Ep. 53 Native Broadcast Enterprise with Cisco Benally

In this episode, we welcome Cisco Benally, CEO and General Manager of Native Broadcast Enterprise of the Navajo Nation. He and members of his team traveled from New Mexico as part of their mission to strengthen and expand community-based broadcasting. Cisco and his staff toured several stations—including KXCI—engaging with radio professionals to exchange ideas and best practices. Their visit focused on gaining insight into innovative programming, effective administrative strategies, and meaningful education and outreach efforts that serve local communities.

Native Broadcast Enterprise (NBE) is a media organization owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, and its roots are closely tied to the development of tribal radio broadcasting.

Native Broadcast Enterprise was created as a Navajo Nation enterprise to manage and expand tribal radio services, most notably KTNN (“The Voice of the Navajo Nation”), which was established in 1985 and began broadcasting in 1986. The station was founded to educate, inform, and connect Navajo communities, especially across the vast and often rural areas of the reservation where other forms of media were limited.

As KTNN grew in reach and influence, Native Broadcast Enterprise evolved to oversee additional stations and media operations, helping the Navajo Nation maintain control over its own communication systems. Over time, NBE has focused on preserving Diné language and culture, providing public information, and expanding Indigenous-owned broadcasting infrastructure, including managing multiple stations and pursuing new facilities and technologies.

Today, Native Broadcast Enterprise continues to serve as a key arm of the Navajo Nation’s media presence, supporting radio as a vital tool for community engagement, cultural preservation, and public service across Navajo Country.

Tune in as we explore the importance of community radio as a platform for cultural preservation, education, and connection, and hear how collaborations like these help shape the future of Indigenous broadcasting.