An inspirational spot from the Year-End 2012 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in the heavens where the love of our departed ones peer through and shine down upon us to let us know they are happy.
– inspired by an Eskimo legend
Moving wood at the construction site of the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios.
Step by step, our studio renovation and expansion project – the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios – is moving forward as the calendar turns over into 2013.
As we go to press, we’re anticipating the first phases of construction to begin any day. Our contractors will use the special shipments of wood, pictured at top, to build the initial frame of our new, crucially-needed studio space. Thanks to you, the funds are there to make this first phase a reality; our digital studio funds now exceed $400,000! For the latest updates – and to help us keep our studio construction moving forward – visit this page.
It’s a strikingly dark time of year in Western Alaska. On clear days, we’re treated to gorgeous sunrises and sunsets (like the one pictured above); the sun rises just shy of 12 noon and sets before 4pm.
While the sunlight is brief, the darkness allows KNOM’s Christmas star – perched atop our FM transmitter tower (pictured) – to shine all the brighter. We light the star at the beginning of each Advent, and alongside a few simple decorations inside our studios, the star has been a tangible reminder of our mission: our calling to be a light in the darkness, especially during this special season. We thank you for sustaining our mission into 2013, and we ask for your prayers: especially for our volunteers, who spend this joyful season in rural Alaska, far from home.
An inspirational spot from the Year-End 2012 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static:
I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.
– Mary Gardner Brainard
As you read this, we’re busy preparing our financial summaries for 2012.
We’ll have a breakdown of our income and expenditures in the January 2013 issue of the Static. Stay tuned!
Our inspirational spot for the week:
Christmas: it’s God’s invitation for us to approach Him and embrace Him in our lives.
In late 1999, former KNOMer John Albers (dressed in brown) works at the base of the station’s FM transmitter tower alongside volunteer engineer Les Brown (blue jacket). Les is holding the Christmas star that, shortly after this photo was taken, was hoisted back to the top of our FM tower; a star has decorated the tower every year since 1971, shining brightly over downtown Nome.
As we move through the dark days of winter and sub-zero weather, KNOM brings light to the lives of remote listeners throughout 100,000 square miles of Western Alaska.
It is a special time of year for the KNOM volunteers. They are far from their families, yet they treasure the gifts of service that they share with each other, the KNOM listeners, and you!
As in years past, the Christmas star is illuminated, and its tiny, bright lights reach into the darkness, sparkling and twinkling with anticipation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. We continue to witness marvelous signs of the great love and support we have for each other. The familiar aroma of a Christmas wreath in our broadcast studio reminds us that, through the cold and darkness, the hope of a new beginning will bring a great light.
From all of us at KNOM, Merry Christmas!
December 18, 1992
KNOM volunteer music director John Albers suddenly finds himself in a red suit, filling in for an ailing Santa. John portrays the jolly old elf on a National Guard flight to the village of Elim, about 100 miles east of Nome.
In Nome, KNOM’s news department is on the front lines for a story with worldwide interest: the Russian tanker Renda makes an unprecedented winter fuel delivery, escorted in its journey through the frozen Bering Sea by the US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. The delivery comes in the wake of an epic, fall 2011 storm that delayed Nome’s final fuel shipment.
KNOM covers the inaugural running of a sled-dog race honoring a community leader in Western Alaska. The Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 sends dog teams from the community of Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet) to the finish line in Nome. In the pre-dawn hours, musher Pete Kaiser finishes first, and KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen calls the finish live.
KNOM rallies to cover all angles of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the 1,000-mile competition from Anchorage to Nome). The race is an inspiration to thousands, and in 2012, a new generation takes center stage: 25-year-old Dallas Seavey wins the race, while young musher Rohn Buser finishes alongside his father, Martin, a multiple-time Iditarod champ.
Our inspirational spot for the week:
A little kindness to one person is better than a vast love for all of mankind.
