KNAU: From Flagstaff to the End of the World
There was a time when the reception of an FM station reached only so far. Once you crossed the threshold of the signal, the station petered out and in it’s place was static. But here, in the futuristic 21st century, radio is no longer limited to a certain area. Even a station in a rinky-dink town like Flagstaff can reach into every curve of the globe, (provided you have a connection to the Internet.)
Just by over-the-air output alone, public radio powerhouse KNAU (97.1 FM) can be heard from Prescott to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and stretches from the New Mexico border to just out of reach of California. With such a wide audience not only on the radio, but through the Internet, programming must be adjusted for listeners outside of Flagstaff.
Executive Producer and Local Content Manager at KNAU, Ryan Heinsius said, “While we’re based in Flagstaff, and it’s one of the biggest cities in the region, we by no means cater only to that city. Our recent news coverage has included the controversial developments near the Grand Canyon; the massive state budget cuts to higher education; and a group of Native Americans fighting a large copper mine proposal east of Phoenix.”
The station also features shows that appeal to people beyond the standard issue news. Earth Notes is a show about the environment, and Brain Food fills the listener’s gourd with the latest science and technology news. Even the station’s meteorologist, Lee Born, gives the weather for all of Northern Arizona, not just Flagstaff and Williams.
One misconception about a radio station in a small town is that it’s tucked away from the international news scene. Not true, says Heinsius. As secluded in the trees and mountains of the high Sonoran Desert that Flagstaff is, even the issues of the globe reach in with their fingers and touch the streets of Mayberry.
“Since it’s such an internationally recognizable and celebrated icon,” Heinsius said, “any stories involving the Grand Canyon often receive attention from a large swath of listeners. Our coverage of border issues is certainly of an international nature. The questions of immigration; border security; cartel crime; local, state and U.S. policy; and how all these things interact colors every corner of the Southwest from the smallest towns to the biggest cities.”
Immigration laws don’t just hatch from a delicious Cadbury egg, they’re created by lawmakers in Washington, D.C., the hub of international affairs for the United States. KNAU has seen it’s share of these congressional members interviewed on their airwaves.
During the 2014 campaign Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick came to the station to do an on-air debate with her opponent Andy Tobin. But when they can’t be there in person, the digital wonders of the present future can make it sound like they’re in the studio.
Heinsius said, “It’s common — because of our tight deadlines and the hectic day-to-day lives of most newsmakers — that interviews have to happen remotely, either on the phone or through the station-to-station ISDN digital network. I recently interviewed Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake remotely.”
The notion that small town radio stations fill time with trade-and-swap shows, or news about Cletus Clampett’s latest drunken brawl with one of his hogs is as antiquated as the idea of radio filled with shows like Fibber McGee & Molly. KNAU is an example of local radio that reaches beyond the neighborhood to the entire planet.
(Yes, I know I need more than one source, but even some people at KNAU went on Spring Break. I’ll be talking to more people at the station this week. Good thing this is just a draft.)
