Perry DeCory III, Rosebud Sioux tribal member pioneered – and almost singlehandedly created – a second, more contemporary radio station on the Rosebud Reservation.
MISSION, SOUTH DAKOTA -- A “New Voice in Lakota Country” is hopefully here to stay. The iconic slogan of the Rosebud Reservation’s KOYA Radio 88.1 FM has proved to be more than glib phraseology for the station’s founder and general manager, as well as deejay and announcer, Perry DeCory III, and for the community, as well. As the tribally-owned station readies to enter its sophomore year, DeCory is more than pleased with its sustained success, especially in this 21st-century era of streaming music via the Internet and doing the continual iPod Shuffle shuffle. “Generally, the consensus when I’m in the public, they love it because of the entertainment value plus the music that’s being provided and also some of the programs,” he said. The ambitious DeCory also befittingly serves as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s communications specialist. Hitting the airwaves this past February and showing no signs of slowing down yet, the station broadcasts at 51,000 watts from a studio located in the basement of the tribal Utilities Commission building in Mission. The 502-foot signal transmission tower is situated approximately three miles east of Rosebud proper, on a slope overlooking Six-Mile Corner. Though the tribe provided the bulk of KOYA’s start-up funding, DeCory was instrumental in getting the project off the ground and running. It has been a longstanding dream of the one-man dynamo to develop a radio station that is attentive to and aware of the people being served. “I’d say it started way back in the late ‘80s, mid-’80s, somewhere around there, when I was exposed to KINI, when I would read like prayers and stuff,” he said. “Just being on a microphone was great…as I was getting older, when I went into the Army, when I was over in Germany, there was Armed Forces Network Radio – I just realized that” being on the radio was a calling." "I figured if I was to ever create a radio station, it would be dedicated just to the people, with coverage of local weather, news and events," DeCory said. KINI Radio, which is owned and operated by the local Catholic Jesuit community, is the Rosebud Reservation’s earlier station. Although its programming is heavily based in religiosity, KINI is a commercial radio station that relies more on secular funding sources such as local business advertising to stay afloat, according to DeCory. KOYA has been deemed an educational radio station by the Federal Communications Commission. This status allows the station to seek long-term funding through charitable donors and grant sources including the federal government and nonprofit organizations. “We are hoping contributions and donations will be plentiful in order to keep operating the station on a daily basis,” said DeCory. “Radio spots are called ‘sponsorships’ or ‘contributions from’ but no rate sheets for seconds or minutes like commercial radio,” he said. Programming is left of center, or unconventional, in comparison to other standard radio stations, which revolve around specific musical genres or themes. DeCory has been granted virtually free range of scheduling the on-air format by tribal council. Music runs the gamut from today’s top 40 pop to big ‘80s hits to ‘50s golden oldies. “We’re an eclectic classic mix,” he said. “”We won’t have like one set ‘50s hour or ‘70s hour, we just throw the whole mix in together.” DeCory based this approach on his experiences with fellow music lovers from the community, who don’t just listen to one style, or category, of music. “The concept of that was, everybody just generally makes a ‘mix’ CD, or a travel CD, or everyone has a compilation of their own private favorite tunes so I took that into my thinking,” he said. “So when I did that, it seemed like it was very well-received.” In addition to its extensive playlist, KOYA offers “Monday Night Live,” a weekly program that showcases a broad spectrum of local musical talent. “The Native artists need to get heard – people who have great talent,” DeCory said. Also needing more media coverage, according to DeCory, are community happenings, particularly the affairs of tribal administration. “At times, people don’t know what’s going on here at the council chambers, and I figured this is the perfect tool to let them know what’s going on, especially Rosebud Sioux tribal programs,” he said. “We need to get them exposed, so this is not just a tunnel-minded idea that I had. My mind is still open – I’m still looking 360, all the way around, for ways on how I can make it better.” “I’m constantly trying to change; I’m constantly trying to perfect how I can get information out to the people and this is the best way to do it," he said. Though initially lacking support for his vision, DeCory forged ahead anyway – often with little to no pay – to become the singular driving force behind the radio station. “I didn’t give up, and still today, I’m still going even though I don’t have the resources that I wished I had to … pay for repairs, pay for additional music libraries … to get more people employed, because it’s about the people,” he said. KOYA currently employs a handful of support staff and is looking to expand its employee base to alleviate some of the strain on DeCory of operating the station on a day-to-day basis, he indicated. “I know the poverty rate is pretty bad here, and I’m blessed to have a job,” he said. And DeCory is amenable to sharing his blessings – in the form of KOYA Radio – with those struggling for economic and social equality within the oftentimes bleak confines of the reservation. “I not only want to provide jobs for people who need it, I want to provide opportunities for the voices to be heard: for the people who want to get their voice out there,” he said. As he looks to the future of KOYA and the ever-present threat of being usurped by the music gadgets of modern technology, not to mention omnipresent satellite radio, DeCory is decidedly optimistic. “Regular radio will not go away because it’s free and not impersonal,” he said. “It’ll still prove its worth because it’s a public entity where the public will get their information, and they love to hear local people talking, to tell what’s happening in certain communities.” “The station is my blood, sweat and tears,” DeCory said. “I sacrificed a lot, and I’m just really blessed that I can have an impact on the Rosebud Reservation.” For further information about KOYA Radio 88.1 FM, contact the station at (605) 747-5262 or KOYARadio@yahoo.com. (Contact Jesse Abernathy at staffwriter@nsweekly.com)
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