A Question...

[svrtv_editor]

Hey,Got a question for you Alaskaners from someone who has never crossed the Mississippi. Why are many stations in Alaska (outside of the big cities...Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Ketchikan) affiliated with NPR (in some form) but not with other networks like ABC (Oldies Radio, Real County) or Westwood One?Just Curious.Rock on,Tybois UpholdEditor/News DirectorSVRTV-Winchester, VAwww.svrtv.net

 

[JasonW]

I'm not a Sourdough yet (I've only been here since 1997), but I'll hazard a guess.Before relatively recently, radio station satellite feeds were difficult if not impossible here because the birds are close to the horizon, requiring bigger dishes and/or greater power output aboard the satellites. Direct cable feeds are also often very expensive/difficult, especially for radio stations in towns and villages way out in the sticks.Since NPR is publically funded and also receives some tax dollars, they may have been able to help fund these programming feeds for Alaska radio stations. Also, Alaska politics leaned considerably farther to the left in the 1960s and 1970s, so NPR would have had a larger listener base then. -- Jason

 

[AZJoe]

Hey,Got a question for you Alaskaners from someone who has never crossed the Mississippi. Why are many stations in Alaska (outside of the big cities...Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Ketchikan) affiliated with NPR (in some form) but not with other networks like ABC (Oldies Radio, Real County) or Westwood One?Just Curious.Rock on,Tybois UpholdEditor/News DirectorSVRTV-Winchester, VAwww.svrtv.net

Many places in Alaska have but one radio station, and they usually are state funded, thus they have an affliation with national public radio. Alaska Public Broadcasting Inc. has KSKA FM and KNBA FM in Anchorage, KBRW AM/FM in Barrow, KYUK AM in Bethel, KCUK FM in Chevak, KDLG AM in Dillingham, KUAC FM in Fairbanks, KIYU am in Galena, KHNS FM in Haines, KBBI AM in Homer, KTOO FM in Juneau, KDLL FM in Kenai, KRBD FM in Ketchikan, KMXT FM Kodiak, KOTZ AM Kotzebue, KSKO McGrath, KFSK AM Petersburg, , KUHB Fm St.Paul, KSDP AM Sand Point, KPFN FM Seward, KCAW FM Sitka, KTNA FM Talkeetna, KNSA AM Unalakleet, KIAL AM Unalaska, KCHU AM Valdez, KSTK FM Wrangell, KXGA FM Glennallen, KXKM McCarthy.... all APRN network stations. Because private for profilt stations in many of these smaller markets simply woudl not be feasible...and radio having such a huge importance in the life of many rural Alaskan towns, the state of Alaska maintains a network of pucblic stations. Larger cities such as Anchorage, with 30 radio stations, can even have two NPR/APRN affliates.

 

[AKLes]

There a very few places in Alaska where non-government funded non-commercial radio exists. At least one of these (I believe more, but had no direct contact so will not presume to speak for them) was affiliated with Alaska Public Radio in the past. Several years ago, however, the cost for such stations was escalated to a point where it was just not possible to continue so they dropped out. In the one instance of which I speak APRN, through local people, put on the air an FM translator replacing the 25-kW AM that had been carrying much of the programming. The result was that a population of 3,400 was potentially served but everything beyond about a 10-15 mile radius was lost. That, practically speaking, didn't result in a lot of people being without NPR in the immediate area (say up to 50-75 miles) because there are perhaps 200 people in that zone. However, it DID remove APRN/NPR service to a large number of remote villages that receive only one signal and that at marginal strength.

 

[AZJoe]

The places in Alaska that have even 2 or more commercial radio outlets, is not even very great. Anchorage having 24 commerical stations (by far the most), Fairbanks 12, Juneau 6, Kenai Pennisula 9, Ketchikan 3, Kodiak 2, Sitka 2, Valdez 2, and Cordova 2. With many rural towns/villages without daily newspapers, local tv or even highways, radio becomes far more important in the local lifeblood of these communities than most any other place in America. Some places like Nome have even 4 public-non profit outlets. Religious/Educational stations abound thru out Alaska also. Also, by means of repeaters and translators, many public radio stations get their signal heard in rural Alaska.

 

[svrtv_editor]

Hey All,Now I know....Thanks ) Always wondered that, but never had an Alaska board to ask on.Rock on,Tybois UpholdStephens City, Va

 

[AKLes]

More about Nome

Technically there are five licenses in Nome.KNOM-AM 25-kW ND days/14-KW ND nightsKNOM-FM 100-Watts with 1-kW pendingThose are simulcast with rare exceptions for local stuff like city council meetingsChurch owned but NOT programmed religious; old-fashioned "full service"KICY-AM 50-kW Directional D/N with pattern to serve The Russian Far East with commercial religious programming, particularly at night.KICY-FM 100-Watts with 1-kW pending. Contemporary Christian Music, local newsBoth are church owned and operated commercially with some local advertising.Translator for KUAC with 250-Watts; no local origination.So actually three locally programmed stations.Important point:ALL of these depend on contributions from outside Alaska to survive. With a population of 3,400, there is not enough advertising revenue in Nome to support even one station.Also one sporadic FM pirate with constant CD's of mostly adult standards.

 

[sloux]

Actually, when I worked at KICY in the early 1990's it primary affiliation was with CBS and secondary affiliation with ABC. To this day it maintains an ABC affiliation to capture the Paul Harvey service, as well as SRN for hourly news. So not all the bush stations are affiliated with Public Radio. An earlier post suggested the difficulty in picking up network feeds due to the low look angle of the earth station as a reason for the lack of affiliation doesn't make much sense to me; before the satellite age in the early 1980's stations had to rely on a dedicated tie-line from Alascom to provide the feed out of Anchorage and the lower 48, regardless of the type of affiliation.