By ROBERT JUMPER
Tutiyi (Snowbird) and Clyde, N.C.
Why don’t we have a tribal radio station? AM and FM radio are ultimately portable. Access to this type of one-way communication can be had with a second-hand, two-dollar transistor radio from the thrift store (the two AA batteries needed to power a radio cost more than the radio itself).
Why does this even matter? When I first began working with the tribe in 2002, I would often hear my colleagues and fellow tribal members sharing the top gossip of the day. It was not uncommon for tales of marital infidelity, domestic issues, Boundary crime, even things like evacuations and manhunts that happened the previous night or even in the previous few hours to be discussed. I would ask folks how they knew all this quasi-confidential, personal information, and they would say, “We heard it on the scanner.” Of course, they were talking about what we commonly refer to as police scanners. Tribal members would even find out about community events and government announcements via these frequency scanners.
But the days of buying a cheap scanner at Radio Shack or getting a deal on one in the swap shop are long gone. The governments have tightened their use of frequencies, and agencies are finding ways to make their communications more encrypted, if not through direct encryption software, then through more complex truncated systems. Truncation, to my best understanding, bundles segments of the frequency bands so that there is an extra layer of access, requiring a scanner that has that capability. That is about as far into the “techno-weenie” world as I am able or willing to dive, but suffice to say, today’s scanners aren’t your grandma’s scanners.
The upside to a scanner back in the day was that once you bought the scanner and either bought the “crystal” set or programmed the frequency, you could just turn it on, and it would pull those transmissions right off the air. That was the end of your investment. Free radio. Free information.
Nowadays, we have been taught as a society to pay for convenience. And we love having it and having it now. We now pay for access to information as readily as we pay our power bill at home. As most people transitioned to smartphones, we began to see those devices as necessities. But convenience comes with a cost. The average smartphone costs $823 (statista.com), and the annual bill for access to all that wonderful convenience is approximately $1,700 annually (allconnect.com). Since the big smartphone makers know how we like our luxury, you will see an “upgrade” model appear about once per year. Add to these statistics that some users, roughly 21 percent, upgrade their phones every year, or less (sellcell.com). Based on this information, it is obvious that we are willing to pay to be conveniently in the know. No crystals, no problem, unless you happen to be short on cash. Then the information may only go to those who can afford it.
We have come to trust the cellular network implicitly. At least we did until Hurricane Helene. During the first weeks of that disastrous storm, cell service went dark for several counties in western North Carolina. I know that in the days immediately after the flood in Haywood County, my pastor would drive over to the Boundary just to find a cell signal so he could check on people in the area. And even at that, he could not connect with a majority of those in his church, because those still in the affected area couldn’t receive or make calls. It took weeks for cellular services to begin to resemble pre-flood conditions. So even with thousand-dollar phones, we were left helpless and hopeless regarding communication.
During that period, households in the affected areas lost electricity, cable connections, and, in some cases, entire homes. Those who fled the flood waters and the mudslides might have only saved the clothes on their backs and some personal items, like their cell phones. Communications with loved ones to either check on them or let them know that you were okay were next to impossible. Ham radio operators, if you could find one, were helping as best they could to connect friends and family in the wake of the storm, but those in that hobby are few and far between considering the enormity of the disaster. If you salvaged a television (probably not your top priority at the time), the only hope you might have of getting disaster information or instructions would have been an antenna necessary to receive signals from the airwaves, which most people don’t think to purchase these days.
One of the very first, small signs that all hope was not lost, and that civilization would eventually return, was broadcast radio. Most of the broadcasters in the area stopped any kind of entertainment programming and set out to help broadcast information about loved ones (trying to connect the survivors with their families) and to announce places where survivors could get help. AM and FM radio were lifelines for thousands of people in our area (including me). I told my wife that even though the news was depressing, it would have been much more depressing to sit in silence and wonder if there was anybody out there and if anybody cared. Radio helped ease the pain of many during those critical first few days after the flood.
While we had a lesser impact on most portions of the Boundary, our community is one disaster away from being in the same boat as those who lost so much in our neighboring communities. It just doesn’t make sense that we do not avail ourselves of a relatively inexpensive way to provide a cheap communication tool that could not only provide critical emergency information but could keep the population informed of important community guidance day-to-day.
The tribe could set a foundation for what could be a significant economic and cultural educational tool if they would simply start with a low-power FM (LPFM) station. While a federal license is required to acquire a permit and frequency to operate an LPFM, the application adds points toward approval if the station is tribal owned on tribal land, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Professional estimates for start-ups range from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on how big you care to do initially (radiostationmavericks.com).
We, as a tribe, struggle with the relevancy of language and ways to promote interest in its use in the wider population of the tribe. What better tool for education on language would there be than a communications medium that depends on language for its existence? Radio is the perfect low-cost vehicle for communicating and educating on the Cherokee language; no thought police needed.
Felicia Fonseca, an Associated Press writer, in 2013, wrote an article titled “Two Tribes Move Closer To Securing FM Radio Stations”. In it, she quotes the FCC’s 2012 Annual Report, “Telling one’s own story, broadcasting in one’s own voice, in an exercise of self-determination and self-reliance, is so important a goal of so many broadcasters in tribal communities that its value cannot be overstated.”
Did the FCC think that having a broadcast station might help with identity and sovereignty? Surely sounds like it to me. A consultant for the Hualapai Tribe, Frank Hannel, stated, “Radio will give them tremendous community outlook. They can rally the whole community around a radio station, give them a sense of identity.” The original proposed broadcast radius for this tribal operation was 30 miles.
The article further stated, “The spread of information on the reservation otherwise comes through fliers posted at government offices, a tribal newsletter, or word of mouth. Terri Hutchens, project coordinator, said tribal members could have benefited last year from an announcement over the radio about water contamination, which led to a temporary school closure. She said some people received fliers, but others didn’t find out until days later when the problem was fixed.”
Sure, we have state-of-the-art tech at our disposal, but as we have seen recently, technology can fail us. Broadcast radio at both the transmitting and receiving ends is less susceptible. Some might say that satellite radio would do the same but getting local information on a satellite radio channel is unlikely unless you live where the program originates. The best, most effective, and efficient way to get emergency and immediate action information to a community is via broadcast radio.
The Hualapai broadcast effort, started back in the 2010s, has borne great fruit for the tribe. “KWLP 100.9 FM ‘The Peach’. Local and live from the Hualapai Tribe! KWLP 100.9 FM is the first tribal priority commercial FM radio station in the U.S. It is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe as a program of the Hualapai Tribe Health Department. KWLP functions as a community station by utilizing volunteer community DJs, having a non-governing advisory committee and playing a variety of music and talk based on community preference, as well as airing local language, tradition, and culture. KWLP’s signal reaches all the Hualapai Indian Reservation and covers much of Mohave, Coconino, and Yavapai counties in Northern Arizona.” You may listen to the Hualapai Tribe’s radio station at https//kwlpradio.com.
Adding this valuable communication tool to our community would have multi-faceted benefits from emergency information dissemination like Amber Alerts, weather statements, road closures, educational emergency notices, and any other sudden changes in normal, commonly shared services, or any information that the Qualla Boundary community might need quickly. Regular use and repetition are key elements of language learning, for which broadcast radio is uniquely suited. Other audible elements of our culture, like storytelling, conversations and news of our traditions and history, and our music, could all be shared and showcased via broadcast radio.
If you, fellow tribal member, see the benefit to our tribe, in having the incredible tool of a local broadcast radio station, speak with Ugvwiyuhi Hicks, Taline Ugvwiyu Ensley, Kolanvyi Councilmen Shell and French, Wayohi Councilmen Parker and Crowe, Tsisqwohi Councilmen Jim and Boyd Owle, Elawodi Councilmen Wahnetah and Wolfe, Aniwodihi Councilmen Sneed and Stamper, and Tutiyi/Tsalagi Gadugi Councilmen Brown and Wachacha.
By the way, the radio moniker for KWLP “The Peach” is a reference to the Hualapai people’s home city, Peach Springs, Arizona. The name is tied to their sense of place and reminds them of their home and who they serve.
