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Tag Archives | studio

Construction update

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

Work on our studio expansion project – the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios – has reached an important milestone! Thanks to your continued support, our dedicated construction crew has been able to complete the outside “box” of our annex: its floor, walls, and a sturdy, insulated roof, all of which can be seen, inside and out, in the photos above.

Our studio renovation, as you may know, will convert KNOM’s broadcasting tools from its aging, analog equipment to all-digital hardware, which will be far less expensive and complicated to operate, repair, and maintain. The new construction will be essential to our mission’s continued operations for many years to come.

Now that the outside of our new studio space is close to completion, the more complex work of installing our digital hardware – and raising the funds for this crucially-needed gear – lies ahead. As we go to press, our digital studio funds stand at $487,946.19; it’s enough to pay for the empty building with about $14,000 left over to go toward equipment, which we estimate will cost $358,430. To learn more or to help, visit our Digital Studios page or call 907-443-5221.

 

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A roof over our heads!

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

Our photo gallery is back this month, and as you’ll hopefully glean from the images above, work is continuing at an exciting pace for the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios!

The new building, as readers may know, will be an annex to our existing building; it will be home to much-needed studio space and allow us to renovate our broadcast hardware with digital gear: far more cost-effective, easily repaired, and “future-proof” than what we use now.

The four photos this month show a crucial part of this winter’s work: the (relatively rapid) construction of our new studios’ floor, the erection of its walls, and the laying of panels for its roof. All of these pictures were taken from second-floor vantage points in our current building; as you can see, our intrepid construction crew is working deftly even at precarious heights!

As we go to press, work continues on the roof of the building and on insulation for the entire structure; we’ll have more photos in our May Static. To learn more – or to help our project keep moving forward – visit our digital studios page.

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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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An exciting milestone!

By on January 31, 2013 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2013 (All), The Nome Static, February 2013

It’s both exciting and humbling to report the continued progress of our campaign for the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. We’ve just passed a crucial landmark; with donations now approaching $500,000, we have enough funds to build Phase 1 of the project, the outside frame of our studio annex.

The digital studios project will expand our studio space (into the lot pictured) and renovate it: replacing our aging, analog equipment with digital hardware that will be more cost-efficient to maintain.

As we go to press, we’re still eagerly awaiting the beginning of Phase 1 construction, which has been delayed, in part, because of the complications of wintertime weather in rural Alaska (as pictured) and the limited construction workforce in our region.

Also, we continue to seek funds for Phase 2 of construction: the renovation of our existing studios and the purchase of new digital broadcast equipment.

We thank you for your continued support and ask for prayers. Together, we’re moving forward! To learn more, visit our digital studios page.

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Onward with our new studios!

By on November 20, 2012 in Photos, The Nome Static, The Nome Static, 2012 (All), The Nome Static, Christmas 2012

LumberWe can’t imagine a more wonderful Christmas gift than the outpouring of generosity we’ve received for our major studio renovation and expansion project: the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. By year’s end, with your help, we hope to have enough funds to sustain us through the first phase of the studios’ construction (slated through May 2013).

A few weeks ago, our first shipment of building materials arrived: our cargo of lumber (portions of which are pictured at left) cost $69,606.88 and will be used to construct the bare frame of our annex. Even without any equipment or furnishings, this first construction phase will cost $301.69 per square foot.

By the time you read this, the skeleton frame of our annex should be rising above the lot next to our studios (pictured at bottom during a recent sunset). Also at bottom is an architect’s rendering of the finished structure. For more on the project – and to help make it a reality – visit this page.

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Ready for (more) construction!

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

Cargo containers at the Nome port

Somewhere in the cargo containers you see above (recently unloaded from a massive barge shipment at Nome’s port) are the materials we’ll soon use to continue construction on the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. We so appreciate all who have given their time, talents, and treasure to allow this project to move forward. The empty lot you see pictured at bottom will soon be filled with the skeleton of our new studio annex – thanks to you!

Future studios site

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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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A failed sensor and a frozen pipe

By on October 20, 2012 in Stories

At times, KNOM staff and volunteers face a variety of challenges. Last week brought engineering, computer, and plumbing difficulties, but with the help of professionals and an energetic staff, each problem was identified, and, when possible, solved.

Among our glitches was a malfunctioning temperature sensor at our studio building. The sensor is designed to feed live temperature data to our on-air deejays, so that we can announce local weather conditions as they change. After a visual inspection and a reboot of the computer attached to the sensor, our temperature readings are now accurate and back to normal.

As our repaired temperature sensor will attest, Nome’s temperatures are now consistently falling below the freezing point, and last week this caused a problem: the main water lines leading into the KNOM studio building froze. The water slowed to a trickle, then stopped! Every time there is a plumbing problem, however, our favorite plumbers stop what they are doing (this time it was an installation of a heating system) and come to our aid. The frozen pipe was thawed, and once again, the water is flowing.

We thank all who help to keep the heat and lights on (and all the other utilities working properly!). We so appreciate all they do for us.

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October 1971: The loss of Brother Huck

By on October 6, 2012 in History

October 8, 1971

Traveling by small boat from the village of Pilot Station to St. Mary’s, 33-year-old Br. John Huck, SJ, and three others drown when their boat capsizes near the confluence of the Yukon and Andreafsky Rivers. Huck, who directed construction on the studio building, had become a great friend to the KNOM crew, who are overcome with grief. Huck’s body is never found.

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Signs of summer, and letters of appreciation

By on July 22, 2012 in Photos, Stories
Leona Mayac picks salmonberries

A sign of late summer, circa 1990s: Nome resident Leona Mayac scours for wild salmonberries on boggy tundra 15 miles from Nome. (This photo was originally featured in our September 1999 newsletter.)

The temperatures are hovering in the mid-50s, and our region’s families are fishing, hunting, and preparing to gather greens and berries. They are also listening to KNOM. The radio is a constant companion for thousands of Alaskans, and if they could, they would thank all who make this radio ministry possible!

Signs of appreciation – in the form of support letters from organizations and individuals – continue to arrive as we put together our foundation grant requests for construction of the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios. These notes from the people who support, listen to, depend on, and enjoy the KNOM Radio Mission remind us of all the wonderful benefits you help bring to our remote listeners.

Special thanks this week to KNOM volunteer Matt Smith. He was instrumental in getting KNOM back on the air after utility workers shut off power to the AM transmitter site last week.

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