KNOM Radio Mission PO Box 988 The Nome Static Nome, AK 99762 Transmission 595: August 2014 visit us at knom.org dear friend of knom, Summer in sub-Arctic can often seem to occur in starts and stops, in periods of great busyness followed by periods of patience and waiting. In more ways than one, that’s definitely true of summer 2014 in our corner of the world. Outdoors, the weather has been var- ied, with hot days followed by long periods of rain and cold. Many of our listeners, however, have been keeping very active, whether at 80 degrees or 40. As we write these words, it’s fishing season, which means that Alaskans across the communities KNOM serves are heading out to stock up on salmon for the year. Our listeners keep a close ear for updat- ed fish reports (openings and closures) from Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials and for news on the overall health of salmon runs. These updates are part of KNOM’s daily on top of the world heartbeat in summertime. Western Alaska — the region your support Within our station walls, we’re also allows us to serve — is a place full of incredible com- keeping busy, whether through the digital munities and breathtaking vistas. But even in this studio progress described on page 4 or the amazing corner of the world, certain communities are volunteer travel detailed at right (to one of truly exceptional: like Barrow, Alaska, the northern- Alaska’s most incredible places). At the same most city in the United States and the host of a re- time, we’re excitedly waiting for the arrival cent festival witnessed, in person, by KNOM’s of our next class of volunteers, whom you’ll second-year volunteer Dayneé Rosales. meet on page 2. It’s no exaggeration to say that Barrow sits Through thick and thin, we’re so grate- on the edge of the continent. The city overlooks the ful for all you do to help KNOM stay on the Arctic Ocean and, nestled well above the Arctic Circle, air. Thanks to you, we serve a place of singu- enjoys the most extreme light patterns in all of Alaska. lar beauty and of eternally resilient spirit, even In Barrow, the sun never sets from early May to early on summer’s wettest, chilliest days. August (the midnight sun) and never rises from late November to late January (it’s what’s called a polar night). In a blog post on our website, Dayneé recently One of God’s arrangements is reflected on what a special location this truly is: that, after winter, there should “This landmass that we inhabit stretches come beautiful spring and across forests and deserts and cities... for thou- summer days. sands and thousands of miles. Then it stops. It didn’t sink in until I saw it, driving out to the It happens every year. And it edge of town, the Arctic Ocean on both sides. happens in every life. The road ended. Nothing up ahead but the North Pole.” Continued on page 3... meet our 2014-2015 class Hampshire and, like Jenn and Caitlin, has ties to With summer upon us, it’s a moment of New York state: she studied journalism at Ithaca transitions for our volunteer program, one of the College, where her media work gravitated to- cornerstones of our mission. We’re so excited wards issues of social justice, education, and dis- to introduce to you the five outstanding women ability rights. Kristin graduated in 2014. To KNOM, who will serve as our 2014-2015 volunteers. Kristin brings a “passion for using media to make First, meet Jenn Ruckel (photo top left), a difference” — with a record of achievement to our station’s newest newsie. Our volunteer re- match. Earlier this year, she won a College Tele- porter, Jenn arrived at KNOM in mid-June. She vision Emmy for a documentary she created in has quickly immersed herself within our com- school (entitled Following Flame). In our region, munity and has hit the ground running in her job, she hopes to apply her passion to find “powerful gathering and reporting the stories of our region. stories that show the strength and resilience of Originally from Hicksville, New York, Jenn ma- the human spirit.” jored in English at Loyola University in Baltimore, Courtney Cousins (bottom middle), who Maryland, where she graduated earlier this year. grew up in Colorado and Ohio, graduated ear- Jenn says she’s “humbly and hopefully looking lier this year from Baltimore, Maryland’s Loyola forward to all I have to learn from the people I University. Her majors were English and writing, meet and this place that has welcomed me.” but it’s clear that Courtney didn’t pursue these Caitlin Whyte (photo bottom left) ar- interests within the classroom alone; she worked rived at KNOM in late July. A native of Rochester, all four years for Loyola’s student newspaper, the New York, Caitlin graduated in 2011 from the Greyhound, eventually becoming the paper’s State University of New York at Plattsburgh; with a managing editor. With a diligent, research-mind- bachelor’s degree in audio and radio production ed sensibility and a love for communications, and broadcast management — and recent work Courtney will work at KNOM as a volunteer pro- in both television and radio in New York City — ducer, creating new community-focused and in- her background is a perfect fit for work at KNOM, spirational radio spots — a unique part of KNOM’s where she’ll serve as a producer. She’ll create programming that goes back to our earliest days. radio “spots” (or PSAs) with a special focus on Finally, we’ll soon welcome Arizona na- education and our Western Alaskan region. tive Francesca Fenzi (bottom right) as part of Kristin Leffler (top right) hails from New our news team. She’s a 2012 graduate of Pitts- burgh’s Carnegie Mellon University with a bachelor’s in creative writing and fine arts. Francesca comes to There is nothing as strong as our mission with experience both within new cul- gentleness, or as gentle as true tures — such as a study-abroad term in Chile — and, strength. especially, within radio journalism. Most recently, she’s been working in the Los Angeles area as a produc- tion assistant for the popular NPR program All Things Considered. At KNOM, Francesca will work alongside Jenn and news director Matthew Smith to craft our daily newscasts. Thank you for making our volunteer program possible. To follow the 2014-15 class throughout their service year, explore their blog posts at knom.org.

Continued from “On Top of the World,” page 1... In this incredible spot, Dayneé spent a few days as an on-location reporter during one of the town’s most important annual events: Nalukataq (NAH-loo- kah-tuck), which, as she describes, is “a traditional festival that celebrates a successful whale catch.” “It was a trip years in the making,” Dayneé says, “and I am grateful to KNOM for giving me the op- portunity to go and experience it first hand.” Whaling festivals in rural Alaska are, indeed, special moments; they’re touchstones of the traditional, subsistence life- styles that are at the core of the Alaska Native culture we celebrate at KNOM. Even though Barrow is outside the normal range of KNOM’s AM signal, its cultural embrace of whaling is similar to the communities we reach, where the importance of whaling festivals like Nalukataq runs deep. In the words of longtime Barrow whaling captain Jacob Adams, “We celebrate a suc- cessful hunt so people won’t go hungry and (to) enjoy the cultural activities associated with a successful bowhead whale hunt — the rituals we(‘ve) follow(ed) since, basically, ten thousand years ago.” And in Barrow, as Dayneé describes, it’s truly a festival atmosphere: “Most attendees came prepared for a long day,” she writes. “(A)rmed with foldable chairs, blankets, and coolers, Nalukataq was reminis- cent of a very large 4th of July family summer cook out, albeit in 30 degree weather.” To learn more about Nalukataq, and to hear the news story (Profile) your support made possible, visit us at knom.org. The photos here include a glimpse of the “blanket toss” that’s part of many traditional whaling celebrations, as well as an in-process whale Lord, let my actions be prayer harvest and carved (whale , bottom in motion: silent, effective, and picture), a prized delicacy in rural Alaska. Thank you born of love. for helping to make crucial trips like these happen. construction, accolades, and • We have a new award to add to the shelves! Dayneé Rosales (pictured) recently odds ‘n’ ends received a 2014 Communicator Award from the We conclude with great news — and a few Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for her updates from last month’s newsletter. work both writing and producing our 2013 tradi- • We’re happy to report that our fundrais- tional Christmas play. Her production, “Mindy, the ing goal for our studio construction project, the Ugly Christmas Sweater,” clearly impressed the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios, now judges as much as it did our listeners. Congratu- stands past the two-thirds mark (of our $1M lations to Dayneé! goal), at $681,489.63. Included within this sum • KNOM Radio is one of only five finalists are a $25,000 donation from the Amaturo Fam- for the 2014 Marconi Award for Religious Station ily Foundation and a combination of grant and of the Year; it’s an award given by the National matching grant funds from the Raskob Founda- Association of Broadcasters honoring overall ex- tion for Catholic Activities, also totaling $25,000. cellence in broadcasting. Of course, we’ll let you • As work on our August newsletter know the outcome of this nomination in future wraps up, construction work in July is proceed- newsletters, but as they say, it truly is an honor ing more slowly than we’d hoped, mostly due to just to be nominated. So from all of us at KNOM, the challenging lack of skilled workers in Nome. thank you for your support, and congrats! However, we’re still expecting that our studio building will be a completed office space, ready for equipment, by the end of the season. We ask He who wants milk should not sit for prayers for the work of our construction crew on a stool in the middle of a pasture and for our ongoing fundraising efforts. As al- waiting for a cow to back up. ways, you can learn more online at knom.org.

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