KNOM: The Nome Static, August 2008

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: (left) KNOM volunteer inspiration director Dave Dodman has decided to stay on for a third year of service.

Dave, who also cheerfully announces the morning program, is known for his broad smile, as well as an ever willingness to go out of his way to help someone.

Thank you, Dave!

IGNORE PREVIOUS MESSAGE: It’s true that we have two National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Religious Station of the Year Awards, but it turns out that for 2008, we were mistakenly told that KNOM is a finalist.

So, maybe not this year. Still, our mission has been honored with every major broadcasting award. That’s because we truly care for the scattered flock in rural Alaska, and together with you, we provide them with a sparkling offering of programs, 24 hours a day. Thank you for your help!

     HISTORIC INSPIRATIONAL SPOT: You know the story of St. George the dragon slayer, the knight in shining armor who rides into a North African town and hears about a fire-breathing dragon that demands the locals send a regular human sacrifice.

     As it turns out, the victim of the day is a beautiful princess.

     Well, George subdues the dragon, brings it to town and says “be baptized in the name of Christ and I’ll kill the dragon.”

     They are. He does. There’s a big celebration. St. George and the princess live happily ever after.

     It’s a great story, but it’s not true.

     That version of the tale was written about a thousand years after the real St. George died a martyr to Roman persecutions in Palestine around the year 300. Nothing else is known of George’s life.

     Nevertheless, he is the patron saint of Boy Scouts, Germany, Portugal and England. His symbol, a red cross on a white background, even became part of England’s flag.

        (This spot is one of a series of 75 which were produced by KNOM in the early 1990s and ran for more than 15 years.)

INSPIRATIONAL SPOT: God loves YOU infinitely, completely, unbelievably, without hesitation, fatherly, mercifully, through others, ‘til the end, without end, unconditionally, absolutely positively, no doubt about it, faithfully, joyfully — perfectly!

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IT COMPUTES! (left) General manager Ric Schmidt shows daughter Rosa two of KNOM’s audio computers.

In June, our master computer system failed catastrophically, mandating a painful $59,396 replacement.

It records and plays back audio in all of the studios, and operates KNOM unattended throughout the night.

TWO TIMER: Former general manager Tom Busch wound up making two trips to Nome in July.

With Ric Schmidt and family on vacation, Tom came to lend a helping hand, and again to continue annual preventive maintenance on the 25,000 Watt transmitter, replacing two large capacitors that were showing signs of imminent failure.

Another former KNOM’er, fellow engineer Les Brown, was also in Nome in July to fix small dings and ensure that KNOM’s technical operation was ship-shape.

To their horror, Tom and Les realized that between them, they have over 90 years of broadcast engineering experience. Les joked that in five years, it will be one hundred!

TOPICALLY: Topics you would have heard discussed recently on KNOM included ethnobotany, the science of the relationships between cultures and plants.

Experts also spoke of the Internet in Alaska, law enforcement in the bush, archaeological discoveries, the ingenuity of the Bering Sea Eskimo, and the difficulty rural residents have getting drivers’ licenses and IDs, among many others. Thank you for helping provide our extremely isolated listeners with information that is important to them!

22,600: That’s how many inspirational spots KNOM has broadcast so far this year, along with an equal number of educational ones, thanks to you. Thank you!

Please consider adding the KNOM mission to your will. We prayerfully place all such gifts into funds that provide for emergencies and future major improvements.

INSPIRATIONAL SPOT: Let your smile be sincere and friendly. Your cheerfulness will infect the people around you. Your smile can encourage the discouraged and help the hopeless.

So be of good cheer! You have hope in Christ and you can bring that hope to others.

Truly, you can help make your world a better place.

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FORTY YEARS AGO: He’s been on loan to the St. Marys Mission for months, 175 miles to the south. In August 1968, Paul Dieser returns to Nome to become founding chief engineer for the future Catholic radio station.

THIRTY YEARS AGO: In his three years at KNOM, volunteer Mark Hoelsken has produced some unusual remote broadcasts. As a great last chapter in August 1978, he provides live coverage as Fish and Game biologists rescue a moose that had been chased into the ocean by loose dogs.

On August 26, 1978, Mark enters the Jesuit novitiate in Portland, Oregon.

(Left) In April, 2003, KNOM spiritual director Fr. Mark Hoelsken, SJ, visits with then-assistant program director Kelly Brabec in Studio A, the station’s master control.

Fr. Mark departed KNOM in 2006, and Kelly has been KNOM’s program director for the past three years.

TO NEW THINGS: Last month, we had room for only a brief mention of volunteer production director Kristina Proctor, who departed after a year of dedicated service. Kristina is looking forward to a year working with children in the inner city. After that, with an eye toward a career, she plans to head back to school to learn radio broadcast engineering.

We know that you join us in wishing Kristina a bright and happy future. Kristina, thank you and may God bless you greatly!

55º AND 34º: Those were Nome’s high and low temperatures in the fourth week of July.

This is a time of year when villagers leave their tiny communities for even more remote points in order to fish. KNOM is their only contact with the outside world.

Once more, thank you for helping us to serve them with spiritual inspiration, information, education and companionship.

You and all of your intentions are in our prayers every day. May God bless you abundantly!