DILLINGHAM -- Shortly after I moved here from the Kenai Peninsula and began posting photos from here on Facebook, one of my former Skyview High School students, Aurora (Heames) Galloway, sent me a message. She wanted to let me know that Dillingham's public radio station was her all-time favorite, that she had spent part of every summer from age 9 to 29 commercial fishing near Naknek, and that she had listened to KDLG nearly every day.
"I know how to sing 'Happy Birthday' in Yupik," she wrote, "because of that radio station and Jimmie (G. Arkanakyak), who always sang it at the end of each show."
Well, Jimmie's rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song still concludes every episode of the live call-in show Open Line, 30-60 minutes of commercial-free birthday wishes, anniversary shout-outs, buy-sell-and-trade opportunities, job listings and opinions on local issues.
Enduring and popular
Similar to "Bush lines" throughout the state, Open Line is fast-paced, down to earth, and easily one of KDLG's most enduring and popular shows. And honestly, listening to it is somewhat addictive, with its blend of sweet, homey voices, unadorned affection and overall good intentions:
"I'd like to wish happy birthday to Bobby over in Togiak. Happy birthday, Bobby! This is your Auntie Sarah. I love you. And I'd like to say hello to my cousin, Lorraine, in Manokotak. I'll see you for Thanksgiving, Lorraine. OK, bye."
But there's more to KDLG than Open Line.
"You can learn how to speak Yupik," Aurora said, "and (in the summer) hear the phrase 'Good luck, and good fishing!' a million times. I stream it sometimes. It's the best!"
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When I was growing up in Soldotna, KSRM was our homespun choice.
KSRM hit the AM radio waves with local programming in the late 1960s. Conservative-minded and innovative John Davis, who was hired in 1968 as the radio station's general manager, pushed hard to connect with local listeners, who previously had relied on Anchorage-based broadcasts for their news, music and entertainment.
Under Davis' influence, KSRM introduced the central Kenai Peninsula to Tradio in 1969 and Sound Off in 1970, giving local politicos and promoters a voice, neighbors a chance to gripe in an open forum, and residents the opportunity to swiftly and reliably dispose of old wind-row fencing, fresh hay bales, a 35-horse outboard Johnson, and a used ATV perfect for road hunting.
As a teenager, I used the Anchorage stations for popular music and KSRM for broadcasts of Peninsula Oilers baseball games and high school sports. On snowy mornings, my family listened for traffic updates and school cancellations.
'Family matter'
In Dillingham, the only alternatives for community-wide information are the weekly Bristol Bay Times (serving the entire region from King Salmon west to Unalaska), a Facebook page called the Dillingham Trading Post and commercial radio station KRUP -- which has a range of less than 20 miles, is produced in Anchorage and, as far as I can tell, offers next to zero local programming. Consequently, Dillingham residents interact with and keep up with their world primarily through KDLG.
Aurora recalled a summer long ago when KDLG assisted with a "family matter."
Because they had been so busy commercial fishing, Aurora, her father Jeff and their crew had missed the announcement on the radio but were alerted to a problem when a neighboring fisherman motored over in his skiff with the news: Back on the Kenai, Aurora's mother needed to speak to Jeff as soon as possible. Since fishing families and crews over all Bristol Bay had been listening to the same broadcast, she said, "We were instantly surrounded by supportive community."
On the trip ashore, Aurora and Jeff received several more waves and shouts from fishermen wanting to make sure they'd heard the message. At the cannery, which had the nearest telephone, more concerned folks stopped by to offer assistance and encouragement.
"I think just (my mom) being able to do something to contact us was a huge relief," Aurora said. "She was able to leave a message at the radio station, and my dad was on the phone with her in about an hour — far from the days we normally went between calls home — and the value of that was immeasurable.
"We all need to hear the escapements. We all need to hear the weather. We all are curious if someone has called in to wish us happy birthday or to tell us that Grandma sent a package. It's a way of feeling included in a community that often feels like just us — our crew and the tender we are selling fish to. Hearing voices that we know are live and close makes us feel like we aren't the only ones on that boat at 3 a.m."
'Let's Learn Yupik'
Dillingham residents can listen to local and bay-related news throughout the day. KDLG also features "Let's Learn Yupik," starring Molly Chythlook, each weekday, and the weekly "Bristol Bay Field Notes," "Bristol Bay Fisheries Report" and "Bristol Bay Sports Roundup."
"I never got to actually go to the station because we were busy (and across the bay)," Aurora wrote, "but I would have totally been a groupie if I could have! I loved to listen in the summer and hear the escapement updates and openings, and imagine all the tired fishermen listening, too, hoping to be open, but also needing rest badly.
"One time," she continued, "I was in New Mexico traveling, and I chatted with some dude at a bar. He said he had fished for two years out of King Salmon, and we ended up singing 'Happy Birthday' to each other in Yupik. It was a linguistic/traveling/Alaskan love fest.
"KDLG brings people together."
Clark Fair, a Kenai Peninsula resident for more than 50 years, is a lifetime Alaskan now living in Dillingham.
