KNOM Radio Mission

What KNOM Radio Mission does

KNOM Radio Mission is a non-profit Catholic radio station headquartered in Nome, Alaska, with a secondary office in Anchorage. Founded on July 14, 1971, the station broadcasts on AM 780 kHz and FM 96.1 MHz across the Bering Strait region of Western Alaska, an area that includes the homelands of the Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Cup'ik, and Yup'ik peoples. Its programming mix combines Catholic devotional content (daily Mass from St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Holy Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and homilies), local news, marine and terrestrial weather forecasts (including NOAA sea ice reports), community features, and coverage of regional events such as the Iditarod and Iron Dog races. Online streaming via knom.org extends the broadcast footprint beyond the terrestrial signal range.

The station operates with a small staff (between 11 and 50 employees) and is governed by a board of directors chaired by Father Ross Tozzi, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Nome. There is no traditional commercial revenue model; KNOM is funded almost entirely by listener donations and community support, supplemented by modest merchandise sales through an external storefront (bonfire.com). Distribution channels include the AM/FM signal, live online streaming, a monthly newsletter ("The Nome Static") in print and digital, and organic social media (Facebook, X). The underlying technology stack is conventional AM/FM broadcast equipment, supplemented by web-based streaming infrastructure; no proprietary software platform or AI capabilities are disclosed in the source material.

Strategically, KNOM's value proposition is centered on being the only full-power radio station serving Western Alaska, paired with five-plus decades of continuous operation and embedded community trust. The organization has invested in infrastructure modernization (the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios project, with a dedicated fund exceeding $400,000 raised by 2012) and has been recognized multiple times by the National Association of Broadcasters (fifth Crystal Award for community service in 2012). It is not a venture-backable entity: there are no funding rounds, no equity structure, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

KNOM Radio Mission

Legal name

KNOM Radio Mission Inc.

Website

https://knom.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KNOM Radio Mission is a non-profit Catholic radio station in Nome, Alaska, broadcasting news, weather, Catholic programming, and community content on 780 AM and 96.1 FM to Western Alaska's Bering Strait region. The station is listener-supported through donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Catholic Broadcasting (MPABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Music & Worship Broadcasting (MPABALAN), Religious Radio Broadcasting (MPAIAEAF)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Catholic radio programming
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting services
• Nonprofit radio station

Headquarters

HQ city

Nome

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Listener Donations and Support: KNOM is a listener-supported radio station funded by donations from listeners and supporters. The station celebrates donors and supporters on their website and relies on public support for operations.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KNOM Radio Mission is a nonprofit Catholic radio station that broadcasts on AM 780 kHz and FM 96.1 MHz across Western Alaska's Bering Strait region, with additional live online streaming via knom.org. Its core programming combines local and regional news, weather forecasts, Catholic devotional content including daily Mass from St. Joseph Catholic Church, and community information. The station relies on listener donations for funding and produces a monthly newsletter, the Nome Static, alongside a merchandise storefront.

Product overview

KNOM Radio Mission is a Catholic radio station serving Western Alaska with a unified broadcasting platform combining traditional AM/FM radio (780 AM and 96.1 FM) with live online streaming. The station's core offering centers on local news coverage, Catholic religious programming (including Mass, Rosary, and devotional prayers), and weather forecasting services. Additional offerings include The Nome Static newsletter, a comprehensive weekly program schedule, and merchandise sales through an external platform. Programming spans music shows, children's content, community features, and special coverage of regional events like the Iditarod and Iron Dog races.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KNOM 780 AM / 96.1 FM Radio Broadcast Primary radio broadcasting service transmitting on 780 AM and 96.1 MHz across Western Alaska, serving Bering Strait communities including the homelands of the Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Cup'ik, and Yup'ik peoples.
• KNOM Live Streaming Live online audio streaming of KNOM's radio broadcast, accessible via knom.org for listeners both inside and outside the AM/FM broadcast range.
• KNOM News Coverage Local and regional news coverage of Western Alaska, spanning Nome news, climate and environment, education, elections and politics, sports, race season (Iditarod and Iron Dog), profiles and features, and public safety.
• Catholic Religious Programming Catholic devotional content including daily Mass broadcasts from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Nome, the Holy Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Homilies for the Homebound delivered by Father Ross Tozzi.
• KNOM Weather Forecasts Marine and regional weather forecasts from the National Weather Service, including NOAA sea ice forecasts during seasonal periods, aired multiple times daily across Western Alaska.
• The Nome Static Newsletter Monthly newsletter covering station updates, community stories, and Western Alaska news, published in both print and digital formats.
• KNOM Weekly Program Schedule Comprehensive weekly programming schedule covering music shows, news updates, religious programming, children's content, and community features broadcast on KNOM.
• KNOM Merchandise Store Online merchandise store selling KNOM-branded items, including vintage logo merchandise collections tied to station anniversaries, operated through Bonfire.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Relevant Radio: Relevant Radio is a Catholic talk and devotional radio network with affiliate stations across the U.S., directly comparable to KNOM in blending Catholic teaching with news, weather, and community programming.
• EWTN Radio: EWTN operates the largest Catholic radio network in the U.S., carrying devotional programming (Mass, Rosary, catechesis) closely comparable to KNOM's core Catholic content offering, though at a national scale rather than a single remote local market.
• Ave Maria Radio: Ave Maria Radio is a Catholic-formatted radio network featuring devotional and educational programming — a direct content-format peer to KNOM's Catholic mission focus.
• Sacred Heart Radio: Sacred Heart Radio is a listener-supported Catholic radio station broadcasting in the Pacific Northwest with a similar donation-funded nonprofit operating model to KNOM.
• Immaculate Heart Radio: Immaculate Heart Radio is a Catholic radio network serving the western U.S. with devotional programming; comparable to KNOM in faith-based format and listener-supported funding.

Regional players

• KBRW (Barrow): KBRW is a community radio station serving the North Slope Borough of Alaska from Utqiagvik (Barrow), directly comparable to KNOM as another remote Alaska community broadcaster with similar audience scale and operational challenges.
• KYUK Public Media: KYUK is a public radio and television broadcaster serving the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Western Alaska — a regional peer to KNOM in mission (rural Alaska public-service broadcasting) and funding model (listener-supported).
• KBBI (Homer): KBBI is a community public radio station on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, comparable to KNOM in being a small-market listener-supported Alaska radio station delivering local news and community programming.

Broad incumbents

• SiriusXM: SiriusXM is a satellite radio incumbent offering extensive audio programming including Catholic channels; a broad incumbent that competes with KNOM for listener attention rather than local community-service content.
• NPR Member Stations: NPR and its network of member stations represent the broader incumbent in U.S. public/community radio — comparable to KNOM in listener-supported nonprofit model and news programming, though operating at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/knomradio
• Xx.com/knomradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knom-radio-mission-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KNOM Radio Mission