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Tag Archives | Arctic

Transitions

Although our daylight hours are increasing, the final throes of winter are long in Western Alaska.

With temperatures just below freezing, small pellets of ice and snow still fall from the sky. Cooler-than-normal temperatures are slowing the retreat of the ice and snow, the air is brisk, and you can hear the occasional crackling of sea ice. Winter is not quite done with us.

Meanwhile, the KNOM volunteers are hard at work as they finish up their year-long commitment to the radio mission and to the people of Western Alaska. Dayneé Rosales will be staying a second year at KNOM, and Josh, Margaret, Eva, and Lucus will be moving on from the radio station this summer. We are so blessed to work with such committed young professionals.

As we say goodbye to these wonderful young people, we will be welcoming four new volunteers to KNOM. Please pray for all KNOM volunteers, past and present. They are one of the foundations of this critical radio ministry.

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What’s a “sun dog”?

A "sun dog" over Nome

During sunrise on a recent morning, a “sun dog” – the partial halo of light around the disc of the sun – was particularly glorious over downtown Nome. Photo by David Dodman.

The bitterly cold temperatures are lingering, but there is more daylight to enjoy. Last week, we experienced a remarkable atmospheric phenomenon: bright, colorful spots of light on either side of the sun, observed as the sun sat low on the horizon. The scientific name is parhelion, but here in Alaska we call them “sun dogs.”

This unique light show is caused by light passing through plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals during very cold weather. The crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays (as the crystals sink through the air, they are vertically aligned, and sunlight is refracted horizontally); this creates the colorful, “phantom sun” or sun dog.

Meanwhile, exceptional things are happening on the ground, too. Our brave construction crew is battling extreme temperatures as they tilt up walls at KNOM’s Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. Please pray for their health and safety.

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Amid the deep winter, 5th graders take their turn in KNOM Studios

The frozen tundra sparkles with many shades of blue; the renewed sunlight shines across the snow covered landscape. The Bering Sea is covered with huge chunks of ice, pushed to the surface as the icepack shifts and thickens in subfreezing temperatures. Steam rises from exposed sea water.

Last week, a local 5th grade class visited the KNOM Radio studios. These excited and energetic young students came in to record public service announcements. Small groups of studious children gathered in Studio C, while KNOM producer Dayneé Rosales recorded their voices for broadcast at a later time. It is always a delight to hear these young voices on KNOM.

In the KNOM lobby, the rest of the class quietly studied their lines, waiting for their turn to read their PSA scripts. When it was time for them to leave, each fifth grader smiled, waved goodbye, and said “thank you.”

Thank you to everyone who makes KNOM possible.

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Let’s have a conversation…

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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.

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What we’re thankful for…

The sun dips down a little more each day, as our days get shorter and the light grows dimmer. Yet, the bright voices of our staff and volunteers shine as radio listeners throughout cold, remote western Alaska listen to their favorite radio station: KNOM!

This Thanksgiving, we remembered supporters, past and present, who worked together to fund, create, and operate KNOM radio. As we enter the Christmas season, we give thanks for an incredible KNOM family helping to keep alive the dream of positive, inspirational radio.

Life can be very difficult at times, but by working together, we can help each other: especially those hardy souls in remote locations in Alaska and Russia. Thousands of families tune in each day to share in KNOM’s uplifting programs. We wish we could share their smiles, kind comments, and thanks with everyone who strives to make their lives better.

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November 1970: A short-lived Christmas star

The KNOM Christmas star

Visible for miles, KNOM’s current Christmas star sits at the very top of our FM transmitter tower in midtown Nome.

November 26, 1970

A 3-foot, lighted Christmas star tops the 49-foot studio tower. Like five successors over the years, it is blown apart by wind before the end of the holidays.

(The star’s modern successor – pictured at right – has proven to be much more wind-resistant!)

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