Shubie FM making major radio waves

INDIAN BROOK: One small-town radio station based in Indian Brook is gaining not only local notoriety for its variety of music, and uniting the community as one, but world-wide notoriety as well.
Shubie FM— which is 97.1 on the fm radio dial—began in full operation full-time on Dec. 21, 2011 after doing test broadcasts since Feb. They will be holding an official launch at a later date, and are hopeful Premier Darrell Dexter, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, will be available to attend.
Darin Googoo is one of the owner/operators of the radio station, which is located in the basement of the Indian Brook Health Centre, next to the RCMP detachment. April Maloney is the other co-owner/operator. The station is completely run by about 20 volunteer DJ’s, with 10 of those being the “core” group that keeps the station going, Maloney said.
As you walk into the station, you’re greeted by artwork and photography by those from within the community. It’s just the start of bigger things that await in the rooms down the hallway.
The first room Maloney and Googoo show off is the production room, where there are four computers all hooked up to the internet.
Next up is the room where all the fun takes place – from the controls of how loud the music is to the local musicians playing live shows to announcers speaking into the microphones.
Googoo said the English-and Native language non-commercial community-based Native radio station provides a benefit to the community by bringing the community it serves closer, and creating good name in the process.
“We hope to cater to the people in Indian Brook, and those in the surrounding communities that can listen to us,” said Googoo, pointing out people all the way to Brookfield, and as far as Waverley have been able to pick them up their radio frequency. “Hopefully, we’re able to promote their artists, businesses, and whatever they have to bring to us.”
The 50-watt station came about after Maloney, GooGoo, and general manager Russell Randall Julian saw a need for something that would let locals know what was going on.
“We wanted to be able to bring the community closer together,” he said. “We did that with a lot of volunteers, we brought them closer.”
He said the station plays music of all types, from Native artists, to country and western, to dance. Shubie FM is more of an all-music station, but if they know of community events upcoming they will announce them.
“Anything you can think of pretty much,” he said. “If we have it and we can play it, of course avoiding the seven words that you can’t broadcast on the air.”
He said they named the station Shubie FM to represent something good.
“For the longest time it’s had a negative connotation with it,” Googoo said. “We want to bring a good vibe back to the Shubie name. A lot of the negativity was the residential school was referred to as the Shubie School. It has a bad connotation to it, and we want to just bring a more positive vibe to the name. That will take a while, but we’ll get there.”
Maloney said many of the volunteers bring their own music, and host their own shows. One of the new shows that just started include genealogy, Powwow Hour with Gary Knockwood, while one of the more popular segments on the station is every Tuesday night with the Rez Dolls. They get requests from as far away as Korea, and the U.S., from listeners who tune in on www.shubiefm.com. Others listen in from China, England, and Australia to name a few.
“They’re the ones the really hold it together,” said Maloney of the volunteers. “We have 20 people that have been trained and can run the station. “
GooGoo said those who volunteer at the station have received a lot of positive feedback, and some negative from those who don’t think they need a radio station.
“People have said it’s one of the more positive things about Indian Brook,” said Maloney. “Some people don’t like, you have your naysayers. You can’t make them all happy.”
Googoo said they’re always looking for volunteers. Those interested can contact him and Maloney at Shubie FM by email at shubiefm@gmail.com. A regular shift for a volunteer can last between three and four hours.
“We will get them trained, and usually sit in for their first two or three runs,” he said. “Once they understand things, we let them go on their own.”
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com