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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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Christmas greetings, over the airwaves

By on December 9, 2012 in Stories

KNOM broadcasts to remote listeners throughout a signal area roughly the size of California.

With about 4 hours of sunlight each day at this time of year, communication can mean everything to families far away from each other.

Every year, KNOM broadcasts a seven-hour Christmas greeting program (call-in show) in which families separated by hundreds of miles can come together through the radio.

In remote stretches of western Alaska, some of KNOM’s listeners rarely get to see many of their relatives and friends, even at Christmastime. They so enjoy greeting each other during our call-in show, their happy voices spanning hundreds of miles to make a personal connection that their physical distance so often prevents. Listeners of all ages reach out to each other through KNOM to offer Christmas wishes. You can hear their joy and delight as they send out their heartfelt messages of love.

We wish you and everyone you care about the best this joyous Christmas. KNOM’s supporters make a remarkable difference in thousands of lives every day.

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Not a drop to drink

By on November 13, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, November 2012

KNOM's circulator pump

The morning of our press deadline for this month’s newsletter, the KNOM staff came into the studio building to an unpleasant surprise: no water. None of the faucets, water fixtures, or toilets in the building had any water pressure. Not a drop.

Our local public utility identified the culprit to be a frozen pipe caused by a failed circulator pump (pictured); even in mid-October, temperatures in Nome had already fallen well below the freezing point long enough for frozen pipes to become a problem.

While the water-pressure issue at KNOM was resolved relatively quickly – we had free-flowing water again by late morning – this incident is but a prelude of things to come for so many in our region.

This winter, many of our listeners will face freezing pipes – and in temperatures much colder than those in the fall. In blizzards or deep cold snaps (temperatures of -20°, -30°, or colder), many homeowners will experience problems with their heating systems. Power outages are relatively common, even in winter – although some in our listening range live permanently without electricity or running water.

These daily challenges spur us on to help thousands of families across Western Alaska. Living in the Alaskan bush is not easy – in winter, especially. But we believe that by providing timely weather forecasts, accurate news reporting, and urgent community announcements, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our listeners. You are making that difference, too – every day. Thank you.

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Conversations in rural Alaska

By on November 13, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, November 2012

Teller, Alaska

A regular part of our mission is to send our hardworking volunteers to the rural, isolated villages in our listening area, especially when events rally those communities together around a particular cause.

Eva collects audio at Teller presentationLast month, volunteers Eva DeLappe and Lucus Keppel visited one of the communities closest to KNOM: Teller, a village on the coast of the Seward Peninsula (pictured at top). Both went to gather material for their respective jobs at KNOM. Lucus recorded voices and other material to be used in spot production. Eva (as pictured) reported on a news event, a pancake dinner benefit that featured a local author, Claire Kennon, whose novels address a problem that is tragically rampant in rural Alaska: domestic violence. Here’s Eva in her own words:

It was amazing and inspiring to meet such a courageous woman. In her powerful presentation, Claire shed light on the mindset of a domestic violence survivor; the message was that we cannot judge women who stay in harmful situations, but we can help them.

I also did my first interview for Elder Voices (KNOM’s program featuring the stories of respected Alaska Native elders). I spoke with James Okpealuk (ahk-bee-YAH-look), an 80-year-old Siberian Yup’ik man born and raised in the village of Diomede (DYE-yuh-meed). He told me stories about seal hunting, his father’s love of Eskimo dancing, and his own passion for ivory carving. He was kind and generous, and I felt honored to listen to his stories firsthand.

The drive was fun! It was a two-hour drive on a long, quiet dirt road. And we could tell winter is definitely here. We passed half-frozen streams, saw snow-white mountains, and drove through snow flurries.

Thank you for making trips like this possible! (Additional photos, below: artwork in the Teller school celebrating Native culture and decrying domestic violence.)

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Halloween, 1970: The AM tower is complete

By on October 28, 2012 in History

October 31, 1970

The AM tower construction is complete. Nome Joint Utilities runs a power line across the tundra to the tower, and it is lighted. It’s finished just in time. Two days later, blizzards shut down Nome for almost three weeks.

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Summer challenges: weather broadcasts and telephone lines

By on August 12, 2012 in Photos, Stories

CloudsRural Alaska’s brief summer brings more than its share of unique challenges, many of which we can anticipate. Every year, nonetheless, unexpected emergencies find a way of catching us by surprise.

This summer, our friends at the National Weather Service are working with KNOM to overcome their latest difficulties. Normally, weather reports air on both a special National Weather Service radio channel and on KNOM. Recently, however, the Weather Service’s radio channel has fallen into disrepair.

Until a repairman can be flown to Nome, KNOM’s role as a primary source of critical weather information will be even greater.

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Fish and wildlife reports, and help from a KNOM alumnus

By on July 29, 2012 in Photos, Stories
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!

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Summer and Sunday Mass

By on June 24, 2012 in Photos, Stories
Father Ross Tozzi

Father Ross Tozzi celebrates Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Nome.

Large patches of snow dot the tundra on north facing hills, but most areas are beginning to see a variety of blooming tundra flowers. Subsistence fishing and hunting will soon begin; in Western Alaska, families work hard to store up food for the winter.

Throughout KNOM’s primary coverage area, 19,230 persons are unable to worship Roman Catholic Mass in their villages more than half of the time. For these individuals, the only weekly opportunity to worship the Mass is KNOM’s Sunday morning broadcast.

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