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Kini FM

By William A. Thorn

Out over southeastern South Dakota, a lone voice rises over a wide swath of emptiness. Farmers and ranchers around Parmelee, Okreek and White River get a taste of Native drumming and culture. Drivers cruising I-90 between the Platte River and Badlands National Park hear Willie Nelson exhorting mothers to make their sons "be doctors, and lawyers, and such."

It is "the Voice of St. Francis Mission" - 96.1 FM, KINI - broadcasting from Rosebud Reservation, 24 hours a day at 57,000 watts, which translates to "about a 150- mile radius when we’re at full power," said MaryLee Fast Horse, manager of KINI. "We’re the only station you can pick up for a while. We go as far north as I-90 on the interstate, and all the way down to Nebraska."

The station will turn 34 in January. It was the handiwork of the Lakota tribe and Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Reservation, and a pair of Jesuits - George Hass and Joe Gill - according to Fr. John Hatcher, SJ, president of St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation.

The Jesuits "worked on the station idea with Sinte Gleska," Fr. Hatcher said. "But for some reason the college did not go forward. So the Jesuits continued, and set it up."

But few, if any, reservation media can match KINI’s longrunning success. The station’s native voice brings diversity to a culturally homogenous region, and its unique programming further feeds the local indigenous population.

"It’s nice to have a native voice on the radio way out here," Fast Horse said. "A lot of the elder people listen to (the station) in Lakota and in English.

In a poor, rural region, the station’s broadcasting capabilities are a matter of practicality and safety.

"Radio reaches out to people way out in the country," she said. "Around here, a lot of people do not have the internet. They can’t afford cable or DSL. When bad weather happens, especially, they listen to the radio."

The station has further distinguished itself with truly innovative programming such as alcohol recovery roundtables and Jesuit-developed on-air spiritual retreats. Two such five-day retreats were broadcast this year.

"We do a program here called ‘New Beginnings.’" Fast Horse said. "It’s a recovery program: recovery interviews, recovery tips, recovery music, everything on alcohol and drug recovery. It’s like everything people want to ask or pinpoint, but are afraid to. You know something’s wrong in your home, but you don’t know where it comes from or what to do. We put all that out there. It’s been on for almost a year," she added. "Roger Crow Eagle (the director of creative programming) and I created it. We’ve really gotten good feedback."

And of course, there is the music.

"We have a wide variety," Fast Horse said. "Native, country, classic country, top hits, light rock, gospel. We have oldies on Sunday - 40s and 50s music. We also have adult Christian hour and classic rock in the evenings, that’s pretty popular. But it’s mostly a country station."

Although music does take up much of the air time, that isn’t why KINI exists.

"We’re pretty much a public service. We do a lot of public service announcements and community awareness," she said. "We have a community calendar that lists all public meetings, and tells you everything happening all over the reservation and in adjacent areas. We do birthday lists four times a day.

"We have morning, evening and afternoon prayers in Lakota and a speaker who comes in and does Lakota public service announcements for us. We’re going to start a new program - where Sam High Crane comes in and does a daily word or daily saying, and then we’re going to play it throughout the week. It’s a way to teach Lakota.

"We have call-in shows, but, due to staff shortages, they aren’t aired live yet. We edit everything to be on the safe side," she said. "The only thing not prerecorded is our morning show: The (Gerard) Mendoza One on One. The DJ interviews somebody live for 20 minutes. Today we did a show with a local artist who makes flutes and sings songs. He’s a young native guy, and did some tunes with his flutes on-air. We used to interview Father (Hatcher), but he got shy.

"We also do a lot of religious programming," Fast Horse said. "We do the rosary every night at 10 o’clock. There’s instrumental church music after that. Fr. Tim Manatt, SJ, had a show called Faith Matters, a prerecorded show about half an hour long. He brought in visitors and discussed faith in everyday life. That was pretty popular.

"Obviously, I have some complainers," Fast Horse said. "People who don’t want to hear our format. But our format’s our format. The variety is really good. You know you can’t please everybody, and on the whole feedback is positive."

KINI may not be pleasing everyone, but it is pleasing many and serving the community.

"Many people on the reservation listen," Fr. Hatcher said. "It is where they get their news and Catholic spiritual formation. Tribal leaders update the community on the Tribal Council and available social programs. The station is used for the recovery programs, and programs for health, alcohol and drug prevention are also aired."

At the same time, content is used for Lakota studies programs, he added, and the station is "an effective tool for promoting evangelization, and the work of the Mission."

"We broadcast 24-7," Fast Horse said. "If we don’t have a DJ, or if it’s after hours, we run on automation. We can do some production up to three days in advance, though some programs don’t allow us to. It’s just like that. A lot of programs are day-to-day."

KINI and Fast Horse have come a long way together. Fast Horse began as a DJ in August 2005, and she took over as manager two years later. She envisions more developments in programming, advertising and sponsorship. She recently returned from a Washington DC mentorship.

"I have big plans for the station. I’m always working for new programming. I think the Lakota language is coming back full force, so we’ll have a lot more of that. And with all the new technology I’m learning, I see it as a much easier-run station.

"I’m really proud of the station, and proud of my staff. It’s just been a fun ride the whole time. It’s obviously frustrating at times, but we work through it. It’s been really beneficial to the reservation, and I’m totally blessed to be here."

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