Bois Forte Band of Chippewa to purchase WELY

Kevin Leecy, Chairman of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, announced in his State of the Band speech to tribal members that the Band has reached an agreement to purchase WELY radio station in Ely from Boundary Waters Broadcasters, Inc., owned by Janice Erickson of Ely. The sale, which is pending final documentation and approval of the Federal Communications Commission, is expected to be finalized within the next 90 days.Located on the radio dial at 94.5 FM and 1450 AM, WELY is a 14,500 watt station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The listening signal can be heard within a 50 mile ring around Ely. The station’s format offers an eclectic mix of music, local programming and some national syndicated feeds such as ABC News and Paul Harvey.As Chairman of Bois Forte, Leecy has been a strong advocate of diversifying the Band’s business investments. He told Band members, “the acquisition of WELY will give Bois Forte a larger voice in the mainstream media, and is an entry into a new and potentially area of business for the Band.”In addition to the WELY purchase, the Band has also acquired ownership of the radio tower near Palmquist, which is located close to Nett Lake on the eastern sector of the Reservation. The Band is currently researching the addition of a translator station to broadcast the WELY radio signal directly to homes in the Nett Lake area.While owning the radio station will be new for the Bois Forte Band, they already enjoy a strong relationship with WELY. The Bois Forte Heritage Center partners with WELY to sponsor a popular one hour radio show every Friday evening from 6-7 p.m.Bois Forte plans to continue utilizing current station management to operate WELY and intends to continue offering a unique blend of programming geared to the local market. The WELY studio is located on Chapman Street in the hub of Ely’s business district.