The Faces Behind The Voices

Abel Charles

Cree Broadcaster/Producer
Missinipi Achimowin Show weekdays
La Ronge, SK

Abel was born in a trapper’s cabin deep in the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan. For the first nine years this was where he was exposed to his Cree language and Culture. The family at this time lived the trapping lifestyle. This includes trapping, hunting, fishing and other gathering activities. A close connection to the land was in the works. Abel continues to enjoy time in the wilderness.

In the fall of 1968, Abel hopped into a de Havilland beaver and flew into La Ronge en route to the Prince Albert Indian Residential School. For the next seven years this is where he received his western education. At this school he became involved in many sports teams giving him opportunities to travel and play at the provincial level. Air cadets took him to other parts of the country. He was active in the student representative council and overall his stay at residential school was a positive and beneficial experience.

Aside from residential school, Abel has always been surrounded by a rich cultural environment. He has taken on various jobs throughout the La Ronge area. A side job he still enjoys doing in the summer is guiding southerners looking for monster pike and walleye. He has a wide variety of educational experiences including university.

A member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Abel considers the community of Grandmother’s Bay home. Abel has six children, 2 girls and 4 boys.

Willie Billette

Dene Broadcaster
Dene Honi Show Weekdays
La Ronge, SK

Ken Landers

Prince Albert, SK

Ken is a veteran radio broadcaster from Prince Albert. His career began in 1979  as a part time announcer while attending high school in Flin Flon, Manitoba. He has worked at radio stations in BC, AB, MB and SK. Ken is a former board member of the Saskatchewan Country Music Association, where he served one term as President of the provincial board, as well as an advisor and web site developer.
Ken has always been very active in and around Northern Saskatchewan, working with non-profit organizations like Canadian Cancer Society, the Kidney Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Prince Albert Women’s Shelter. He enjoys all genres of music and  connecting with the listeners of MBC

Chris Knight

Regina, SK

Chris is a 15 year radio veteran who has spent his career here in Saskatchewan at various stations through the province. When he’s not fixing things on his homestead, he’s probably fixing things on his “Uncle Buck” car that is in a constant state of disrepair.
Three things you probably didn’t know about Chris:
1) He used to drive dogsleds for a living.
2) He has never broken a bone.
3) He thinks hot wings should be an official food group.

Don Barkman

La Ronge. SK

Don Barkman has over 24 years of broadcast experience in Northern Manitoba and Northern B.C.

David Smith

Morning News Anchor
La Ronge, SK.

David is a veteran news anchor and reporter in Saskatchewan. You can hear the latest from MBC news with David Smith weekday mornings beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Michael Joel-Hansen

Reporter/Anchor
Prince Albert, SK

Michael is a graduate of the University of Regina’s master of arts in journalism program. He also holds an undergraduate degree in history from the U of R. Prior to joining MBC’s news team, he worked as a reporter for The Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Maple Creek News-Times and most recently the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group in Prince Albert. Michael also interned with Rawlco Radio in Regina and worked as a sports assistant with The Regina Leader Post while still in university.
In his spare time, he enjoys watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders, reading about political history, and is a big fan of the 1990’s television show Frasier.

Joel Willick

Reporter
Saskatoon, Sk

Joel has been covering news in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan since 2013, with the majority of that time spent with MBC. He is a proud Metis person who grew up on a farm in the Spiritwood area, but has spent the past fifteen years living in Saskatoon.
Joel has a wide range of hobbies that include enjoying a good story in any format, fantasy football, his wife, his kids, writing, and the outdoors.

Roman Hayter

Reporter
La Ronge, Sk

Roman was born in Prince Albert and has lived in Manitou Beach, Thompson, Warman, Lanigan, Saskatoon, and, most recently, La Ronge. Roman graduated from high school in 2020 and worked at several different jobs before deciding to attend Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon. He enjoys many types of music, with country being his favourite. In his spare time, you can usually find him hanging out with his friends.

Dan Jones

Free Lance Reporter