KNOM
Encyclopedia
KNOM is a non-commercial
Catholic radio station
in Nome
, Alaska
, broadcasting at 780 AM and 96.1 FM. The station owner and licensee is the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska. The FM signal is 1000 watts and covers the city of Nome and immediately surrounding environs. The AM signal is 25 kilowatts and can be heard as far north as Barter Island
and as far south as the Alaska Peninsula
, with regular coverage of approximately 100000 square miles (258,998.8 km²). Its signal penetrates deep into the Russian Far East
.
In addition to its local, religious and Catholic programming, KNOM broadcasts a wide range of music in various formats. It also broadcasts national news from ABC Radio, plus some syndicated programming, such as the Christian 20 The Countdown Magazine
and the secular American Top 40: The 70s
.
Its regional news and public affairs department is the largest of any Alaska radio station.
Our continuing mission has been possible only through the hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and love of thousands of people: our staff and volunteers, the members of our community, and the thousands of donors who have kept the lights on and the transmitters running.
KNOM has been broadcasting to Western Alaska since July 14th, 1971, when the station aired its very first program. The development of KNOM – both preceding and following our first broadcast – has been filled with colorful stories, exceptional challenges, and an incredible tradition of support and cooperation. Our volunteers have made do with blinding snowstorms, mountains of red tape, and sometimes-imperfect equipment, and amid it all, they’ve helped to broadcast events from bathtub races to sled-dog races, from political conventions to volcanic eruptions.
April 2005, 30+ year General Manager, Tom Busch (who started as a KNOM volunteer and chief engineer in 1970) became development director and part-time engineer, and long time Program Director, and former volunteer Ric Schmidt became General Manager. Both are past two-term presidents of the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Tom passed away on his 63rd birthday in November, 2010 as he slept at his home in Anchorage, Alaska.
Currently KNOM AM and FM is staffed by six full-time and one part-time paid staff and four full-time and eight part-time volunteers. People who are interested in public service, or professional broadcast training (especially college-age students and senior citizens), are encouraged to apply.
Currently all broadcast and ancillary frequencies are being transferred from CBNA to the KNOM Radio Mission, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit entity with seven board members. The transfer will place the station in a position to have more local control, though the radio programming will not change.
The station is the recipient of four Crystal Awards for Excellence from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), three NAB Marconi Religious Station of the Year Awards, and nineteen Gabriel Radio Station of the Year Awards, plus numerous Crystal Communicator honors and awards from the Alaska Broadcasters Association.
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
Catholic radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, broadcasting at 780 AM and 96.1 FM. The station owner and licensee is the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska. The FM signal is 1000 watts and covers the city of Nome and immediately surrounding environs. The AM signal is 25 kilowatts and can be heard as far north as Barter Island
Barter Island
Barter Island is an island located on the Arctic coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, east of Arey Island in the Beaufort Sea. It is about four miles long and about two miles wide at its widest point....
and as far south as the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea....
, with regular coverage of approximately 100000 square miles (258,998.8 km²). Its signal penetrates deep into the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
.
In addition to its local, religious and Catholic programming, KNOM broadcasts a wide range of music in various formats. It also broadcasts national news from ABC Radio, plus some syndicated programming, such as the Christian 20 The Countdown Magazine
20 The Countdown Magazine
20 The Countdown Magazine is a weekly Christian music countdown program, syndicated to Christian radio stations in the United States, Canada and worldwide, including the K-LOVE and American Family Radio networks....
and the secular American Top 40: The 70s
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
.
Its regional news and public affairs department is the largest of any Alaska radio station.
History
KNOM is the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States, and has been broadcasting in Western Alaska for four decades.Our continuing mission has been possible only through the hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and love of thousands of people: our staff and volunteers, the members of our community, and the thousands of donors who have kept the lights on and the transmitters running.
KNOM has been broadcasting to Western Alaska since July 14th, 1971, when the station aired its very first program. The development of KNOM – both preceding and following our first broadcast – has been filled with colorful stories, exceptional challenges, and an incredible tradition of support and cooperation. Our volunteers have made do with blinding snowstorms, mountains of red tape, and sometimes-imperfect equipment, and amid it all, they’ve helped to broadcast events from bathtub races to sled-dog races, from political conventions to volcanic eruptions.
April 2005, 30+ year General Manager, Tom Busch (who started as a KNOM volunteer and chief engineer in 1970) became development director and part-time engineer, and long time Program Director, and former volunteer Ric Schmidt became General Manager. Both are past two-term presidents of the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Tom passed away on his 63rd birthday in November, 2010 as he slept at his home in Anchorage, Alaska.
Currently KNOM AM and FM is staffed by six full-time and one part-time paid staff and four full-time and eight part-time volunteers. People who are interested in public service, or professional broadcast training (especially college-age students and senior citizens), are encouraged to apply.
Currently all broadcast and ancillary frequencies are being transferred from CBNA to the KNOM Radio Mission, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit entity with seven board members. The transfer will place the station in a position to have more local control, though the radio programming will not change.
The station is the recipient of four Crystal Awards for Excellence from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), three NAB Marconi Religious Station of the Year Awards, and nineteen Gabriel Radio Station of the Year Awards, plus numerous Crystal Communicator honors and awards from the Alaska Broadcasters Association.