When Tony Calumet landed in Nome, Alaska in September 2020, he whispered a prayer: “If this is what you want, God, you’re going to have to help me.” At nearly 69 years old—an age at which one usually thinks of retiring—Calumet had just committed to five years of serving as general manager for KNOM, the nation’s oldest Catholic radio station located in one of the most remote areas of the country. Sight unseen.

After receiving numerous inner “promptings,” Calumet felt certain he was following a spiritual calling. But as KNOM’s news director drove him around the rustic town, his first thought was, “What did I get myself into?” The unpaved roads, meager homes, and extremely isolated surroundings bordering the Bering Sea reminded Calumet of a small Russian village.

Calumet had no experience with Alaska, Russia, or acclimation to sparse hours of daylight during the deepest winter months. But he believed in KNOM’s mission. He would soon understand the reason behind the radio station’s longevity and what made it exceptional in the eyes of both its mostly Alaska Native listeners and mostly out-of-state financial supporters.

“The more I got involved in the community and got to know people, the more my enthusiasm grew. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m here for a reason,’ ” Calumet says.

Despite having spent 35 years in radio, the last several with Iowa Catholic Radio, nothing prepared Calumet for KNOM’s vital and unique mission. Simply greeting people while walking down Front Street—one of Nome’s three paved roads—or shopping at Hanson’s Trading Co. for groceries triple in cost to what he was used to, Calumet was amazed that residents recognized his voice. “They’d stop and say, ‘Hey, I heard you on the radio this morning!’ ” he says. Humbled, Calumet began realizing the magnitude of the role that he and KNOM played in their lives.