What Augie Made Possible
KNOM would not exist without the help of Augie Hiebert, a legendary Alaska broadcaster who avidly championed the mission for decades.
April 1982: New stations in the neighborhood
April 11, 1982 This month, Tom Busch and pioneer Alaska broadcaster Augie Hiebert discover plans by the Canadian government to construct new AM stations that would virtually destroy long distance radio reception in the Alaska bush. They research options that will eliminate this threat.
March 1968: Picking a frequency
March 20, 1968 Pioneer Alaska broadcaster Augie Hiebert, who is handling the Nome Catholic radio project’s paperwork, suggests 780 kHz as the new station’s frequency. In a letter, he asks Peter Gureckis of John H. Mullaney’s Washington, DC engineering firm if he concurs.
February 1968: Legal help from Joseph Hennessey
February 16, 1968 At the request of pioneer Alaska broadcaster Augie Hiebert, Washington, DC communications attorney Joseph Hennessey agrees to provide free legal assistance. Hennessey continues to help the mission at no charge through 1990.
October 1984: A new class of radio station
October 25, 1984 After nearly two years of lobbying, frequent intervention by Senator Ted Stevens, and five inches of paperwork, the FCC grants KNOM and fifteen other high-power Alaskan stations protection against interference that is beyond what is afforded large Lower 48 stations, by creating a new class of station, 1-N (“N” for north). It […]