A dedicated voice for public broadcasting in Alaska: Tom Abbott navigates attempted retirement, interim management, and the struggle to survive the federal funding cuts impacting rural public radio across America

After 35 years working in local public radio - 27 years as general manager of KFSK in Petersburg - Tom Abbott has reached retirement. It'll just require a bit more crisis management before he can fully clock out.

In an interview with the Pilot, Abbott said he provided KFSK's board of directors a resignation letter last year, with 18 months built in to pass the torch to the station's next manager. He hoped a successor could be hired and would arrive by this summer and the two could work together for a smooth transition.

Meanwhile, complete federal defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadca...