Symons named as General Manager at KSTK

KSTK FM has a new General Manager – and it is someone very familiar with local radio in Wrangell.

Mike Symons, a long-time Wrangell resident, Borough Assemblyman, and co-host of his own blues-oriented “Skydog” show on the station has been tapped as the new GM and News Director for the station.

His first day at work was July 9.

Anyone who knows Symons in the community will know that his affectionate term of endearment for friends is “dogger,” while talking to you.

Now, Symons gets to be the “top dogger” at Wrangell’s community-supported station, and he said he has a clear outlook for the road he wants KSTK to take.

“My vision is to take the station to a newer, higher level,” Symons said. “We’re going to create more events, functions and fun things we can sponsor as a station. This will create more revenue for the station, but it will also offer more services.”

Those services, Symons added, will include more local news, live coverage of events around the borough, and more volunteer radio shows.

“We know the community loves the volunteer shows that showcase a variety of music,” he said.

Maria Weeg, the president of the KSTK Board of Directors said the group is happy to be able to take Symons aboard as the station’s GM.

“We went through a pretty long, extensive and thoughtful search for our next manager at KSTK,” Weeg said. “And we are very excited to have offered the position to Mike.”

Symons, who has been a member of the KSTK board, which he resigned from last week, as well as a member of the Coast Alaska Board of Directors for a number of years, has been involved in public radio in Alaska since arriving here in the early 2000s.

“Everywhere Mike has been, whether it has been in Wrangell, or Petersburg and Juneau, where he also volunteered in public radio, he has always been involved in local broadcasting,” Weeg added. “I think we would have been hard-pressed to find anyone with more passion or love for KSTK. It’s especially important to know his love for the community and the role our station can play in Wrangell.”

Finding new and creative ways to drive KSTK’s programming into the future, as well as maintaining the station’s affiliation with National Public Radio, Coast Alaska and the Alaska Public Radio Network is something Symons said he intends to focus on deeply.

“We’re going to look at our 24-hour programming in-depth and things won’t change drastically, right away, but we’re going to see how we can make things better and more appealing,” Symons said.

Before volunteering at KSTK, Symons held down volunteer stints at KFSK in Petersburg and KTOO in Juneau.

Symons is a native of Wisconsin and has lived in Alaska since 2003.