KSKO FM 89.5

A non-commercial public radio station serving a remote stretch of west-central interior Alaska, KSKO-FM broadcasts on 89.5 MHz and reaches communities spread across roughly 200 miles via a network of FM repeaters. Full-time rebroadcast transmitters operate in Grayling, Shageluk, Holy Cross, Nikolai, and Anvik. Partial-day rebroadcasting also extends the signal to Fort Yukon via KZPA 900 AM and to Fairbanks via KRFF 89.1 FM; the latter station also contributes a midday program to KSKO's schedule. Two additional repeaters serving Crooked Creek and Sleetmute came online in 2021, adding approximately 200 people to the combined audience of around 1,200 across owned and operated signals. The station was founded by the Kuskokwim Public Broadcasting Corporation and first aired on July 1, 1981, initially on 870 kHz AM. Rising generator fuel costs — exceeding six dollars per gallon at the remote transmitter site — prompted the switch to FM in 2015, with the new FM facility drawing on commercial power at the studio and school-based power at the repeater sites. The station marked its 40th anniversary in July 2021. KSKO hosts the annual "Back to Bluegrass" music festival in June or July, featuring local and regional musicians and serving as a community fundraiser.