ProgramsNewsAbout UsVolunteerDonate TodayGive Now96.1 fm 780 am Yours for Western Alaska

Tag Archives | news director

Back at the microphone

Paul and Eva at Nome-Golovin 2013

Paul and Ric co-host an Iditarod Update

Western Alaska’s listeners – and KNOM’s crew – recently delighted in hearing a familiar voice on our airwaves: staff alumnus Paul Korchin, who volunteered a week at our station in mid-March.

Paul, a longtime news director who now serves on our board of directors, generously contributed many hours to KNOM’s coverage of winter “race season” in our region: in particular, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (detailed here) and the Nome-Golovin Snowmachine Race. (“Snowmachine” is Alaskan parlance for snowmobile.)

Nome-Golovin is a fast-paced, 190-mile roundtrip from Nome to the community of Golovin and back. We cover the competition because of the high level of interest among our listeners; we’re proud to be one of the only media organizations to do so.

As the photos above show, Paul was instrumental in our coverage both of Nome-Golovin and of the Iditarod. Top: Paul broadcasts from the frozen Bering Sea during Nome-Golovin with volunteer Eva DeLappe; bottom: Paul joins Ric Schmidt in Studio A for a live update on Iditarod 2013. Thank you, Paul!

Continue Reading →

Continue Reading

August 1993: Tom Bunger arrives at KNOM

August 15, 1993

From Tacoma, Washington, Tom Bunger is among KNOM’s six volunteers, all new.

He’s assigned as news reporter, working under the supervision of news director Katy Clark. In 1994, Tom is hired as a salaried news director, a position he holds for three years before leaving the station for a career in the computer industry.

It is Tom who creates KNOM’s website in 1997, and he continues to help out the station from time to time.

Continue Reading

Fish and wildlife reports, and help from a KNOM alumnus

Tom at KNOM's hardware racks

Engineer, technology guru, and former KNOM news director Tom Bunger recently paid a visit to our station and helped us improve our networking and internet connectivity. Here, Tom makes some tweaks to KNOM’s internet wiring. Photo by David Dodman.

Fish are moving upriver, muskoxen are roaming the tundra, and bears are perched at the edge of streams looking for their next meal. Summer in bush Alaska means wildlife and fish reports on KNOM will keep everyone informed and safe.

As summer progresses, our daily high temperatures are typically about 50 degrees, and we have been experiencing record precipitation. We wish we could share our rain with the drought-stricken areas of the “lower 48.” We pray for them and for relief from their extreme dry conditions.

Former KNOM news director Tom Bunger pitched in last week as we worked on technology issues. Tom was visiting Nome and devoted some time to help us streamline our computer and internet operations. His suggestions and work should show immediate savings of $300 to $500 per month.  Thanks, Tom!

Continue Reading