Native Communications Inc. (NCI) has rebranded Winnipeg’s Now Country 104.7 (CIUR-FM) as ziibi 104.7, a new format aimed at Indigenous young adults.
NCI announced to listeners last week that Now Country would sign off on April 19 after a decade on-air. The station relaunched Monday under the ziibi brand, which translates to “river” in Anishinaabemowin and Cree.
The fourth brand transition since the station’s original launch in 2009 when it debuted as Streetz 104.7 with an Indigenous Urban Contemporary format, NCI says the rebrand – accompanied by the tagline “Where Music & Community Flows” – marks “a return to the original vision for the frequency: radio that reflects the voices, culture, and lived experience of Indigenous people who are at the core of the city’s history.”
“This name represents a powerful flow toward a historic gathering place that has become Winnipeg,” said NCI CEO David McLeod.
Largest urban Indigenous population in Canada underserved
ziibi is airing songs ranging from Cree singer-songwriter Sebastian Gaskin to hits from the late ’90s and early ’00s from superstars like Snoop Dogg and Pitbull.
In shaping the new format, NCI commissioned a Probe Research survey that included an Indigenous focus group to identify what listeners, aged 25-40, want from music and programming. With Winnipeg home to the largest urban Indigenous population – more than 90,000, with an average age of just over 31 – NCI says the demographic has long been underserved by local media.
The refreshed station aims to reflect urban Indigenous identity, support local organizations and businesses engaging with the Indigenous community, strengthen civic presence, and celebrate Indigenous excellence.
ziibi joins sister station NCI-FM, which also airs a Country format, broadcasting across 57 transmitters serving communities from Northern Manitoba to Kenora, ON. NCI says ziibi’s new format is now a complement to NCI-FM, rather than competing with it.
