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“YOURS FOR WESTERN ALASKA”

(907) 443-5221

Dear Friend… (January 2021)

KNOM’s radio signal is a hopeful and safe companion that inspires trust. The station’s positive message is not based on wishful thinking, but in a living hope: hope that has put its boots on and walks in trusting faith. It does not fear scarcity, but lives in the reality of God’s goodness and abundant provision. […]

Vaccines Arrive in Nome

Just a few days before Christmas, 975 coronavirus vaccines landed on the tarmac in Nome. Onlookers greeted the package with cheers and applause. Arriving on the heels of a major outbreak that closed schools in Nome, the vaccine brings great hope. Some residents said it made them think of the dogs and mushers that brought […]

Nome Varsity E-Sports Team Undefeated in Fall Season

A year after their founding, Nome-Beltz High School’s e-sports team has impressed parents and coaches. The team, which competes by playing age-appropriate games online, was one of the few school teams still allowed to compete in Alaska last fall. Coaches say the players’ swift success is remarkable. “One year ago … we were doing our […]

Successful Rescue Highlights HAM Radio Network Outage

In December, a search party went out to search for an overdue snowmachiner, George ‘Butch’ Wassillie, who had been traveling between Nome and White Mountain. Wassillie was found on the trail safe and sound. Still, White Mountain’s longtime Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO), Dan Harrelson, warned listeners that with the local HAM radio network down, […]

Village Comes Together to Mitigate Storm Damage

Aerial view of Unalakleet. There is mountains in the distance with water in the forefront. Buildings line the coastline. It is winter and snow is covering the ground.

In the middle of December, a severe weather warning came in for Unalakleet and the eastern areas of the Norton Sound region. The storm brought with it winds gusting to more than 60 miles per hour. A small roof blew off and flew into a high voltage line, snapping the cable in two. Half the […]

Winter Weather Damages FM Transmitter and Antenna

In mid-November, as Western Alaska transitioned from fall to winter with the thermometer ping-ponging above and below freezing, the KNOM FM transmitter’s signal strength dropped precipitously. The cycle of freeze-thaw combined with snow, freezing rain and wind wreaks havoc on the 30 year old antenna. (As regular readers may recall, the AM transmitter was replaced […]