by Peter Twitchell
1971 was an exciting time for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region because a group of men; Ap’a Ted Stevens, our brother George Hohman, and our Chief and Leader Edward Hoffman; pushed to acquire approval to get funding from the Federal Government and the State of Alaska to build a Radio Station KYUK for Yupiaq Country!
Together they got the go ahead from the funding sources and the Federal Communications Commission to go on the Air. Bethel Broadcasting was born! KYUK Radio Station became the first Native-owned broadcasting radio station in Southwest Alaska!
I was urged to go and translate local, State, and National news. In May of 1971 I became one of the first bilingual radio operators at KYUK Radio Station when it was on the air in 3rd Road Housing along with John George Peter, John Paul Jones, and Levi Lott.
It was truly a milestone accomplishment for Bethel Broadcasting, Inc. Having our own radio station for the Yukon and Kuskokwim Delta was a real accomplishment for its people!
KYUK Radio really helped to strengthen our Yupiaq Language for generations to come. Already it’s been half a century since KYUK’s necessary existence. You can be proud of your ownership of your own Radio and Television Station in Southwest Alaska!
The KYUK Television Studio came into existence in 1972. The local Bethel Broadcasting, Inc. Board of Directors moved quickly to make this happen.
KYUK played a genre of music but the people of the YK Delta wanted Gospel in Yupiaq and began providing the radio station with their home recordings, with exception of The Henry Shavings Family and Joe Paul who brought records they had professionally recorded.
I took their cue and began traveling to coastal villages to record various groups like the Peter Daniel Family of Kongiganak.
The Bethel Broadcasting, Inc. Board of Directors approved the local churches in Bethel alternate in sharing their inspirational messages over KYUK Radio.
A popular program was the Daily broadcast of people’s messages and announcements. I remember one in particular when a man from one of the Akula (Tundra Villages) walked into the Radio Station to send an urgent message to his wife, and asked if he could read it over the air. He was shopping in Bethel and needed money.
We were discussing a radio event that was coming up in Station Manager Henry Ivanoff’s office. Henry had his radio on and we could hear “The Tundra Drums” messages being read. The man announced very carefully his message to his wife back home, “To So & So in (Village), I need money to finish shopping, get some money out of my SAFE, and send it down as soon as possible. The numbers to open my safe are…”
The man sent the combinations to open his SAFE live over the KYUK airwaves!! Henry turned up his radio volume for this one-of-a-kind message. We had a good laugh. I’m sure the man changed the combination to his SAFE.
KYUK portrays the innocence of our Yupiaq people in the good ole days before corruption of the outside world came to the region.
