Last night, The Juneau Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new address of a local tradition, the Juneau Media Center (formerly known as the Radio Center on Channel Drive). Now, six new studio spaces, including a dedicated newsroom, a recording studio and an open-air office space are housed in the annex section of the Mendenhall Mall.

Under the ownership of Juneau’s own Cliff and Lisa Dumas, the move marks a renewed investment in local radio, local news and the communities served by Alaska First Media across Southeast Alaska.

For Cliff Dumas, the transition represents both a continuation and a new chapter. Dumas has been part of the Juneau radio scene for eight years, hosting the TAKU 105 morning show under the previous ownership group. His broader career includes recognition as a Radio Personality of the Year winner from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and the Canadian Country Music Association. He is also a Hall of Fame broadcaster with decades of experience as a radio host, and television writer and producer. 

Lisa Dumas also brings an award-winning media background to the company, including her work as a host and television writer. Together, the couple, who met at a Toronto radio station thirty years ago, bring a deep understanding of broadcasting, storytelling, and community connection to the future of Alaska First Media. They instantly felt at home in Juneau, invested in a house on Douglas and quickly created community. When Lisa’s not on the radio, you might find her teaching a class at Auke Bay Yoga, or hiking a trail with friends she met through her work on the Juneau Symphony Board or the Glacier Valley Rotary Board.

When the Dumas’ stepped into ownership roles, they recognized improvements needed to be made to ensure the sustainability of the product and to continue to serve Southeast Alaska in a meaningful way. The new location features brand new studios furnished with state-of-the-art broadcast equipment designed to improve sound quality, reliability, and daily operations for the company’s Juneau stations, including KINY, MIX 106, TAKU 105, KXJ, KJNO, and The Hawk-Juneau’s Sports Station.

The Dumas’ say the intention of the investment in new equipment and processes is to offer listeners a cleaner, more consistent sound and a commitment to local talent. The new space includes modern tools to support live interviews, local news, music programming, sports coverage, emergency information, and community service.

The relocation also includes the integration of brand-new robust music libraries across the company’s formats. From country and adult contemporary to classic hits, rock, news, talk and sports, each station is getting refreshed with updated music resources and programming tools designed to keep the stations current, familiar and connected to the community.

The investment extends beyond the studio walls.

Alaska First Media has made improvements to its broadcast infrastructure, including new equipment and transmitter upgrades for TAKU 105 and other stations in the Juneau group. Additional improvements are in progress across the company’s transmitter sites, including Douglas and Heintzleman Ridge, with continued upgrades planned for the company’s stations in Ketchikan and Sitka.

The Juneau Media Center’s new location creates a more visible and welcoming home for local radio. Cliff and Lisa hope it offers listeners, business owners, civic leaders, nonprofit organizations, coaches, athletes, musicians, and community voices a place to be part of the conversation.

At a time when many media companies are cutting, Alaska First Media is investing in studios, equipment, music, transmitters, and most importantly, the people who make up their local team.

Cliff and Lisa say that last night’s New Location Celebration was a chance to open the doors and share a vision that has finally come to fruition. They hope it is a feel-good home for local radio, where a valued and talented team of local professionals work hard to support local businesses, non-profit organizations and community events and share a commitment to Southeast Alaska and a broadcast center designed for the future.