| Broadcast area | Edmonton Metropolitan Region |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 89.3 MHz |
| Branding | 89.3 The Raven |
| Programming | |
| Format | Freeform radio First Nations community radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Aboriginal Multi-Media Society |
| CFWE-FM-4 | |
| History | |
First air date | February 1, 2021 |
Call sign meaning | Disambiguation of CFWE-FM |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 153.7 metres (504 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 53°38′44.88″N 114°0′14.4″W / 53.6458000°N 114.004000°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | ravenradio.ca |
CIWE-FM (89.3 MHz, "89.3 The Raven") is a radio station in Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA), it broadcasts a freeform format targeting Central Alberta's First Nations communities.
Following the collapse of the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network (which broadcast on 89.3 MHz in Edmonton as CKAV-FM-4), the CRTC pursued new applicants for indigenous radio stations to fill its frequencies. The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society, owner of the Edmonton-based indigenous network CFWE, was granted stations in Calgary and Edmonton.[1] While the Calgary station would air a country music format in the mold of CFWE, the proposed Edmonton outlet would play "anything but country"—in the words of AMMSA founder Bert Crowfoot—as well as indigenous-language and indigenous music-oriented specialty programming.[2]
AMMSA prioritized constructing the Calgary station, CJWE-FM, which went on air in April 2018.[2][3] The wait would be nearly three years longer in Edmonton; CIWE had been planned to launch in April 2020,[2] but the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta prompted AMMSA to seek a one-year extension.[4][5] Its transmission tower, named for long-time AMMSA board member Noel McNaughten, is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Spruce Grove.[2]
The station began test broadcasts on January 11, 2021. On February 1, 2021, CIWE officially launched as 89.3 The Raven; it primarily plays classic rock and pop hits, as well as genre- and decade-based specialty shows (such as blues rock, hip hop, and R&B). Indigenous programming is carried in the Cree, Dene, Nakota, and Michif languages.[2][4]