Augie Hiebert

Lore & Background

Hiebert built his first amateur radio at age 15 in Bend, Oregon. After high school, he worked at a radio station in Wenatchee, Washington, rising from announcer to station engineer. In 1939, he followed a co-worker to Fairbanks, Alaska, where they built the city's first radio station, KFAR. On December 7, 1941, Hiebert, at KFAR, was the first Alaskan to hear news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and alerted the military. He helped set up KENI in Anchorage in 1948 and established Alaska's first FM station, KNIK, in 1960. His first satellite AM station was KBYR, programmed by Rod Williams.

In 1953, Hiebert's company Northern Television built KTVA, Alaska's first television station, which initially broadcast only a few hours daily with network programming flown in as film or kinescope. In 1955, he founded KTVF, Alaska's second television station, in Fairbanks. He worked behind the scenes to bring live coverage of Neil Armstrong's moonwalk on July 20, 1969, negotiating with the U.S. military and Alaskan congressional delegation for a live satellite feed. Hiebert organized 'Alaska Days' for the FCC to educate members about broadcasting challenges in a vast, sparsely populated state.

Reader's Guide

Hiebert's significance lies in his foundational role in Alaskan broadcasting. He built the state's first radio station (KFAR), first television station (KTVA), and first FM station (KNIK), establishing the infrastructure for modern communications in Alaska. His efforts to bring live satellite coverage of the 1969 moon landing marked a turning point, ending Alaska's reliance on shipped film for major events. As an advocate for Alaskan broadcasters, he organized FCC 'Alaska Days' to highlight the unique difficulties of broadcasting in a remote, sparsely populated region. After selling Northern Television in 1997, he continued to serve the community by establishing a video-news program at Mirror Lake Middle School and helping license KAUG, the first middle school radio station in the U.S. licensed by the FCC. In 2003, the U.S. Senate commended his service to the Alaska communications industry. Walter Cronkite, upon Hiebert's death, called him 'the pioneer of communications who brought radio and later television to his beloved home state.'

Did You Know?

• He was the first Alaskan to hear news of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, and alerted the military.
• He helped bring live satellite coverage of Neil Armstrong's moonwalk to Alaska in 1969.