An inspirational spot from the February 2013 issue of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
Nothing is unimportant in a life lived for God.
Archive | The Nome Static RSS feed for this section
A thorough self-examination, with some outside help
As we enter our first full year as a reorganized nonprofit – KNOM Radio Mission, Inc. – we’re continuing to seek out new ways to improve our mission’s efficiency and transparency. While KNOM has long taken seriously the need to be cost-effective, open, and forward-thinking, we’re also mindful that – especially with a small charity such as ours – there’s always room for improvement and growth.
It’s with this in mind that, last month, we participated in a thorough and voluntary audit of KNOM: its income, expenses, records, receipts, and other files.
The audit was self-initiated, which meant that we needed to seek out help to make it happen. Our thanks to auditor Justin Satterfield (pictured with business manager Lynette Schmidt), who spent a few days around KNOM Studios and was both cordial and essential throughout the entire audit process.
It’s our goal that this work, alongside many other steps towards greater organization and efficiency, continues to make us worthy of your support.
A nod for community service
Good news: KNOM has been informed that, in a few months, we will receive a very special award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)!
NAB’s Crystal Award recognizes radio stations that make extraordinary contributions to the communities in their listening area. This community service award is prestigious, and over the years, KNOM has been honored to win five Crystals. The photo at right shows our current volunteers – Josh, Eva, Dayneé, Lucus, and Margaret – holding our Crystal Awards from 1987, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2012.
In April, KNOM will be given the capstone Crystal Award, the NAB Crystal Heritage Award; we’ll be the fourth radio station ever to receive it. This award recognizes the commitment to community service that you make possible through your generosity and support. Thank you so much! We’ll have more about our 2013 Crystal in a future issue of the Static.
Live simply…
An inspirational spot from the February 2013 issue of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
Live simply, so others can simply live.
Reflections from our volunteers
KNOM’s full-time volunteers remain hard at work, and thanks to our Volunteer Blog, you can stay up-to-date on all of the ways these outstanding, service-minded individuals are making a difference in Western Alaska. (Among other things, the blog showcases recent photos of our volunteers, a few of which are sampled above and below.)
One recent blog post from volunteer Dayneé Rosales highlighted the spirit of community that informs our mission. An excerpt:
Winter presents unique challenges for life in rural Alaska. Alcohol abuse and suicide are big issues here. It’s hard on a lot of families, but there are also people who want to help.
What I like most about Nome is the amount of courage and love I see in the community… I see how willing people are to share their game, invite you in their homes, and share their stories.
Nome and KNOM are becoming my home… I am forming amazing friendships and learning to appreciate what everyone must do for a city or village to not only survive, but flourish, despite whatever comes our way.
Thanks so much for supporting our volunteer program! Every day, you are truly making a difference.
What happened when I said “yes” to KNOM
KNOM Radio has touched the lives of so many people, including its volunteers and staff. This month, volunteer-turned-general-manager Ric Schmidt shares the many ways KNOM has changed his life:
In the summer of 1984, I said “yes” to KNOM, and from that day forward, I was swept into an intense, active ministry that serves so many people on so many different levels. KNOM was such a blessing that, nearly 30 years later, I still find myself working here, serving listeners of all ages and backgrounds.
Along the way, I’ve met lifelong friends and fell in love with a fellow volunteer: KNOM’s news director, Lynette Berger. She fell for me, too, and in December 1985, we were married. We were blessed with six children and the opportunity to work together at the same radio ministry where we met. In a life full of ups and downs, we have been given the chance to weave a quilt of service to each other, our children, our church, our community, and Western Alaska. Over the years, we have said goodbye to too many friends and family, but we have also welcomed the births of new members of our KNOM family and honored those who have made significant sacrifices for us and our communities.
Today, the KNOM family makes a difference in the lives of thousands of families every day, whether it is in the studio, in an Alaskan village, or in countless places around the world, with supporters praying for and contributing to our mission. I am honored and privileged to be a part of our incredible radio ministry.
Face the music
An inspirational spot from the February 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
Christ helps us to face the music, even though we may not like the tune.
Let’s have a conversation…
In Western Alaska, there’s always a lot to discuss. For more than a decade, we’ve been happy to provide a crucial means for our listeners to begin and sustain conversations on subjects important to them. The way they have these conversations is through our weekly call-in show, Sounding Board.
Sounding Board belongs to our listeners. It is their forum to express thoughts, opinions, and ideas on a particular subject: whether it’s traditional Alaska Native cooking, regional politics, or the challenges of a changing Arctic. We’re grateful that so many in our region take time each week to respectfully share their thoughts on our airwaves.
In a region so sparsely populated – with rural communities separated by hundreds of miles – being able to share conversations means so much. Each week, you are making it possible. Thank you!
Photos: Joshua Cunningham and Margaret DeMaioribus host a Sounding Board show on climate change; news director Laureli Kinneen screens callers for the show.
God of second chances…
An inspirational spot from the January 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
Oh God of second chances and new beginnings, here I am again.
-Nancy Spiegelberg
2012 Financial Report
The fiscal year from July 2011 to June 2012 was unique for our mission; the year saw the transition of KNOM to a new, independent nonprofit entity (KNOM Radio Mission, Inc.), as well as the first steps in our studio annex project, the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. With your enthusiastic support, we finished the fiscal year in the black. Our income was $2,039,092, our expenses $1,646,678. Nearly all of this “extra” income is dedicated either to our digital studios construction or to other long-term development goals, described in further detail below.
(Click to enlarge.)
As always, the large majority of our income in the past fiscal year came from individual donors. 55.6% of KNOM’s overall income ($1,133,241) was from one-time or recurring donations, while 24.3% ($495,860) came from legacy gifts (funds entrusted to KNOM from wills, bequests, or estates). Legacy giving continues to provide a vital part of our operating budget.
Miscellaneous income – 17.6% ($359,668) – was higher than normal and consisted almost entirely of a settlement KNOM received in April at the conclusion of a two-year litigation against a former contractor. This money is earmarked for a long-term development plan to build financial infrastructure for KNOM’s future sustainability.
The remaining 2.5% of our funds came from interest on our bank accounts (just $826) and related income ($49,497), consisting of program underwriting from local organizations and fees from the National Weather Service, which rents space on our AM transmitter tower to broadcast its dedicated weather channel.
Both our expenses and income over the fiscal year were made higher by our digital studios campaign. While our capital campaign brought in more financial support, our expenses also included the architectural designs and plans for our studio expansion and renovation: a project that will continue, with your support, well into 2013.
(Click to enlarge.)
Our expenses included $361,995 for fundraising (22.0%); $115,698 for this newsletter (7.0%); $245,237 for general operations (14.9%); $239,989 for programming and technical costs (14.6%); and $683,759 for staff salaries (41.5%).
Our full-time volunteers remain an essential part of our operations, and their service – working full-time for room, board, and a small personal stipend – saved our mission about $111,000 in fiscal year 2012.
We saved, also, through new, energy-efficient technologies described in previous editions of this newsletter. In particular, the installation of dynamic carrier control (DCC) – a cost-saving method of power management at our AM transmitter site – paid for itself within three months, and we estimate that DCC will save $35,000 in electricity costs over fiscal year 2013.
As always, everything that we do is made possible through your support. Thanks so much!
