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Tag Archives | news

May 1998: Plane crash near Nome

By on May 13, 2013 in History

May 14, 1998

A Cessna Caravan airplane with ten people aboard crashes on a hilltop three miles north of Nome in near zero visibility.

KNOM broadcasts frequent live reports from search and rescue headquarters and from the scene as rescuers battle heavy snow and fog looking for the aircraft.

This is one of many crashes covered by KNOM over the years. It’s unique, however, in that the passengers (all of whom survive with minor injuries) follow the progress of their own search efforts by listening to a portable radio tuned to KNOM.

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Back at the microphone

By on March 30, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, April 2013

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!

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From Rome to Nome

By on March 28, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, April 2013

St. Peter's, The VaticanLike many of our listeners – and, we imagine, many of our supporters – we were excited last month to hear the news of the newly-chosen Pope Francis.

Thanks to you, the Catholic faithful throughout Western Alaska were kept informed on the headlines from Vatican City with hourly national and world news provided by ABC News, of which KNOM is an affiliate. This news coverage is a part of our hourly radio programming throughout the year, but it takes on special significance when national and international news events reverberate in rural Alaska.

For obvious reasons, KNOM cannot provide its own news coverage for stories that take place thousands of miles away. In these moments, a cornerstone of our Catholic mission – to inform the listeners of Western Alaska – extends even beyond the borders of our state. From Rome to Nome, our mission calls us to bring information to the listeners of Western Alaska; it’s made possible through your support. Thank you!

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Welcoming the next generation of broadcasters

By on March 1, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, March 2013

Janice HomekingkeoEducation has been an essential component of our mission since KNOM’s inception in 1971. Last month, we realized the goal of education in a special way: by welcoming a broadcasting student with special ties to the region we serve.

Janice Homekingkeo (pictured at left) hails from Koyuk (COY-uck), a Western Alaskan community nestled on Norton Bay. Janice is a lifelong KNOM listener with a keen interest in broadcasting; it’s her academic focus at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois, and it was the subject of her two-week internship at KNOM in January.

Closely shadowing our news director, Laureli Kinneen, Janice got a behind-the-scenes look at a working radio newsroom. She watched Laureli and KNOM’s other newsies broadcast live reports and prepare weather forecasts, and soon, she was ready to take to the microphone herself. Janice recorded daytime weather casts and, on her final day at our studios, even anchored a KNOM newscast.

Thank you for allowing us to share, in so many ways, the special potential of radio with our listeners. To hear Janice’s news broadcast, check out our Update News episode from Friday, January 25, 2013.

 

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Welcome back, Ben!

By on February 28, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, March 2013

Ben outside KNOM studios

A familiar (and smiling) face graced KNOM studios last month: that of volunteer alumnus Ben Matheson, who donated a week of vacation time to help our mission with our coverage of the Norton Sound 450 (described in more detail elsewhere in our March newsletter).

Ben at the construction site for the Tom and Florence Busch Digital StudiosBen’s presence within our studios was invaluable. A two-year veteran of all things KNOM and rural Alaska, Ben brought his zeal for reporting and for the Arctic to our newest generation of radio volunteers. Ben guided them through the details of each race broadcast, and like all KNOM staffers, he was on hand for the myriad other duties that arise during the day.

Thanks so much, Ben!

 

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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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Congrats to the news crew!

By on December 18, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Year-End 2012

Margaret and Eva hold Goldie Awards

It’s an exciting time for our mission: our news team is the recipient of two highly-coveted awards from the Alaska Broadcasters Association (ABA)!

The ABA Goldie Awards recognize excellence in radio and TV broadcasting across the state of Alaska, and in November, the organization honored KNOM news with awards in the categories “Service to Children” and “Service to Community.”

Both awards specifically recognize news shows produced by KNOM’s former volunteer public affairs director, Matthew Smith, who served our mission from 2010 through earlier this year. Winning the awards were Matthew’s news feature on the personal stories of Nome 8th graders and his radio spots on a mysterious disease that affected some seals in Alaskan waters this year. (The marine mammals have a special place in the subsistence lifestyle that is at the heart of our region’s traditional culture, making Matthew’s reporting not just timely but, also, vitally important.)

We share these latest awards with you: congratulations, and thanks so much for making possible the crucially-needed reporting that KNOM news does every day. Holding our latest Goldies, above, are our current news volunteers – Margaret DeMaioribus and Eva DeLappe – whose work, thanks to you, continues the standards of excellence our mission has maintained for more than 40 years. To hear one of Matt’s award-winning programs, head on over to our news page.

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Bright colors in the cold skies, and warm thanks from a listener

By on December 2, 2012 in Photos, Stories
Sunrise over Nome

Sunrise over downtown Nome, Alaska on a clear November morning.

The Northern sky has seen a thousand shades of red and yellow as the sun pokes up in the southeast and sinks into the southwest. There have been beautiful auroras streaming in the night sky: like sparkling, swirling curtains of green and red light. God has blessed us with a bounty of beauty, reminding us, every day, to delight in the splendor of His creation.

A local listener called KNOM on Thanksgiving and asked that her message be passed on to all who support KNOM:

Tell everyone thank you. Thank you for my radio station. Thank you to the volunteers who have traveled so far to be with us. Thank you for coming here. Thank you for the music, prayers, news, and announcements. Thank you for being my friend. God bless and quyanna*.

We pass on these thanks to the entire KNOM family.

*Quyanna means ”thank you” in the Alaska Native languages of our region.

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A more beautiful Nome

By on November 21, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Christmas 2012

The KNOM news department has recently reported on beautification efforts made by the city of Nome: the “abatement” (or demolition) of a number of abandoned structures. In the small communities we serve, these small civic improvements can make a big difference in town pride and even public safety; on rare occasions, abandoned structures can become major fire hazards. Thanks to your support, we’re able to report on such important quality-of-life improvements in our region.

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This just in!

By on November 19, 2012 in The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Christmas 2012

Just before the deadline for the Christmas 2012 Static (our newsletter), we received great news: KNOM had received two Goldie Awards at the annual convention of the Alaska Broadcasters Association!

The awards recognize KNOM news programs; you’ll find more details here, as well as in our forthcoming Year-End 2012 newsletter.

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