College unveils Auriat Family Broadcast Studio

Assiniboine College unveiled the Auriat Family Broadcast Studio on Friday, after a $25,000 donation from the family to support media education and community broadcasting.

The studio is located in the college’s Centre for Creative Media, which opened in 2022 at the Victoria Avenue East campus.

The recognition, announced during a grand-opening event at the centre on Friday, reflects both the Auriat family’s long-standing commitment to education and Kerry Auriat’s role in local media and civic life, college president Mark Frison said.

He said the donation will have a direct impact on students training in radio and creative media programs.

“Every time a donor makes a donation to the college for one of these facilities, it’s incredibly helpful,” Frison told the Sun. “That might be used to buy more equipment for that facility, it might be used to provide some capital upgrades, or it might be used for scholarships. This is an important piece for the radio component in particular.”

Kerry Auriat said his decision to support the broadcast studio was motivated by his admiration for the college’s growth and innovation.

“I love what the college is doing. The college is an exciting, on-the-move, dynamic place,” Auriat said. “They’re always coming out with new programs and new facilities, and Brandon is very fortunate to have two first-rate educational institutions.”

Auriat is a vice-president and investment advisor with National Bank Financial in Brandon, a former Brandon Sun columnist and a longtime moderator of election debates. He has served on several community boards, including Brandon General Hospital Foundation, Murray House Cancer Residence and as co-chair (fundraising) of the Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre.

He described the naming of the studio as both humbling and meaningful.

“I think it’s very nice that someone would recognize our family in this way,” he said. “It’s a good way to say to people that they can be part of the community and support these kinds of projects.”

The broadcast studio houses CJ106-FM, the college-community radio station, and includes both on-air and production studios.

The space gives students and community members real-world broadcasting experience, Jana Sproule, chairperson of Media and Office Technology at the college, told the Sun.

“It contains everything that a regular broadcast studio would,” Sproule said. “Our students do shows as part of their program requirements. It builds a lot of confidence and really stretches their comfort level.”

Sproule said the studio serves a broader purpose beyond career training.

“It allows alternative voices. It allows for lesser-known music and narratives to have a voice,” she said. “It’s meant for the community, not just our campus, but Brandon in general.”

During the launch, Frison highlighted the role of radio in civic engagement and democracy.

“When I think about the threats to our democracy going forward, the ability to distinguish truth from fiction is critical,” he said.

“Traditional media, despite many people having written its demise, is going to be a big part of that journey, and radio factors into our future in an important way.”

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

» X: @AbiolaOdutola