Education has been an essential component of our mission since KNOM’s inception in 1971. Last month, we realized the goal of education in a special way: by welcoming a broadcasting student with special ties to the region we serve.

Janice Homekingkeo (pictured at left) hails from Koyuk (COY-uck), a Western Alaskan community nestled on Norton Bay. Janice is a lifelong KNOM listener with a keen interest in broadcasting; it’s her academic focus at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois, and it was the subject of her two-week internship at KNOM in January.

Closely shadowing our news director, Laureli Kinneen, Janice got a behind-the-scenes look at a working radio newsroom. She watched Laureli and KNOM’s other newsies broadcast live reports and prepare weather forecasts, and soon, she was ready to take to the microphone herself. Janice recorded daytime weather casts and, on her final day at our studios, even anchored a KNOM newscast.

Thank you for allowing us to share, in so many ways, the special potential of radio with our listeners. To hear Janice’s news broadcast, check out our Update News episode from Friday, January 25, 2013.

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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The worst prison is a closed heart.

– Pope John Paul II

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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Never wait for a better time or place to pray. God will hear you where you are.

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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In recent weeks, KNOM’s volunteers and staff have become well versed in the sounds of hammers, power saws, and heavy machinery, but it’s all for good reason: construction is continuing for the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios!

After laying the foundation beams late last year, we are now busy building the outside structure of our new studio space. As you may know, our digital studios will expand our working space and, most importantly, renovate it, by allowing us to use more cost-efficient, digital technology.

As you see in the photos above, the support beams for our new studios are quickly being set into place. Work will continue, over the coming months, to finish the outside “box” of the new building, to connect it to our existing structure, and then, finally, to furnish it with digital broadcast hardware.

As we go to press, our studio construction funds stand at $482,296; it’s about half of what we’ll need to finish the full project. We can’t thank you enough for your continued support; to learn more, visit our digital studios page.

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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God also helps those who cannot help themselves.

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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February 2013 marked the second running of a sled dog race with special significance for Western Alaskans: the Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450. The NS450 honors the memory of Paul “Putty” Johnson, a dog musher and community leader from Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet), Alaska, a town well within KNOM’s listening range located on the coast of the eastern Norton Sound (it’s also the hometown of news director Laureli Kinneen).

Dog mushing is at the heart of the traditional culture of our region. It’s a common activity for many of our listeners and even a livelihood for some, and every winter, KNOM covers these sled dog races that so capture the imagination and affection of Alaskans.

This year’s NS450 was distinctively Alaskan in another way: it was adversely affected by severe weather. With brutal winds battering the race trail, officials decided to shorten the competition from a medium-distance 450 miles to a “sprint” of only 40 miles. It was but the latest example of the countless times weather shapes life – and changes plans – in our corner of the world. Thanks to you, we brought the latest race developments to our listeners.

(The photos above and at right are from the 2012 race, since the 2013 NS450, as described earlier, was re-routed at the last minute and did not finish in Nome. Top: an NS450 sled dog; right: Laureli interviews musher Pete Kaiser, who won both the full, 2012 race and this year’s abbreviated “sprint.”)

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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Saints are sinners who just keep on trying.

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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A familiar (and smiling) face graced KNOM studios last month: that of volunteer alumnus Ben Matheson, who donated a week of vacation time to help our mission with our coverage of the Norton Sound 450 (described in more detail elsewhere in our March newsletter).

Ben’s presence within our studios was invaluable. A two-year veteran of all things KNOM and rural Alaska, Ben brought his zeal for reporting and for the Arctic to our newest generation of radio volunteers. Ben guided them through the details of each race broadcast, and like all KNOM staffers, he was on hand for the myriad other duties that arise during the day.

Thanks so much, Ben!

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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Our feature series on KNOM volunteer alumni continues with Matthew Smith, our public affairs director from 2010 to 2012 who is now continuing his career in news broadcasting with KTVA television in Anchorage. Here’s Matt, in his own words, on what KNOM has already meant to him:

While I’ve only been a KNOM alumnus for a few months, I’m amazed at what the mission has made possible.

I learned about work, community, and myself during my time with KNOM. I learned how to be a reporter, how to find stories and write them in a way that was relevant to listeners in Western Alaska. From interviewing Iditarod mushers to meeting the Russian crew of the Renda as they made the first-ever winter fuel delivery to Nome (pictured at right), my experiences with KNOM made me the reporter I am today.

My time at KNOM also taught me what it means to be part of a small community. As a volunteer EMT, I remember taking blood pressure readings at the community health fair, giving residents of Nome access to blood work and medical exams that were otherwise simply unavailable. I never could have guessed how much being a part of the community in Nome would shape my years of service.

KNOM shaped my spirit, too. The people I met, the stories I heard and told, the connections I formed with roommates, co-workers, and friends: they have enriched my life in uncountable ways. I’m proud – and humbled – to have been a part of the mission, and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the coming years.

As always, we’re so grateful for the people who make our volunteer program possible. As you can see, KNOM continues to change lives: both those of our listeners and of our staff. It’s all thanks to you!

This article is part of the March 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.

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