File N-2001-016: 98-8 - [Media figures biographies]

The Native Communications Society of the Western Northwest Territories was incorporated on August 16, 1974. The objectives of the society were to promote and develop communications between the communities of the western Northwest Territories, train Dene, Inuit, and Metis in multi-media, and strengthen the self-image of Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories. The objectives were accomplished through the publication of the Native Press newspaper, the production and broadcasting of radio programming, the establishment of the radio station CKNM, and facilitating media training workshops.

The Native Communications Society (NCS) superseded the communication unit of the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories (IB-NWT). The communication unit was managed by Brian Thompson who was hired as a consultant by IB-NWT president James Wah-shee. The IB-NWT’s communications unit created the Native Press in 1971 as a newspaper dedicated to examining issues related to the western Northwest Territories from an Indigenous perspective. It superseded the publication of the Brotherhood Report that had been published by the IB-NWT in 1969. Owing to its perceived political affiliation with the IB-NWT, the Brotherhood Report’s name was changed to Native Press in 1971. The newspaper evolved into a bi-monthly publication covering political and land developments, community news, legends, and human-interest stores in the western Northwest Territories. In February 1990, the Secretary of State cut core funding to the NCS and ended the Native Communications Program in Canada. To become more competitive and increase its revenue stream, beginning in June 1990, the Native Press became a weekly newspaper. NCS board of directors approved the sale of Native Press to DM Communications Limited – a company owned by NCS - in the fall of 1990. Hoping to attract new funding and increase its audience, DM Communications changed the newspaper’s name from Native Press to The Press Independent in November 1990. The Press Independent ran into financial difficulties in December 1992 when the Secretary of State again cut funding to the NCS. In March 1993, staff of The Press Independent proposed a buyout to the NCS board but it was not approved. The Press Independent announced on March 19, 1993 an Agreement in Principle was in place to transfer ownership of the paper to Vi Beck of Type Unlimited. The archives of the Native Press, which included over 200,000 photographs and a full set of newspapers, was kept by the NCS. To protect the name Native Press, Dorothy Chocolate and Lee Selleck registered the name with the Government of the Northwest Territories. On April 28, 1993 The Press Independent became The Northern Star, which ceased publication in 1994. The Native Press returned briefly in fall 1996 as a renewed effort between NCS and the Dene Nation.

The idea for the Native Communications Society of the Western Northwest Territories was conceived in February 1974. The IB-NWT communications unit was notified by the Secretary of State of its ineligibility for funding due to its status as a branch of a political organization. The IB-NWT brought together members from the Committee for Original People’s Entitlement, Tree of Peace, and the Metis Association of the N.W.T. to form the NCS. In August 1974 an interim board of directors was selected and the first NCS Annual General Assembly was held in Fort Providence in May 1976. In 1982, Dene Nation formed the Dehcho Gonde Communications Society. At a Dene Nation Assembly in Fort Simpson, a proposal was put forth to merge NCS and Dehcho Gonde Communications Society. At the NCS’s Annual General Assembly in October 1982 the merger was not approved. In 1983, the NCS announced that the amalgamation was unfeasible as the Dehcho Gonde Communications Society was a political entity and risked losing its federal funding.

The Native Communications Society’s early administrative structure from 1975-1982 was composed of a six-member board of directors, an executive and assistant director, and one delegate from a list of 32 communities in the western Northwest Territories. The NCS had three production departments consisting of a video department, newspaper (Native Press), and a radio department. Owing to financial limitations, Native Press remained the sole fully operational department from 1975-1982. In preparation for its radio department, the NCS began a three-year training program for its radio broadcasters in 1982. By December 1985, construction began on the radio studio and in January 1986 the radio station broadcasted to 12 communities from Yellowknife at 101.9 FM. The official opening of the NCS radio station CKNM-FM took place during the NCS General Assembly in late 1986. In 1990, the NCS moved into the new NWT Communications Centre with a television and radio studio. The newspaper department closed with the sale of The Press Independent to Vi Beck of Type Unlimited in April 1993. The newspaper department briefly returned in 1996 but was subsequently shut down. The NCS continues to operate today and manages NCS Productions Ltd. and CKLB Radio.

Since 1975, the executive directors and CEOs of the Native Communications Society have included Mike Canadian, Raymond Yakeleya, Margaret Cook, Cheeko Desjarlais, Nancy Austin, Barry Ward, Bren Kolson, Dorothy Cumming, J.C. Catholique, Marine Devine, Barry Zellen, Les Carpenter, and Rob Ouellette.

A former Native Press staffer, Roy Dahl printed a few issues in 2009. Roy Dahl with his son Zach Dahl acquired the name and business license in 2017 and began to print monthly issues of the Native Press.