I got a request from our state broadcast association to send some video of local radio in action, so I sent some I had recorded a few weeks ago by chance and include details about the station. Its long winded but once you get me started talking about this place, I can't stop because I am incredibly proud of this place and myself.
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Hi NAB folks! (and some of my fellow Alaskans, whom I want to share with)
You'll have to forgive me for the long email, I'm very passionate about my work. I'm 42 years old and being in radio is what I dreamed of as a kid as far back as middle school, I've been living my dream at various stations for 22 years, this one for the last 5. I am also very very proud of what weve been able to accomplish at KSKO,so I tell our story any time anyone is mistaken enough to lend me their ear, not knowing what they are in for.
I got a request from our state broadcast association to submit some local video to you so I wanted to oblige since I think I have one of the coolest, most fun, unique radio jobs in the country in a very unique location. I couldn't get it ti upload from dropbox so I'm going to give you a google drive link.
A little backstory which makes the video make more sense while also adding to the alure.
Im Paul Walker, the only full time employee at KSKO-FM McGrath, Alaska, an NPR member station. A community of 275 people about 250 miles NW of Anchorage. We are 200 or so miles off the connected road system and 15 to 150 miles away from communities we serve but none of us are reachable by road. Its all by air, barge, boat or snow machine.
I have one other employee locally, an announcer who only works 2 hours a day on air and that is all he does. My title is officially program director but I manage the programming and technical matters of the entire station day to day. My office manager and accountant both work 250 miles away on a part time basis. Our contract engineer is 250 miles away.
I host the morning show 7-9pm which is country music and chocked full of local info. I host the lunch time show 12-3 which is chocked full of info while being a smorgasbord of rock, pop, oldies, soul, a little alternative.
We are the only LOCAL radio station for 1200 people across the west central interior of Alaska and for many of those, the only thing they can hear. Some on any edge of OUR service area can hear distant AM's. My listeners are primarily older. Some communities dont have cell phone service, some have 2G service which means text messages only, no mobile internet and no picture text messages. Some dont have a cell phone at all, some don't have a smart phone, some don't have a computer, some dont have the internet.. some have none of that, some have a combination of that.
Wildfires are a constant threat in the summer. One summer, one of the communities we serve had a fire so close, smoke was overwhelming the community and visibility was down to darn near nothing. One year in my stations HQ Community, a fire started just across the not so wide river and all it would've taken is a few embers to have things go very back very quickly. Who was on the air with some information? I was sometime late that evening.
The rivers here completely freeze up and come "spring" ... early May, they start moving again. That presents very real, very catastrophic flooding threats.. which has happened. In KSKO's home community, I got a call at 900 pm one day in 2022 from our city administrator telling me she was at a friends house helping them move stuff to higher ground because they were starting to see water seepage onto their property. I went on air to mention that. I got a call at 930pm from our locally based regional state trooper that water was coming up over the banks of the river near the runway so I went on air with that. About 11-1130 he called me back to say water was not touching the south end of the runway.. 150 feet progression in 90 minutes or so. I went on air to mention that. THe next day we began to realize how bad it was. It wasnt grab a canoe and get through town with that but it wasnt alot better... I could see water moving fast across our front lawn. I was on air on and off 6am to 3pm that day, breaking into whatever was on the air, with info on where resources and help was
When a plane crashed on the frozen Bering Sea that resulted in 10 deaths, including a local resident.. we were closely tracking it and reporting on only verified information. That same weekend, when a 6year old connected to our community died under suspicious circumstances, I got a hold of our clinics mental health lead and had them on the air the next day to talk about coping with loss.
I interview anyone and everyone whos got anything remotely important to say... visiting professionals, specialists in medical and engineering fields. I interview locals all the time about local happenings, schools, tribal, government, library and more.
We have been around since July 1, 1981. Back then the station had nearly a dozen staff between FT and PT in every facet of operations. 20 years ago, we had 3.. a GM, PD and an ND. Now? It's just me..... and I've had several people tell me that this place is like an entirely different station under me and some have said as 1 person I do an amazing job and cover about as much as the station previously did with more staff.
Now, here's the video:
IMG_3999.MOV
This is me reading the weather live on air recently, I recorded myself just for posterity, weeks before this request from you came across my desk.
BTW, did I mention I fix stuff? I've been laying under a console half dressed at 115 am after a power outage holding a screw driver, I've carried consoles through the building when one dies. You name, and then some.. I've been here to see it and fix it.
KSKO 89.5 FM
P.O. Box 70
McGrath, AK 99627
907-524-3001 - Office
www.kskopublicradio.com
www.facebook.com/KSKO89.5FM
**************
******
Hi NAB folks! (and some of my fellow Alaskans, whom I want to share with)
You'll have to forgive me for the long email, I'm very passionate about my work. I'm 42 years old and being in radio is what I dreamed of as a kid as far back as middle school, I've been living my dream at various stations for 22 years, this one for the last 5. I am also very very proud of what weve been able to accomplish at KSKO,so I tell our story any time anyone is mistaken enough to lend me their ear, not knowing what they are in for.
I got a request from our state broadcast association to submit some local video to you so I wanted to oblige since I think I have one of the coolest, most fun, unique radio jobs in the country in a very unique location. I couldn't get it ti upload from dropbox so I'm going to give you a google drive link.
A little backstory which makes the video make more sense while also adding to the alure.
Im Paul Walker, the only full time employee at KSKO-FM McGrath, Alaska, an NPR member station. A community of 275 people about 250 miles NW of Anchorage. We are 200 or so miles off the connected road system and 15 to 150 miles away from communities we serve but none of us are reachable by road. Its all by air, barge, boat or snow machine.
I have one other employee locally, an announcer who only works 2 hours a day on air and that is all he does. My title is officially program director but I manage the programming and technical matters of the entire station day to day. My office manager and accountant both work 250 miles away on a part time basis. Our contract engineer is 250 miles away.
I host the morning show 7-9pm which is country music and chocked full of local info. I host the lunch time show 12-3 which is chocked full of info while being a smorgasbord of rock, pop, oldies, soul, a little alternative.
We are the only LOCAL radio station for 1200 people across the west central interior of Alaska and for many of those, the only thing they can hear. Some on any edge of OUR service area can hear distant AM's. My listeners are primarily older. Some communities dont have cell phone service, some have 2G service which means text messages only, no mobile internet and no picture text messages. Some dont have a cell phone at all, some don't have a smart phone, some don't have a computer, some dont have the internet.. some have none of that, some have a combination of that.
Wildfires are a constant threat in the summer. One summer, one of the communities we serve had a fire so close, smoke was overwhelming the community and visibility was down to darn near nothing. One year in my stations HQ Community, a fire started just across the not so wide river and all it would've taken is a few embers to have things go very back very quickly. Who was on the air with some information? I was sometime late that evening.
The rivers here completely freeze up and come "spring" ... early May, they start moving again. That presents very real, very catastrophic flooding threats.. which has happened. In KSKO's home community, I got a call at 900 pm one day in 2022 from our city administrator telling me she was at a friends house helping them move stuff to higher ground because they were starting to see water seepage onto their property. I went on air to mention that. I got a call at 930pm from our locally based regional state trooper that water was coming up over the banks of the river near the runway so I went on air with that. About 11-1130 he called me back to say water was not touching the south end of the runway.. 150 feet progression in 90 minutes or so. I went on air to mention that. THe next day we began to realize how bad it was. It wasnt grab a canoe and get through town with that but it wasnt alot better... I could see water moving fast across our front lawn. I was on air on and off 6am to 3pm that day, breaking into whatever was on the air, with info on where resources and help was
When a plane crashed on the frozen Bering Sea that resulted in 10 deaths, including a local resident.. we were closely tracking it and reporting on only verified information. That same weekend, when a 6year old connected to our community died under suspicious circumstances, I got a hold of our clinics mental health lead and had them on the air the next day to talk about coping with loss.
I interview anyone and everyone whos got anything remotely important to say... visiting professionals, specialists in medical and engineering fields. I interview locals all the time about local happenings, schools, tribal, government, library and more.
We have been around since July 1, 1981. Back then the station had nearly a dozen staff between FT and PT in every facet of operations. 20 years ago, we had 3.. a GM, PD and an ND. Now? It's just me..... and I've had several people tell me that this place is like an entirely different station under me and some have said as 1 person I do an amazing job and cover about as much as the station previously did with more staff.
Now, here's the video:
IMG_3999.MOV
This is me reading the weather live on air recently, I recorded myself just for posterity, weeks before this request from you came across my desk.
BTW, did I mention I fix stuff? I've been laying under a console half dressed at 115 am after a power outage holding a screw driver, I've carried consoles through the building when one dies. You name, and then some.. I've been here to see it and fix it.
KSKO 89.5 FM
P.O. Box 70
McGrath, AK 99627
907-524-3001 - Office
www.kskopublicradio.com
www.facebook.com/KSKO89.5FM
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