'Voice of the Navajo Nation' marks 25 years

As the country band Stateline rocked inside, Leo and Mary Lou Benally danced outside of the large tent on the shopping center parking lot.

After the impromptu dance, the couple got back in line to join the hundreds of people who came out Feb. 28 to celebrate KTNN's 25 years of broadcasting.

Leo happily said that he was at the station's grand opening celebration in 1986, where he received bummer stickers, which he put on his truck.

"The truck's not running but the stickers are still there," he said.

Also at the celebration was Carmelita Lilly from Crystal, N.M. Like many young Navajos, Lilly first listened to KTNN at her grandmother's home.

"You could say that it was our TV," Lilly said.

Helping inside was Sarah Begay, KTNN traffic manager, who was distributing programs and door prize tickets.

"The first time I wore this jacket, people wanted to know who I was," Begay said while lifting her jacket that had the KTNN and KWRK logos embroidered on the front.

Begay wanted to work at KTNN because it broadcasts in the Navajo language and that "brings the language to the Navajo youth."

The birth of KTNN began in 1980 by the Navajo Film and Media Commission for the purpose of educating, informing and entertaining the Navajo people.

A year later, the committee submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission for a 50,000-watt license.

The license was granted in 1983 and KTNN went on air Feb. 28, 1986 with the voices of Chairman Peterson Zah and then-U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush.

In the recording, Bush announced it was the station's first broadcast and it was generated from Window Rock.

As Bush ended his message, he wished the station "good luck."

Then Zah entered with the following message, "On behalf of the Navajo Nation, I want to thank you for honoring us with the participation of the White House in historic event and here's the voice of the Navajo Nation."

"The Voice of the Navajo Nation" is the slogan KTNN continues to carry.

Today, KTNN and its sister station, KWRK-FM, employ 16 people and are housed under the Native Broadcasting Enterprise.

The on-air personalities are Raymond Tsosie, Darlene "Dee" Yazzie and Sammy Boyd along with Paul Jones and Rhiannon Curley with news and LA Williams with sports.

Displayed in the station's lobby are awards and recognitions that were presented throughout the years.

As Troy Little, the general manager, sat at his desk Wednesday, he shared an e-mail he received from a family in Ukraine who wrote they are "fans" of the station.

Since KTNN started streaming online in 2005, more people outside the Navajo Nation are listening, Little said.

Although the Internet allows easier access worldwide, there are still individuals who catch the station because they have an antenna on their home or in their yard.

Whenever a letter arrives from places like New Zealand, Finland or Japan, the person is asked to submit a compact disc or MP3 recording along with the date and time they heard the broadcast.

That information is verified with the station's program logs and if it matches, a verification letter and station sticker is sent to the listener.

When KTNN began, the music format was a mixture of country, Top 40 and rock but today is airs country and Native American music.

It also relied on 8-tracks and vinyl records, which was replaced by reel-to-reel tapes then compact discs.

Today, computers do the majority of KTNN's programming.

The next technological advance that KTNN would like to accomplish is offering cell phone applications.

Technology may have changed through the years but the heart of KTNN remains committed to serving the Navajo people.

"To this day I believe that we still do that," Little said.

Marcia Peshlakai, promotions coordinator, remembers the reel-to-reel system that was used by KTNN when she came on board in 1997.

Peshlakai is proud that KTNN continues to provide information to the Navajo people, especially those who live in remote areas.

"We've become the companions to those long rides out there," she said.

Peshlakai was 6 when KTNN started broadcasting and she remembers listening to past personalities like Selena Manychildren, Roy Tracy and Ernie Manuelito.

"Listening to them when I was young, I was so amazed," Peshlakai said.

For Navajos living away from Dinétah, KTNN provides a connection to home.

Tena Three Irons grew up in Greasewood, Ariz., but now lives in Hardin, Mont. with her husband and three children.

The family usually listens to KTNN at night or early morning when the radio signal is available. When it is not available, Three Irons listens online.

"It gives you a good feeling that you are in contact with home," she said.

It also provides her children the opportunity to hear Navajo and for her husband to hear the latest rodeo news and events.

Over the weekend, Three Irons listened to the Arizona 3A boys' basketball championship game between Holbrook and Fountain Hills.

Three Irons graduated from Holbrook in 1988 and jumped for joy when the boys won.

Tisa Robbins, of Washington, D.C., used to listen to KTNN while growing up in Bloomfield, N.M.

"I always thought it was cool that they spoke Navajo on the radio," she said.

It is widely known that KTNN broadcasts in Navajo but that does not stop members of other tribal nations from listening.

One of those listeners is Elaine Espirito from Goldendale, Wash.

Espirito, a member of the Yakama Nation, first heard about KTNN from her husband, who is Navajo and from Lukachukai, Ariz.

The Yakama Nation operates a radio station but it does not broadcast traditional music because the tribe restricts recording of those songs, Espirito said.

"I like listening to KTNN to hear your songs," she said.

Glenda Sue Deer, Kickapoo, from Shawnee, Okla., listens to KTNN by Internet because it reminds her of her adoptive family in Fort Defiance.

From rodeos to news about the recent tribal presidential elections, KTNN keeps Deer informed.

"I listen to KTNN because it feels like I'm home," Deer said.

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