosen it or gone to broadcast school, but when they proposed it, I said that's really cool."

Chegwyn plans to learn her new craft through a self-designed mentoring program with Southern radio stations and has been paying extra attention to other stations.

Estimated to cost $150,000 to launch, Chegwyn said Raven Radio will be located in the Navigator Inn in Iqaluit if approved.

The public will be given the opportunity to comment on the new radio station before that happens.