| City of license | Nome, Alaska |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Western Alaska |
| Branding | KNOM |
| Slogan | Alaska Radio Mission |
| Frequency | AM 780 (kHz) FM 96.1 (MHz) |
| First air date | AM: 1971 FM: 1993 |
| Format | News, Regional, Country, Pop, Inspirational |
| Power | AM: 25,000 watts day 14,000 watts night FM: 1,000 watts |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | K-NOM(e) |
| Affiliations | ABC Radio AP Radio |
| Owner | Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska |
| Website | KNOM Online |
KNOM is a non-commercial Catholic radio station in Nome, Alaska, broadcasting at 780 AM and 96.1 FM. The station owner and licensee is the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska. The FM signal is 1000 watts and covers the city of Nome and immediately surrounding environs. The AM signal is 25 kilowatts and can be heard as far north as Barter Island and as far south as the Alaska Peninsula, with regular coverage of approximately 100,000 square miles (260,000 km2). Its signal penetrates deep into the Russian Far East.
In addition to its local, religious and Catholic programming, KNOM broadcasts a wide range of music in various formats. It also broadcasts national news from ABC Radio, plus some syndicated programming, such as the Christian 20 The Countdown Magazine and the secular American Top 40: The 70s.
Its regional news and public affairs department is the largest of any Alaska radio station.
KNOM is the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States, and has been broadcasting in Western Alaska for four decades.
Our continuing mission has been possible only through the hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and love of thousands of people: our staff and volunteers, the members of our community, and the thousands of donors who have kept the lights on and the transmitters running.
KNOM has been broadcasting to Western Alaska since July 14th, 1971, when the station aired its very first program. The development of KNOM – both preceding and following our first broadcast – has been filled with colorful stories, exceptional challenges, and an incredible tradition of support and cooperation. Our volunteers have made do with blinding snowstorms, mountains of red tape, and sometimes-imperfect equipment, and amid it all, they’ve helped to broadcast events from bathtub races to sled-dog races, from political conventions to volcanic eruptions.
April 2005, 30+ year General Manager, Tom Busch (who started as a KNOM volunteer and chief engineer in 1970) became development director and part-time engineer, and long time Program Director, and former volunteer Ric Schmidt became General Manager. Both are past two-term presidents of the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Tom passed away on his 63rd birthday in November, 2010 as he slept at his home in Anchorage, Alaska.
Currently KNOM AM and FM is staffed by six full-time and one part-time paid staff and four full-time and eight part-time volunteers. People who are interested in public service, or professional broadcast training (especially college-age students and senior citizens), are encouraged to apply.
Currently all broadcast and ancillary frequencies are being transferred from CBNA to the KNOM Radio Mission, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit entity with seven board members. The transfer will place the station in a position to have more local control, though the radio programming will not change.
The station is the recipient of four Crystal Awards for Excellence from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), three NAB Marconi Religious Station of the Year Awards, and nineteen Gabriel Radio Station of the Year Awards, plus numerous Crystal Communicator honors and awards from the Alaska Broadcasters Association.
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