Aboriginal Multi-Media Society
The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA) is an Aboriginal publisher in Canada dedicated to serving the needs of Aboriginal people throughout Canada. AMMSA was established in 1983 under the Alberta Societies Act and launched its first publication in March 1983 – simply titled AMMSA. The name of this publication was later changed to Windspeaker in March 1986.
Mission
The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society is an independent Indigenous communications organization committed to facilitating the exchange of information reflecting Indigenous culture to a growing and diverse audience.
AMMSA is dedicated to providing objective, mature and balanced coverage of news, information and entertainment relevant to Indigenous issues and peoples while maintaining profound respect for the values, principles and traditions of Indigenous people.
Publications
AMMSA publishes the following publications on a monthly basis:
- Alberta Sweetgrass – News and events from Indigenous communities in Alberta
Published monthly since December 1993
- Ontario Birchbark - News and events from Indigenous communities in Ontario
Published monthly since January 2000
- Raven's Eye - News and events from Indigenous communities in British Columbia and the Yukon
Published monthly since March 1997
- Saskatchewan Sage - News and events from Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan
Published monthly since October 1996
- Windspeaker – Featuring national content; publishing since March 1983
Radio
AMMSA also operates a radio network, CFWE-FM, for Indigenous listeners throughout Alberta. The network studios were originally in Lac La Biche, but are now based in Edmonton. A new transmitter in Edmonton was licensed by the CRTC in 2008, and became the CFWE network's primary station when it launched in July 2009.[1]
On June 14, 2017, the CRTC granted AMMSA licenses to operate Type B Native FM radio stations aimed at urban Indigenous audiences in Edmonton at 89.3 MHz FM and in Calgary at 88.1 MHz FM. Both frequencies were previously licensed to Aboriginal Voices Radio Network but were revoked in 2015 due to compliance issues.[2]