About KNOM Radio Mission

An Alaska Native dance ensemble performs inside a school gymnasium. — KNOM airs Alaska Native music regularly and often covers drumming and dancing events (such as this one from the Kingikmiut Dance Festival in Wales, Alaska, Sep. 2017). Photo: Gabe Colombo, KNOM.

Our Mission Statement

Encountering Christ, embracing culture, empowering growth, and engaging the listener.

Core Values

1. Being a Friend and Companion
2. Respectful Service
3. Catholic Ideals

We are KNOM: Yours for Western Alaska.

KNOM exists to broadcast faith, inspiration, news, and education through radio to listeners in villages across the Western Alaskan bush, from the Yukon Delta to the Bering Strait.

As the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States, KNOM broadcasts the evening Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy as well as weekly Sunday Mass. KNOM’s mission is built on the foundational values of being a friend and companion to listeners and providing respectful service that is based on Catholic ideals.

Aerial view of Unalakleet during winter, with open water along the coast. — An aerial view of Unalakleet, one of the villages served by KNOM’s radio signal and news coverage. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media (and former KNOM volunteer).

The radio station is an important communication link for a highly remote and isolated part of the United States. Listeners share in what’s happening in their home village, their region, their state, their country, and their world. In a desire to be a helpful friend and companion on the airwaves, KNOM’s ministry often takes the form of objective news reporting, accurate weather forecasts, and comprehensive community announcements.

The traditional music and storytelling of Alaska Native people of Western Alaska is an integral part of KNOM’s programming. By embracing local cultures, we hope our programming helps bolster some of the most deeply rooted cultures of Alaska.