KNOM (780
AM) and KNOM-FM (96.1
FM) are
non-commercial
A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
radio stations
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-b ...
in
Nome,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. The station owners and licensees are KNOM Radio Mission, Inc., a
501(c)3 nonprofit entity with seven board members. The FM signal has an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
(ERP) of 1,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s and covers the city of Nome and adjacent communities. KNOM AM 780 is considered a
Class A station. By day, its signal is powered at 25,000 watts and can be heard as far north as
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 (6 km) long and about two miles (3 km) wide at its widest point.
Until the late 19th ...
and as far south as the
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ale, Alasxix̂; Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The ...
, with regular coverage of approximately . With a good radio, it can be heard into the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
. At night, power is reduced to 14,000 watts.
In addition to its local news, weather, public affairs and religious programming, KNOM broadcasts a wide range of music in various formats. It also broadcasts some
nationally syndicated programming, such as the Christian ''
20 The Countdown Magazine'' and the secular ''
American Top 40: The 70s''.
The station's newsroom is staffed by one full-time news director and several volunteer reporters. An
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
member station since 1971, the station dropped its AP affiliation in 2014.
In April 2015, the station was awarded "Best Daily News Program, Radio" in Alaska by the
Alaska Press Club
The Alaska Press Club is a network of journalists and media in Alaska. The club holds an annual journalism conference and awards banquet in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a ...
.
History
KNOM is the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States, and has been broadcasting in western Alaska for over four decades.
The idea for the station came from
James Poole, S.J. While serving at the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
mission in the village of
St. Mary's in 1959, Poole created a makeshift "radio station" by wiring 30 homes with speakers linked to the public address system. He was reassigned to Nome in 1966, with fundraising for the station beginning in December of that year.
In 1970, Tom Busch, a young broadcast engineer, moved to Nome, becoming the chief engineer and eventually the station's general manager. After several years of work, Busch and a large team of volunteers gathered the money for the equipment, filled out paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission, built the station, and assembled its original broadcasting equipment. KNOM first went on the air on July 15, 1971. Busch was the general manager of KNOM for more than 30 years.
Poole left KNOM and Alaska in 1988 when he was reassigned to work in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
. (Although not involved with the mission at that point, his name was used to thank donors. into the late 1990s.) In 2004 the first of what would become dozens of allegations began to emerge of Poole's sexual abuse of Alaska Native women during his time in rural Alaska from the 1960s through the 1980s. Tom Busch personally mailed every person who had donated to the station, explaining that the allegations were true, and detailing the steps the station would make.
For several years after, the station actively aired spots aimed at helping victims of sexual abuse.
By April 2005, Busch became development director and part-time engineer. Longtime program director and former volunteer Ric Schmidt became general manager. Tom was a past two-term president of the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Busch died on his 63rd birthday in November 2010 at his home in Anchorage, Alaska.
After the
Diocese of Fairbanks declared bankruptcy in February 2008, Busch (until his passing) and Schmidt worked toward incorporating the radio station as a non-profit entity independent of the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska. In March 2010 the station emerged as a 501(c)3, under the name "KNOM Radio Mission, Inc.".
In 2019, after an article from the Center of Investigative Reporting described Poole being allowed to retire at the Gonzaga campus after his abuse became publicly known,
KNOM's Board of Directors published a statement where they again renounce all of Poole's actions and commit to transparently carrying on with the mission of bringing news, inspiration, and encouragement to Western Alaska.
Current operations
KNOM is able to operate from the dedication of full-time volunteers who move to Nome and support the station in various ways as part of a year of service. In recent years those volunteers have lived in a volunteer house next door to the station building. In addition to healthcare coverage, volunteers are given a small monthly stipend for personal use and split a monthly stipend for food, utilities, and other bills. Upon completing one year of service, volunteers are given an education stipend and a small relocation bonus. Volunteers also have the option to re-apply for a second year.
Currently, KNOM is staffed by a combination of paid staff and volunteers. People who are interested in public service, or professional broadcast training (especially college-age students and senior citizens), are encouraged to apply.
Awards and recognitions
KNOM has won several awards for community service from the
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...
(NAB). It received the Crystal Service award in 1987, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2012. In 2013 it became the fourth radio station in the United States to receive the Crystal Heritage Award. The station has also won 19 Gabriel awards, as well as honors from the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals (CACAP), the Alaska Broadcasters Association (ABA), and other organizations.
KNOM has also received recognition from the State of Alaska, the City of Nome, and the Alaska National Guard.
References
*
*
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
NOM
NOM may refer to:
* National Organization for Marriage
* Natural organic matter
* New Order Mormons
* Nickelodeon Original Movies
* ''Nintendo Official Magazine'', official British Nintendo magazine; now discontinued, superseded by ''Official Ni ...
NOM
NOM may refer to:
* National Organization for Marriage
* Natural organic matter
* New Order Mormons
* Nickelodeon Original Movies
* ''Nintendo Official Magazine'', official British Nintendo magazine; now discontinued, superseded by ''Official Ni ...
Catholic radio stations
Nome, Alaska
NOM
NOM may refer to:
* National Organization for Marriage
* Natural organic matter
* New Order Mormons
* Nickelodeon Original Movies
* ''Nintendo Official Magazine'', official British Nintendo magazine; now discontinued, superseded by ''Official Ni ...
Radio stations established in 1971