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Tag Archives | Nome

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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May 2003: Honoring nurses

By on April 30, 2013 in History

May 2, 2003

During National Nurse Week, Norton Sound Health Corporation honors three nurses.

They are: Terry Romenesko, RN; Annie Blandford, RN; and Linda Peters, RN, all of whom came to Nome as KNOM support nurses. Each has dedicated more than twenty years of care to patients at the Nome hospital.

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“A call that changed my life”

By on April 26, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, May 2013

Rolland and sled dogs

We continue to be amazed – both by the challenges that life in rural Alaska presents, and by the goodwill and hard work that those challenges bring forth from those within our KNOM family. This month, we conclude with the reflections of our volunteer engineer Rolland Trowbridge.

The following is an excerpt; we encourage you to read Rolland’s full story (.PDF file).

The PrecipiceA year ago, I received a call from KNOM’s general manager, Ric Schmidt, asking if I knew anything about automatic generator controls. Little did I know that that call would be a call to mission – and a call that would change my life.

I came to Nome on my family’s sailboat in 2009 after sailing over Canada through the Northwest Passage. We started in Michigan after ten years of preparation to take an epic trip with no clue where we would end up… After completing the passage, a storm ripped away our life raft, and we put into Nome to make repairs… Soon, we settled in and made Nome home.

I signed on for a year, and what a year. Every day, Nome’s environment does its worst… with extreme elements trying to tear apart everything that exists. Fortunately, KNOM has decades of experience in dealing with this. It is a true pleasure to work on something that has been built and designed to handle the environment it is in… I think I will be staying a while.

There has been a razor-sharp focus at KNOM for more than 40 years to build and maintain a reliable, low-cost-to-maintain station. I am proud to be part of it.

In the coming months, look for more from Rolland in a new segment for the Static: an Engineer’s Corner, with updates on KNOM’s equipment. Photos: Rolland, a sled dog musher, with one of his dogs; Rolland and family aboard their sailboat, the Precipice.

Again, you can read more of Rolland’s incredible story here.

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April 1998: Fighting a spring blizzard

By on April 22, 2013 in History

April 24, 1998

The last week of the month brings multiple days of a rip-roaring blizzard to Nome, and KNOMers run outside every hour to clear the station’s satellite dish of snow, which blocks signals.

In the dead of winter, snow does not cause this problem, as it is too dry to stick to the antennas.

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The Last Great Race returns

By on March 29, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, April 2013

In March, it was the news in Western Alaska: once again, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was passing through our region. It was an exciting time for our listeners and staff, and KNOM was at the forefront of coverage for this inspiring and unique competition.

The Iditarod – the “Last Great Race” – is a 1,000-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome; the finish line is just blocks from KNOM studios. The race is nearly as old as our mission; we’ve been covering the race every year since its inception in 1973.

Thanks to your support, we were able to bring the 2013 running of this epic race to our listeners, for whom the Iditarod is not just a sporting event but, also, an inspiration and a vital connection to traditional culture. Dog “mushing,” or the running of sled dogs, has deep roots in Alaska Native culture: a culture that both KNOM and the Iditarod celebrate.

KNOM’s coverage of the 2013 Iditarod included regular updates on the progress of the racers, or “mushers,” as they traversed the diverse and rugged Alaskan wilderness towards Nome. Many of the checkpoints through which the mushers passed were communities within KNOM’s listening range – further underscoring the importance of our race coverage.

As we’ve done for many years, we covered the Iditarod from the studio and from the trail, with news reporter Laureli Kinneen following the mushers, checkpoint by checkpoint, from Anchorage to Nome. (Laureli’s trip was subsidized with underwriting from local and regional organizations; their generosity made her on-location reporting possible.)

Back in the studio, KNOM rallied to cover the race with updates both on-air and online; regular broadcasts featured updates on mushers’ positions, weather conditions, and interviews, while our On the Trail blog showcased photos (a few of which are included here), audio from the finish line, and lots more.

To sample our coverage from this year’s Iditarod, we encourage you to visit our blog. Thank you so much for making this highlight of our broadcasting year possible!

Photos: the sled dogs of Iditarod 2013 champion Mitch Seavey pause a few miles outside the finish line in Nome and are silhouetted by the lights of the KNOM “spotter” vehicle; Laureli reports an Iditarod finish, live, from the finish line; musher Ramey Smyth – renowned for his dogs’ speed – mushes his team the final few feet of the race; a sled dog from the team of rookie Richie Diehl.

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What KNOM taught

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

Matthew deejays

Our feature series on KNOM volunteer alumni continues with Matthew Smith, our public affairs director from 2010 to 2012 who is now continuing his career in news broadcasting with KTVA television in Anchorage. Here’s Matt, in his own words, on what KNOM has already meant to him:

Matthew on the sea iceWhile I’ve only been a KNOM alumnus for a few months, I’m amazed at what the mission has made possible.

I learned about work, community, and myself during my time with KNOM. I learned how to be a reporter, how to find stories and write them in a way that was relevant to listeners in Western Alaska. From interviewing Iditarod mushers to meeting the Russian crew of the Renda as they made the first-ever winter fuel delivery to Nome (pictured at right), my experiences with KNOM made me the reporter I am today.

My time at KNOM also taught me what it means to be part of a small community. As a volunteer EMT, I remember taking blood pressure readings at the community health fair, giving residents of Nome access to blood work and medical exams that were otherwise simply unavailable. I never could have guessed how much being a part of the community in Nome would shape my years of service.

Renda captain Sergey Kopytov, Russian interpreter Michail Shestakov, and Matthew on board the RendaKNOM shaped my spirit, too. The people I met, the stories I heard and told, the connections I formed with roommates, co-workers, and friends: they have enriched my life in uncountable ways. I’m proud – and humbled – to have been a part of the mission, and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the coming years.

As always, we’re so grateful for the people who make our volunteer program possible. As you can see, KNOM continues to change lives: both those of our listeners and of our staff. It’s all thanks to you!

 

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What’s a “sun dog”?

By on February 17, 2013 in Photos, Stories
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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Reflections from our volunteers

By on January 30, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, February 2013

Lucus in Studio A

KNOM’s full-time volunteers remain hard at work, and thanks to our Volunteer Blog, you can stay up-to-date on all of the ways these outstanding, service-minded individuals are making a difference in Western Alaska. (Among other things, the blog showcases recent photos of our volunteers, a few of which are sampled above and below.)

Josh and Eva on the beachOne recent blog post from volunteer Dayneé Rosales highlighted the spirit of community that informs our mission. An excerpt:

Winter presents unique challenges for life in rural Alaska. Alcohol abuse and suicide are big issues here. It’s hard on a lot of families, but there are also people who want to help.

What I like most about Nome is the amount of courage and love I see in the community… I see how willing people are to share their game, invite you in their homes, and share their stories.

Nome and KNOM are becoming my home… I am forming amazing friendships and learning to appreciate what everyone must do for a city or village to not only survive, but flourish, despite whatever comes our way.

Thanks so much for supporting our volunteer program! Every day, you are truly making a difference.

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Waking up to KNOM

By on January 2, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, January 2013

KNOM listenership is perhaps never greater than in the mornings. Walk down the streets of a Western Alaskan community on any given morning, and you’re likely to hear the KNOM Morning Show spilling out of automobile radios and through open windows; you’ll hear KNOM’s morning news and weather being played at the post office, the local bank, the grocery store, and in so many other places.

We’re honored and humbled that many in our region wake up to KNOM, and during the work week, that means the Morning Show: hosted by dedicated volunteers Dayneé Rosales and Lucus Keppel, pictured in our main broadcast studio, Studio A.

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Despite the early hours they keep, Lucus and Dayneé have brought a fresh energy and creativity to their time on the Morning Show.

Megan Timm and Katie Gonzales

On “Breakfast Wednesdays,” Dayneé and Lucus welcome a few friends from the CAMP Department, a Nome health organization that specializes in nutrition and healthy living. Megan Timm and Katie Gonzales (pictured above) share tips on making nutritious breakfasts, and with Dayneé and Lucus, they invite our listeners to stop by and sample healthy breakfast foods: from sugar-free apple sauce to turkey bacon to breakfast quiche (pictured below).

Breakfast quiche

As we go to press, Lucus and Dayneé are also in the final days of a Christmastime writing contest for schoolchildren. They’re receiving contest entries of fiction and poetry from students all throughout our region, and during their morning broadcasts, they’re also emphasizing the importance of reading and discussing prominent authors and works of literature.

Thanks to you, we’re striving to inform, inspire, and entertain our listeners, night and day. For the latest on the Morning Show, visit the Morning Show blog.

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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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