It’s been 47 years since John Pfeifer last set foot in Nome. The former KNOM radio engineer returned this July to reminisce about the station’s early days. His long career in media began with a job in radio at the age of 17. Later, Pfeifer received a license from the FCC for radio engineering at his local Woodstock, Kansas station. Then, in 1970 he noticed an interesting ad on the back of an issue of Broadcasting Magazine.
“There was an ad to come up and help build a radio station and it offered room and board and $5 a week, so that sounded interesting to me,” Pfeifer recalled.
Pfeifer applied for the job and a short time later was hired. He arrived in Nome in August and says that he and the KNOM construction crew immediately went to work converting the building from a house into the future radio station. He spent the first year working alongside Tom Busch, who later served as General Manager for nearly three decades.
The duo raced against the clock, at times working 12 hours a day to pour a foundation and lay cable lines for the radio tower before winter set in. On July 14 the following year, they flipped the switch and KNOM Radio began broadcasting throughout the Seward Peninsula.
Pfeifer traded his hard hat for a microphone and served as a news anchor and morning show host for six months. He fondly remembers the “Early Bird Club” he started, where listeners would send in postcards with the name of the first song they heard each day. In return, Pfeifer sent them a personal letter and photo.
"It just really made me feel like I was super connected to the people all up and down the coast."
- John Pfeifer
After leaving KNOM, Pfeifer diversified his media career by working in public radio, newspaper, TV news, and even as a professional circus clown with the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Throughout his career, Pfeifer said that Alaska always held a special place in his heart.
Nearly five decades later the KNOM pioneer and industry veteran was finally able to make the trip back to Nome. He visited with old friends and went sightseeing around town. While much has changed in Nome since his time at the radio station, his love and appreciation for the unique western Alaska community never has.
“It’s great to be here,” Pfeifer said. “Everything’s changed in 47 years, but it’s just wonderful to be back.”
Pfeifer is now enjoying retirement in Girdwood with his wife, Anna Moran.
