There’s new leadership in the KNOM production department these days. In October, Laura Collins became our mission’s program director.
As readers may recall, longtime program director Kelly Brabec left KNOM this past autumn after more than a decade of service to our mission. We were heartened and excited to see Laura promoted to program director upon Kelly’s departure. She’s been taking to her new role with aplomb.
What does a program director do? At KNOM, as with all of our staff and volunteer positions, it’s a broadly multi-faceted role — and, for our mission, a vital one. Laura oversees all of the non-news programming that KNOM airs every day. That includes our special mix of music, from the 1940s through the 2010s; inspirational and educational spots and public service announcements; religious programming, including Sunday Mass and our nightly Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary; shows focused on Alaska storytelling and Alaska Native culture, like our KNOM originals Let’s Tell Legends and Stories, Dearest Alaska, and Story49; and perennially popular music shows, from Vintage Oldies to specialty programs hosted by local, community deejays, focusing on genres like bluegrass, folk, Americana, and more.
As you may well know, KNOM serves an essential role through its programming; our station is a primary source of music, entertainment, inspiration, information, and news for many of our listeners, especially those in the most rural, remote stretches of Western Alaska. As program director, Laura keeps alive this cornerstone of KNOM’s daily mission: she helps to make sure our broadcasts continue to engage, inspire, inform, and entertain in ever-new ways. And as someone who started out as a volunteer in 2007 — and returned to KNOM as an outreach coordinator in 2011 — she’s amply versed in the mission she’s now helping to lead in a new way.
Thanks so much for your support of our staff, our volunteers, and the crucial work we strive to do, everyday. It means a lot and makes such a difference.
