Rhonda McBride
KNBA News ProducerRhonda McBride has a long history of working in both television and radio in Alaska, going back to 1988, when she was news director at KYUK, the public radio and TV stations in Bethel, which broadcast in both the English and Yup’ik languages.
From the Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race — to the revival of the Yup’ik language — to the fight to protect the subsistence way of life, McBride was immersed in Alaska Native culture and history on a daily basis. It was one of the best jobs she ever had, she recalls, because she got to work alongside pioneering Yup’ik broadcasters, who incorporated modern technology with traditional story telling skills to preserve their language and culture.
After almost ten years in Bethel, McBride moved on to the Alaska Public Radio Network in Anchorage. She was also a public television producer at KAKM-Channel 7, where she hosted public affairs programs and moderated political debates. Later she worked at KTUU-Channel 2 and KTVA-Channel 11, where she covered politics, economics, rural, and Alaska Native issues.
At KTVA, McBride hosted and produced Frontiers, a weekly TV magazine show which won national awards for its in-depth coverage of rural Alaska and series of documentaries on the Hiland Mountain Lullaby Project, which brought local artists and inmate moms together to compose songs for their children.
In recent years, she returned to her roots in radio to produce KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon talk show. Currently, she is news director at KNBA Radio.
In 2022, McBride was inducted into the Alaska Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame and awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
-
KNBA's Top Stories: The Downtown Hope Center is expanding in Anchorage, doubling its space and job training programs to help more people move out of homelessness. Also, the Senate passed its budget, with a smaller Permanent Fund Dividend than the House version. A survey of Alaskans shows confidence in the economy is down. Anchorage shares space with wildlife—but feeding them can now cost you.The Alaska Native Heritage Center kicks off its summer season with a Mother’s Day Celebration. -
KNBA Top Stories: Federal officials agree with advocates that the number of Alaska’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases have reached a crisis point. A series of assaults has Juneau on edge.The Anchorage Assembly attempts to balance short term rentals with the city’s housing shortage.Some surprising numbers on Anchorage’s status as a leading global air cargo hub. -
KNBA’s Top Stories: The debate over how much to subsidize the Alaska Liquified Natural Gas project dominates the final days of the legislative session. Months after Typhoon Halong, Western Alaska villages are still rebuilding — and considering relocation. The Nenana Ice Classic tripod has fallen — and this year’s timing surprised even the scientists. -
KNBA Top Stories: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle failed to override the governor’s veto of election reform legislation. The Alaska Federation of Natives reacts to Monday’s failed veto override. Alaska Native artists say Etsy’s new fur ban discriminates against them. Teens in Alaska are getting hurt on ATVs at higher rates than any other age group. -
Alaskans reflects on the loss of Kelly Hunt, an Alaska Native college student from Shaktoolik, whose life was cut short in Anchorage.This podcast examines community advocacy, questions about the police response, calls for accountability, and the resilience of a young woman taken too soon. -
KNBA’S Top Stories: One legislator from Western Alaska says that pain from high fuel costs has an outsized impact on his constituents. The village of Shaktoolik says goodbye to Kelly Hunt, the 19-year-old whose remains were found in Anchorage two weeks ago. Hear the full interview with Lynda Bekoalok, a longtime Shaktoolik teacher, who shares memories about one of her most promising students. -
KNBA’s Top Stories: The governor vetoes a bipartisan election reform bill. More than 200 gathered at the UAA Campus to bring attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women. Following the death of Kelly Hunt, Soldotna Representative Justin Ruffridge says Alaska is failing Alaska Native Women. A confidential informant is suing over a State. A sudden stop on the Goldbelt Tram leaves riders injured. -
KNBA Top Stories: A fellow officer reported it a month ago—now an Anchorage police officer is facing charges for driving his patrol car while drunk. Tax breaks for Alaska’s massive LNG project remain a work in progress. A bill re-establishing a defined pension for teachers and other public employees is on its way to the governor. A walk to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People is set for tonight at the University of Alaska Anchorage. And a herd of the muskox that ranges along the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska is growing, but not yet large enough to allow legal hunts and poachers aren't helping. -
A former Nome Superior Court judge faces new misconduct charges involving social media contact with apparent sex workers. Communities were excited about federal money for new weather stations in Alaska, but so far, no word yet on where they will go. New research shows that warmer weather means warmer water –which gives invasive northern pike a biological edge when it comes to gobbling up more juvenile salmon. -
KNBA Top Stories: Anchorage Police Chief responds to criticism over handling of the Kelly Hunt case.Alaskaland or Pioneer Park: Just a name, or something more? This summer’s commercial salmon harvest forecast is out, and it’s calling for lower catches.
