Winnipeg’s second ethnic station has begun testing. To be ID’ed as AWAZ, which means voice to East Indians, the new station occupies 92.9, the frequency vacated by Red River College in 2012. Up until now, the only Winnipeg ethnic station was CKJS...
The Winnipeg Sun also did an article on the station:
Winnipeg getting first East Indian radio station
AWAZ 92.9 will speak at least 11 languages
By Jim Bender
Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Friday, May 20, 2016 04:56 PM CDT
Updated: Friday, May 20, 2016 05:26 PM CDT
Winnipeg's Baldev Gill wants to give a voice to his culture, as well as other under-served local communities.
Gill wants to start the very first East Indian radio station in Manitoba and is just an audio test away from hitting the airwaves. He will call it AWAZ, which means "voice" in his language, Gill said Thursday.
"Being that there is a lot of newcomers here, we saw a need here, so we decided to start something for the ethnic community," he said. "Some of it (programming) will be done in the East Indian language and some in other languages, too. Anybody's welcome."
Actually, the plan is to serve nine cultural groups with a minimum of 11 languages, including English.
"It will be more like an information station," said Gill, who was born in India and came to Canada in 1959. "But it will include music, too. There will be Indian music and all kinds of other music, too."
If it passes next week's audio test, the 24-hour station will take the 92.9 FM frequency that was vacated by Red River College in 2012.
Gill and his three or four helpers will broadcast from the second floor of his Gill Taxi Meter and Radio shop on Selkirk Avenue.
"It's gonna cost thousands," Gill said. "It already cost a lot to buy the equipment and most of the equipment's been installed, but we will have advertising."
Currently, CKJS boasts of being Manitoba's only multilingual radio station.
Only potential problem is that there is no record of the station having a license, either with the CRTC or Industry Canada. At least that Dan and his team can find, including official confirmation from the CRTC that they have not issued a license.