Check out this excellent article about our SWLing Post community member and avid DXer, Paul Walker:
KSKO’s One Man, Full-Time Operation Connects Interior Alaska (Alliance of Rural Public Media)
Paul Walker, the self-professed “Alaska Radio Nerd” is the sole full-time employee of a station that provides news, music, and emergency services across a wide swath of central Alaska.
When Paul Walker flips his phone camera around to give a virtual tour of KSKO and its compact studio in McGrath, Alaska, the screen fills with a maze of wires, weathered equipment, and the unmistakable charm of a place well-loved. “This is our rack of equipment,” Walker says with a mix of pride and humor. “It’s a result of managers like me knowing enough to get something done — we add on rather than take away.” As the station’s program director and only full-time employee, Walker navigates this labyrinth daily, ensuring that the voices and needs of interior Alaska’s remote communities are broadcast across the airwaves.
KSKO isn’t just any radio station. Alongside the McGrath studio, a collection of seven repeater stations and two partner stations broadcast widely — across stretches up to 150 miles in some directions, reaching villages across the center of Alaska where the population sometimes doesn’t even hit triple digits. Walker estimates that they serve around 1,200 people, so in a land where the internet is spotty and cell service is a luxury, radio remains a vital lifeline. “The cornerstone of KSKO’s local programming is weather forecasting and what we call ‘messages,’” Walker explains. These messages act as a community bulletin board, sharing everything from emergency alerts to mother moose sightings in town. [Continue reading…]
I read this story aloud to The Radio Monitoring Net last night — https://thebig94.wordpress.com/the-scanner-enthusiasts-net/ — and one of the participants who is an expert of medium wave DXing mentioned that Paul Walker is a noted figure in both broadcasting and DXing. Apparently he has manned a number of rural stations around the US. I did not know that even through I interviewed Paul for The Spectrum Monitor regarding his exploits with Ultralight MW DXing and FSL antennas.
A noted figure in small market I’d say Jock, but yes…… ive been at a number of rural stations over the years…. NW PA… Western ND… twice in AK
KSKO is in Macgrath in the centre of Alaska. It is not mentioned on the Alliance of Rural Public Media map. as a radio station
This is a great stuff!
I have reached out to the Alliance of Rural Public Media to see if they have a list of stations, callsigns, and frequencies.
Might make a great project to see how many could be “DXed.”
Cheers, Jock
Thanks Jock, that would be useful. I clicked around on their map at https://ruralpublic.org/resources/ and it looks like nearly all stations in the lower 48 are FM stations. Let us know if you receive a list from them.
Marty,
Will do. Yes, I noticed the interactive map but I did not click around it. Thanks for doing that.
Cheers, Jock