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Tag Archives | ice

Breakup, mail delays, and Communicator Awards

By on May 5, 2013 in Photos, Stories
Melting ice under "breakup boots," Nome, Alaska

Melting ice under “breakup boots,” Nome, Alaska. Photo by Laura Davis Collins.

All across Western Alaska, it’s the season known as “breakup”: the slow, on-again/off-again period of melting that signals the gradual approach of summer. Some days are bright and sunny, and others are cloudy and snowy. The sun melts ice on rooftops as the tundra gives up its blanket of white snow, little by little. Spring is here, mud and large puddles reign supreme in our streets, and birds of all kinds are returning to their summer homes.

There have been mail delays at the local post office, so we haven’t been able to thank our supporters as quickly as we would like. Nome is at the end of the mail trail, and it sometimes takes an extra two to three weeks or more to receive envelopes and packages from supporters in the Lower 48. Everything takes longer here at the edge of the Bering Sea.

Finally, we’ve just received word that the KNOM volunteers have been awarded four Communicator Awards for excellence in radio programming! They will soon be adding three silver statues, and one gold, to the KNOM trophy case.

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Transitions

By on April 30, 2013 in Stories

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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Spring’s slow arrival, and a special nod from the Alaska Legislature

By on April 22, 2013 in Stories

In rural Alaska, spring is arriving in stops and starts.

As our daylight hours rapidly increase – by more than six minutes each day – our skies alternate between sunshine, clouds, and heavy fog. Temperatures hover near the freezing point during the day, and the snow and ice are beginning to recede. Perhaps most noticeably, the many bird species that call Nome home during the summer are beginning to return to the countryside. Spring in Alaska is a joyous time – and a season that rewards patience.

After receiving the 2013 Crystal Heritage Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), we were recently surprised with another special recognition from the State of Alaska. KNOM Radio was honored by the Alaska Legislature with a congratulatory proclamation. Senators Donald Olson and Dennis Egan were the main sponsors, and all the other Alaska senators signed on as co-sponsors.

We share this additional recognition with the entire KNOM family and wish we could thank each and every person who prays and contributes to keep KNOM on the air. Thanks to all who help KNOM make a positive difference every minute of every day!

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April ice, and a prestigious award

By on April 15, 2013 in Stories

The winter weather continues: temperatures hover near zero as more ice forms on the Bering Sea. The frigid temperatures bring dazzling, clear, sunlit days and awe-inspiring nights – with the moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky.

We gladly share the congratulations of the entire radio broadcasting community for KNOM’s 2013 Crystal Heritage Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). We are so grateful to the thousands of KNOM supporters and wish that the entire KNOM family could have stood on the stage to accept this special accolade. (To do so, of course, the stage would need to have been larger than the deck of an aircraft carrier!)

At last week’s award ceremony at the annual NAB Show, the presenter for the Crystal Awards stated:

KNOM is a friendly voice, a community resource, and a vitally-needed lifeline. It is a source of companionship, entertainment, inspiration, and information, and in extreme moments – especially in the midst of dangerous weather conditions – its broadcasts can save lives. For its listeners and the communities of its region, KNOM truly is “Yours for Western Alaska.”

Thank to all who make this critical work possible!

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Coming soon: a special award – and warmer weather

By on April 8, 2013 in Stories

The winter weather is lingering as the daylight grows, and temperatures are hovering around 5 degrees above zero. Warmer days are just around the corner, and soon, the ice will begin to melt. Many times, however, chunks of ice on the shore of the Bering Sea remain well into June, blowing out to sea only as the summer solstice looms. KNOM keeps listeners up to date on these potentially dangerous ice conditions.

It’s for efforts like these and many others that KNOM will soon be receiving the Crystal Heritage Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB); the award honors the community service work of our devoted staff, volunteers, and supporters, and we’re so excited to receive it. National recognition for our little mission radio station is a tribute to the years of service provided by KNOM. We thank the thousands of supporters and the hardy radio pioneers who first put KNOM on the air. For the last four decades, they have poured their heart and soul into keeping KNOM on the air.

You can find out more about this award, the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios conversion process, and all the other things that are happening at KNOM by continuing to explore this website – we invite you to stay a while!

If you have never visited before, you will find a great variety of pictures, information about KNOM’s history, our staff, more than a decade of issues of our monthly newsletter (The Nome Static), programming information, audio files, and a lot more. We are not yet able to stream the KNOM signal due to very poor internet speeds in our part of the world, but we have heard plans of improved internet coming to our region in November. So: stay tuned!

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In the frigid air, construction continues

By on February 24, 2013 in Photos, Stories
Digital studios construction, February 13

Construction workers quickly erect the outside frame of the new Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios, as seen from the second floor window of KNOM’s current facilities.

The moon shines from a pale blue sky as ice crystals dance across the tundra, carried by a fierce North wind. The sun makes the snow on the land and sea ice sparkle like a billion diamonds. The ice has stopped shifting (for now), and a few brave souls are setting their crab pots through holes in the frozen Bering Sea, hoping to harvest a winter bounty of crab.

Suffering through cold temperatures and a bitterly cold wind, our construction crew has just finished nailing down the roof structure for KNOM’s Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. KNOM news director Laureli Kinneen baked a batch of cookies for these hardy men. The crew enjoyed the tasty treats and then went right back to work. Please add your prayers to ours for the health and safety of these wonderful carpenters.

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

By on February 3, 2013 in Stories

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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Howling winds outside, and a mentorship in our newsroom

By on January 14, 2013 in Stories

The winds are howling and the snow is flying as Alaska’s winter continues into 2013. The KNOM weather reports help families stay safe and plan their winter travel. However, one unaware traveler recently had to be rescued by helicopter from an ice floe due to extreme north winds (which separated the sea ice nearest Nome from its shoreline). Our message is always a clear one, “listen to KNOM for the latest weather forecast!”

This week, KNOM news director Laureli Kinneen is mentoring a young listener from the community of Koyuk. She is studying broadcasting and, during her college break, will be job-shadowing Laureli, interviewing area news-makers, and writing news stories. It is such a blessing to pass on the mission ideals of KNOM to young students.

We are thankful for all the prayers, kind comments, and contributions. The KNOM family is serving our remote part of the world, and we thank you for all you do for us.

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KNOM Radio Mission, 2012: Twelve Snapshots

By on December 12, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Year-End 2012

January

The Russian tanker Renda

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.

February

Pete Kaiser wins the 2012 NS450

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.

March

Martin and Rohn Buser

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.

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December 1986: Under a coat of ice, the tower is near collapse

By on December 1, 2012 in History

December 3, 1986

A storm this week deposits ice the thickness of cucumbers on the KNOM tower and its guy wires, which sag dangerously. The tower is in imminent danger of collapsing.

Tower expert Rod Ewing immediately flies in from Wasilla, Alaska to supervise Timothy Cochran and Tom Busch as they strain to keep the structure standing by carefully tightening the stretched guys, one by one. “It was close,” Timothy relates.

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