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.
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It's not easy to accept 70 new students in the middle of the school year, but College Gate Elementary School in Anchorage welcomed a group of children, forced to relocate to Anchorage, after hurricane-force winds and flooding devastated coastal communities in Western Alaska. -
The Alaska Federation of Natives takes time out to honor the leadership of Ana Hoffman. After 12 years as co-chair of AFN, Ana Hoffman hands over the reins of leadership to Gayla Hoseth. -
KNBA's Top Stories: If the federal shutdown continues, SNAP food assistance benefits will end in November. President Trump issues a disaster declaration for Western Alaska and the Alaska Desk's Alena Naiden takes us to Savoonga for the opening of a plant to process reindeer meat. -
KNBA's Top Stories: The latest on the Western Alaska Disaster response and a look at how one Dene family is working to restore tradition Native coming of age ceremonies for girls. -
Joaqlin Estus, a prominent Alaska Native journalist, and her great-grandmother, civil rights activist Tillie Paul-Tamaree, are being inducted in to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame, Class of 2025. Estus says she comes from a long line of "rabble rousers," but through her storytelling, she has also worked to bring healing and understanding. -
From addressing a devastating storm that toppled homes in Western Alaska, to fighting for the subsistence way of life, the 59th annual Alaska Federation of Natives Convention has its work cut out for it this year. -
The 42nd annual Elders and Youth Conference got underway in downtown Anchorage on Sunday at the Dena'ina Center with dancing and drumming. It's a time when elders and young people come together to share knowledge and culture, as well as face the challenges of today's world. -
Since 2018, Native advocates have pushed for Alaska State Troopers to release the names of its cold case victims. But when they published an update on Sept. 25, they discovered troopers had eliminated more than 20 unsolved cases from their list. After complaints, the Alaska Dept. of Public Safety restored most of those names to its website. -
After spending the summer reviewing unsolved murders, Alaska State Troopers have refreshed their cold case website. Advocates for Indigenous victims and their families commend the effort but say it still doesn't provide the basic information that’s needed. Advocates say it is important to publicize these cases, because the murder rate for Alaska Natives is disproportionately high compared to other populations in the state. -
Alaska tribes were handed a setback from the Deputy Interior Secretary, who issued an opinion that takes away their jurisdiction over Alaska Native allotments and gives it back to the state. The decision threatens the Eklutna tribe's new Chin'an Gaming Hall near Anchorge, after decades of battling with the state over its right to build a casino on a Native allotment.
