At Native Arts and Cultures Foundation we are mourning the loss of visionary leader Frank Blythe (Eastern Cherokee/Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) on July 21, 2023.
One of Frank Blythe’s many notable achievements include co-founding Native America Calling and American Indian Radio on Satellite (AIROS), the distribution system that eventually became Native Voice One. He was the Founder and Executive Director of Vision Maker Media from 1976 to 2006. He was one of the Legendary Native Media Giants of our time and was a major influence on the Native film industry. He was also influential in establishing Vision Maker Media’s Public Media Fund to provide support to Native producers to produce their Native stories.
“Native media would not be nearly as far along if it weren’t for Frank’s far-sightedness and his ability to inspire so many others,” said Jaclyn Sallee, CEO of Koahnic Broadcasting Corporation at KNBA in Anchorage, Alaska. Koahnic, a public media organization governed by Alaska Natives, distributes the radio series Native America Calling and National Native News, among others, through its distribution arm Native Voice One according to current.org