Broadcasting out of Nome, Alaska, for nearly 60 years, Arctic Broadcasting Association (ABA) airs programming, news, music and weather to native Alaskan villages throughout western Alaska and into the Russian Far-East. KICY AM and FM are the only radio stations that reach some of these rural and hard-to-access communities, giving them a bridge to the outside world and providing them with valuable news, entertainment and connection.
A longtime Murdock grantee, ABA took on two major projects in the last several years. In 2013, ABA constructed its Triplex, a four-unit apartment complex adjacent to its studio. While it may seem unusual for a radio station to rent out apartments, ABA is directly addressing the critical, chronic housing shortage in Nome and meeting community needs while also helping offset the station’s rising energy costs.
More recently, two radio towers for the FM station were damaged by the arctic weather conditions, and a Trust grant helped repair and outfit the towers to withstand the freezing weather. We are pleased to support ABA in carrying out its mission to broadcast to rural communities.
ABA’s Morning Show host, full-time volunteer Lon Swanson, is accompanied by Jonathan Outwater, a summer intern from the local high school. 
ABA has an all-volunteer staff who help KICY AM and FM reach their 90,000 listeners.
The post Grant Stories: Arctic Broadcasting Association appeared first on M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.