Alaska Radio Mission - Station KNOM History

   KNOM's early years are detailed in The KNOM / Father Jim Poole Story by Louis L. Renner, SJ, ISBN 0-8323-0444-1, published in 1985 by Binford and Mort, Portland, Oregon.  The book is out of print, but can be found in many Catholic college libraries.

   Click here for expanded highlights of KNOM history.

(Right)  The original KNOM studio building, about 1985.       In the early 1960's, missionary Jesuit Father James E. Poole, SJ dreamed of operating a Catholic radio station that would beam education and inspiration throughout Eskimo and Indian villages scattered throughout vast western Alaska.     Poole was assigned to Nome in 1966, and began to fundraise for the new station, creating the monthly Nome Static newsletter.       In addition to meager finances, Poole faced several hurdles.  Among them, the Federal Communications Commission, in the midst of re-evaluating the AM broadcast band, had called a halt to new AM assignments.     Following that, with Alaska Native Land Claims pending, the U.S. Department of Interior "froze" all pending applications for use of federal land in Alaska, including Fr. Poole's request for a right-of-way for the AM tower site.      After a long battle, in June 1970, the FCC approved construction of the new station, and following many delays and technical problems, the new 10,000 Watt KNOM signed on the air July 14, 1971.

     Poole operated the station out of a renovated home in the center of Nome; the
transmitter building was a salvaged highway construction shed.
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     The staff were full time volunteers, who lived above the studios, and in three "temporary" World War II "knockdown" buildings, which a string of volunteer maintenance workers struggled to keep up.

     Click here for an essay on the original mission buildings.
 

(Right)  Volunteer announcer Stan Weisbeck in the original KNOM "master control" studio A, 1975.     Although some of the station's income came by means of donations in the mail, 85% of its operating revenue was donated by volunteers, primarily nurses, who worked at Nome's hospital, lived as volunteers, and contributed their entire salaries to the mission.     Over the years, over fifty such generous "support volunteers" kept the station on the air.       The 1980's brought a nationwide nursing shortage, and to remain alive and vital, the mission placed more emphasis on charitable gifts by mail.

    Today, individual private donations account for 91% of the station's operating revenue.

    In 1988, Father Poole was transferred to Tacoma, Washington, where he continues to serve as a hospital chaplain, and fills in for ill or vacationing parish priests.

    By the mid-1980's, it was apparent that the mission desperately needed new facilities.  The old house's floor was rotting; the "knockdown" buildings were sagging, pipes were freezing, and their "temporary" 1941 electrical wiring was failing.

    In 1992, the station built the Luella Poole Community House, honoring Father Jim's mother, who had lived with the volunteer group in Nome for fifteen years.
 

May 17, 1993, the mission moved into the Keller Broadcast Center (left), a modern 4,000 square foot studio facility, named for the Keller Foundation, which contributed $100,000 to the project, about one-fourth of the building's cost.       That same day, KNOM-FM signed on, simulcasting the AM signal in high fidelity stereo.      The AM transmitter and generator buildings were deteriorating, too, and in 1997 through 1998, KNOM replaced them, also.  Taking advantage of brand new construction, the station increased power to 25,000 Watts daytime.      The new buildings are not only safe and warm, they are efficient.  Accounting for inflation, their maintenance, utilities and upkeep are $80,000 less than these items cost the mission in the mid-1980's.      In 1994, KNOM installed Prophet Systems' "Audio Wizard for Windows," a system of networked computers that control audio.  At first, the Wizard recorded and played back the station's inspirational and educational spots, replacing worn-out cartridge tape machines, and by late 1995, held all of the station's music, too.  That paved the way for times of unattended operation.      Some summers, KNOM had extended the broadcast day  to 24 hours.  On January 10, 1996, thanks to the Wizard system, KNOM initiated permanent 24-hour operation.

Historical documents and tidbits:
 

full size (151k)

Instruction sheet for operators on how to use the Collins 212-V mixing console, July 1971

Early KNOM Inspirational and Educational Spots

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