YELLOWKNIFE, NWT. Oct. 13, 1997. -- Television Northern Canada (TVNC) will launch its
fall/winter broadcast season today with a lineup that includes several new programs from southern
aboriginal producers and exciting new documentaries as well as its regular line up of diverse northern
programming. 

"This season promises to offer some of the most diverse programs that wešve ever offered," said
Abraham Tagalik, Chairman of TVNC. 

TVNC recently acquired Indigenous Circle, a popular news and current affairs program produced
by CFQC TV in Saskatchewan as well as several programs from Native Communications Inc., from
Manitoba. Later this year, TVNC will broadcast Qatuwas: People Gathering Together; a
stunning documentary about the revival of the West Coast canoe societies, and winner of the
first-ever Telefilm Canada/Television Northern Canada aboriginal production award. And live
programs are in the works including two days of coverage from the National Aboriginal Career
Symposium in November, produced by Inuit Communications stems Ltd. (ICSL) These new
southern-based programs will become more and more common as TVNC begins to expand the
network into southern Canada. 

"TVNCšs goal is to establish a truly national aboriginal television network." said Abraham Tagalik.
"There are exceptional aboriginal producers in southern Canada who have no access to a dedicated
distribution service such as TVNC. TVNC is already licensed nationally and our goal is to allow all
Canadians to see the talent that exists within aboriginal communities and encourage everyone to
watch programs that support aboriginal culture." 

TVNC will be broadcasting several new programs this fall by TVNC members. Inuit Broadcasting
Corporation is producing Makkuttunut Nijjausijarniq (Youth Concert Series) which will feature
young Inuit performers. The series will run for 13 weeks and will profile young talent from across
Nunavut as they perform in music, drama and other forms of entertainment. This new series has
received suppport from Telefilm Canada. A college-level course called Introduction to Business is
in the works from Native Communications Society of the western NWT. The one hour weekly
program is designed for distance education and is to assist aboriginal entrepreneurs or others
wanting a basic business education. Vignettes are also being produced by ICSL for the Nunavut
Planning Commission as well as preliminary work for a live broadcast from Ottawa when Nunavut
officially becomes Canadašs newest territory on April 1, 1999. 

TVNC members continue to provide a wide variety of weekly programs on TVNC including:
childrenšs programs, general interest educational programming, cultural and current affairs,
documentary features; phone-in and community discussion programs, and live and special events. 

TVNC is also the only network where viewers can watch proceedings of the NWT Legislature in
eight languages and the only place to watch the Lebret Eagles, an aboriginal junior A hockey team in
Saskatchewan. 

TVNC is pleased to support aboriginal producers and currently coordinates a number of awards
including the Telefilm Canada/TVNC aboriginal production award and participation in the Ross
Charles Award as well as distributing funds, including the administration of the NCI/ACL aboriginal
fund to assist producers gain access to public and private funding for their productions. TVNC is
also committed to broadcasting new programming. In the past three months, TVNC has signed
letters of interest to broadcast nearly a dozen new works by both independent aboriginal producers
and TVNC members which are currently in production. 

Television Northern Canada is a nationally-licensed aboriginal television network that broadcasts
nearly 100 hours per week of original aboriginal programming in English, French and nearly 15
different aboriginal languages. TVNC has become a first level of service in the North since it began
broadcasting in 1992. The majority of TVNC programming is provided by TVNC programming
members: Inuit Broadcasting Corporation; Inuvialuit Communications Society; ; Native
Communications Society of the Western NWT; Northern Native Broadcasting, Yukon;
OKalaKatiget Society; Taqramiut Nipingat Inc., Government of the Northwest Territories; Yukon
College. Associate member programmers include: CBC North; Kativik School Board; Labrador
College; and WaWatay Native Communications Society. 

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For more information:
Jennifer David, Communications Coordinator (613) 567-1550 
Linda OšShaughnessy, Scheduling Manager (403) 669-7299