| This thesis is an investigation of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) as an institutional model of empowerment. The results of the study support APTN as a model in five ways. First, the APTN is a grass-roots project meant to benefit Aboriginal people. Second, there are four structural components, (i) the Mentorship Program, (ii) career development workshops, (iii) the APTN Mission Statement, and, (iv) mandatory carriage status. Third, APTN informants demonstrate empowerment from the interview responses. Fourth, an APTN Programming Content Analysis portrays the diversity of Aboriginal Peoples and uses Aboriginal voices to tell the stories. Last, APTN is supported as a model of empowerment by providing a set of objectives for international organizations looking to empower Aboriginal Peoples. The overwhelming implications of APTN demonstrate the ability of a public broadcaster to potentially change the hegemony concerning Aboriginal Peoples by using television as a tool for self-expression. |
