360 North New Year Celebration

On New Years Eve 360 North will provide music programming to help Alaskans celebrate. This block of programming that starts at 11 am. on December 31 and continues until early in the morning on January 1st includes the documentary Shakespeare Was a big George Jones Fan. And, we will have a Song of the Mountains marathon that includes music by Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys, Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen, Breaking Tradition and The Abrams Brothers. A "best of" Song of the Mountains show includes Lonesome River Band, Cana Ramblers and the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Pride Band.

360 North will have another large collection of Alaska programming on New Years Day. We will be sharing Alaska feature stories from across the state on the Alaska Magazine Television marathon. Tune in to see people and places familiar to where you live and learn about other parts of the state. It's fun holiday programming that shouldn't be missed.

December Permanent Fund Trustees Meeting

The December meeting of the Alaska Permanent Fund Board of Trustees is scheduled for broadcast on 360 North. Gavel to Gavel Alaska coverage of the two days of proceedings will be shown in its entirety twice.

Monday, December 17 - 12 noon. Meeting Day One
Tuesday, December 18 - 12 noon. Meeting Day Two

Saturday, December 22 - 12 noon. Meeting Day One repeat
Sunday, December 23 - 12 noon. Meeting Day Two repeat

Christmas Programming on 360 North

To celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday, special programming is planned for broadcast on 360 North. We will have a collection of traditional Christmas music programs and some interesting features. Christmas programs include:

Holidays at Murry State
A Robert Wells Christmas Special
Once Upon a Christmas Cheery, in the Lab of Shakhishiri
Christmas at Luther
The Heartbeat Alaska Christmas Special
Native American Night Before Christmas
Bethel University Christmas
An Alaska Christmas (from previous years in the Governor's Mansion)

These programs begin during the days before Christmas and continue through December 25. Throughout December short excerpts from some of the Christmas music programs will begin to run between the scheduled programs to give a preview of the joyous music to come.

Promotional Campaign Begins

Next week, the statewide promotional campaign will begin for 360 North. With the help of Aadland Marketing, 360 North has purchased television, radio and web advertising that will start on December 19.

To reach as many potential viewers as possible and bring them to the diverse programming that fills the 360 North schedule, the advertising campaign will extend through January. So, while you may not see and hear a big explosion of spots right away, the presence will continue well into the legislative and government coverage that begins on January 15. We are using this approach to continue 360 North ad placement into the period where we expect to increase cable carriage after the beginning of 2008. It will extend our rather small advertising budget over a longer time.

Watch for 360 North television advertising on KTUU-TV adjacent to the statewide news and on GCI Cable. Radio promotion for 360 North will reach our demographic over public radio stations. And, rich text media advertising will bring 360 North to the web associated with the internet editions of the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Anchorage Journal of Commerce, Seward Phoenix Log and the Tundra Drums.

The official press release and supporting material will also be distributed next week throughout the state. Media inquiries can be directed to Bill Legere, General Manager.

Arguments Before the Court

Since 1999 KTOO has broadcast the oral arguments brought before the Alaska Supreme Court. The video production of the proceedings is done in collaboration with the court staff.

These presentations continue on 360 North as part of the continuing effort to bring as much government and public affairs information to Alaskan viewers as possible. The next broadcast of the Gavel to Gavel Alaska Special presentation of Oral Arguments Before the Alaska Supreme Court airs Sunday, December 16. Tune in to watch the justices and attorneys discuss the most recent cases that have made it to the highest appellate court in the state.

On the Web

There is now a quick link to the 360 North program schedule and the web stream from the KTOO web site.

www.ktoo.org

New Program Schedule Begins

Starting this evening the new 360 North program schedule will begin evolving on the air. Over the next week many programs and series will begin broadcast. Some are brand new to television. Several are new to television in Alaska. Many are new to 360 North.

On Monday, December 3, we begin our regular daily and weekly schedule. Leading up to that time, previews of our new programs will fill the schedule.

New programs specifically for 360 North beginning over the next week include...

-The Alaska Film Archives Television Series
-Discovering Alaska
-The Alaska Short Forum
-Science for Alaska

New programs for Alaska viewers premiering this week...

-Northwest Indian News
-Native Report
-Freedom Files
-New Flyfisher
-Heavy Sedation
-Small Business School
-and four new Documentaries

Great Alaska programs starting on 360 North this week...

-Angling Alaska
-Alaska Magazine TV
-Evening at Egan Lectures
-Heartbeat Alaska
-Alaska Resource Issues Forum

Detailed Program Listings

What's on?

Now, when you want to know what's on 360 North, it's easy to find out. Our detailed listings are being distributed by television data companies and available on the internet.

Right now the easiest way to look at the program lineup is by going to the KTOO web site:

http://www.ktoo.org/tvschedule.cfm

Following this link you can see what is on 360 North and AlaskaOne.

We have also entered into agreements with Tribune Media Services and TVGuide to provide data services. Soon, program information for 360 North will be on several other web sites and provided to newspapers throughout Alaska.

You can go to the Tribune Media Services site zap2it and see the 360 North listings for Juneau where we are on GCI cable channel 18.

TVGuide.com will also be listing 360 North. You can now search by location for Juneau and find 360 North. We are working to be listed statewide and provide on-screen detailed listings on GCI Cable by early December.

Testimonials

Many friends of the new 360 North channel have overwhelmed us with their support, congratulations and wishes for success. Senator Murkowski has just sent a video message to the 360 North audience which we will be sharing with viewers soon.

Other video clips we are preparing for broadcast include those from University of Alaska president Mark Hamilton, CPB president Pat Harrison, KTUU News Director John Tracy and the hosts of some of the new series that will be premiering in Alaska on 360 North.

When the new program lineup starts to air over the next weeks, watch for these and other guest appearances from interesting and recognizable personalities as they participate in the beginning of the 360 North service.

Juneau Empire Story About 360 NORTH

Juneau group behind new TV series of short films

The Juneau Empire ran a nice article today about the partnership between those creating the new Alaska Short Forum series and 360 North. It describes the series, announces the broadcast and calls for submissions.

The following link will take you to the story in the on-line version of the Juneau Empire if you would like to read it.

http://juneauempire.com/stories/111507/loc_20071115028.shtml

Archives Series Begins in December

The Alaska Film Archives Television Series begins airing on Friday, December 7. The programs premier each week on Friday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. They repeat over the following weekend and again on Monday during the day.

Topics for episodes of Alaska Review scheduled for December include:

-Oil Money
-Bunker Crude Oil Spill

-Coping with the Cold
-Haines Logging vs. Eagles

-Inupiat Subsistence vs. the Government:
-Whaling

-Airplane Safety
-Cameras in Court

These first programs were originally produced between 1977 and 1980. They provide an interesting historical view of the issues and are, in many cases, relevant to current events. It is also fun to see who "pops up" on screen looking thirty years younger.

Permanent Fund Corporation Board Annual Meeting

When the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) board held its annual meeting in Fairbanks, 360 North was there to record the event. The meeting will air on November 19. Above, John Kelly records the proceedings at the Fairbanks Princess Hotel.

A 360 North crew will be on hand for the next meeting of the board in Anchorage in December, and in Juneau during their February meeting. As 360 North expands its on-air offerings this type of extended, long-format public affairs programming will increase as Gavel to Gavel Alaska Specials. These specials will run both during the Gavel to Gavel Alaska legislative coverage, and continue throughout the year.

APFC Annual Meeting Broadcast Schedule:
-Monday, November 19 - 12 noon until 11 pm.
-Wednesday, November 28 - 8 am until 6 pm. (repeat)
*Dates will vary only in the event of live legislative coverage.

Legere Named Broadcaster of the Year

Bill Legere, Capital Community Broadcasting, Inc., president and general manager, was named 2007 Alaska Broadcaster of the Year by the Alaska Broadcasters Association (ABA). The announcement was made at the ABA annual convention on November 2.

Legere oversees 360 North, Gavel to Gavel Alaska, KTOO-TV, KTOO-FM, KRNN-FM and KXLL-FM, headquartered in Juneau.

Selection for the Broadcaster of the Year is made through a nomination process among ABA members. Guidelines require that the Broadcaster of the Year be an individual who has made a significant contribution to the broadcasting industry thereby benefiting all Alaskan broadcasters and their community or by enhancing the image of broadcasters through exceptional community service over the past year.

Legere has served on the ABA board of directors since 2002 and is currently President of the association. His broadcasting career in Alaska began at KFSK in Petersburg in 1980. In 1985 he was named radio manager at KTOO-FM. In 1991 he became president and general manager of KTOO-FM and TV.

More information about the ABA convention, the 2007 awards and previous winners can be found at http://www.alaskabroadcasters.org/.

More World Affairs Council Events

With one World Affairs Council event recorded and being prepared for broadcast it seemed natural to move forward and work toward piloting the series with at least three programs. Their event tonight in Juneau will be shot and packaged with the previous program for air later this winter.

Gerard Baker
"US European Economic Relations"

Gerard Baker is the US Editor and columnist of Times of London. He joined in 2004 from the Financial Times, where he had spent over ten years as Tokyo correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief.

On November 20, 360 North will videotape a lecture by:

Ambassador Said T. Jawad
"Beyond the Headlines - Afganistan's Stability and Global Security."

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he served as the President’s Press Secretary, Chief of Staff as well as the Director of the Office of International Relations at the Presidential Palace. Ambassador Jawad (photo at left) has worked closely with President Karzai in formulating strategies, implementing policies, building national institutions and prioritizing reforms in Afghanistan. He also worked with the U.S. and Afghan military experts to help reform the Ministry of Defense and rebuild the Afghan National Army. Among his many accomplishments, he was instrumental in drafting Afghanistan’s foreign investment laws and also served as President Karzai’s principal liaison with the constitutional commission during the process of the drafting of Afghanistan’s new constitution.

We hope that these initial World Affairs Council programs will help lead to a permanent arrangement for many future presentations to come. The reality of working on a demonstration project that is funded by grant money, like the start-up of 360 North, is that everything will have to eventually be sustainable for the long term. We hope to find underwriters or partners in the future to help defray the costs of production of programs like the World Affairs Council events.

After the special session...

When the special session of the Alaska Legislature concludes, 360 North will begin presenting its full schedule of programming. There are some great shows with a wide range of subjects and some new programs and series that will be premiering in December.

Immediately after the Alaska legislative coverage ends, there are several Gavel to Gavel Alaska Special Presentations coming to 360 North viewers. They are all long-format public affairs programming at its best.

Through collaboration with the National Association of Public Affairs Networks, 360 North has access to extensive coverage of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Annual Conference that took place this fall in Boston. Sessions that will be broadcast on 360 North include:

-Building the Energy Grid
-Health Care Reform Challenge
-The Traditional School Day
-Climate Change
-Early Education
-End of Life Care
-Property Tax Reform
-Separation of Powers
-New Media
-Immigration Reform
-Public Affairs Networks
-Ben Franklin

Also during the week after the special session we will present fifteen different public presentations made possible by our partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast. The UAS Spring Forum 2007 - Sustaining Culture, Community and Environment brought together many interesting people in the humanities. Subjects highlighted in the 360 North broadcasts include:

-Robert Bly, Poet
-Sustaining Culture Through the Arts
-The International Polar Year, The Latest Science
-Sustaining Southeast Alaskan Languages
-Sustaining First Nation languages
-In the Moment: Capturing the Spirit of Community
-Valuing Parks and Nature
-Sustaining Business and Eco-Entrepreneurs
-Meeting Environmental Challenges Through Local Government
-The Sustainable University

World Affairs Council - Pilot Production

Tonight, 360 North will shoot a pilot episode of the Juneau World Affairs Council lecture presentation in Juneau.

The Juneau World Affairs Council (JWAC) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization. They work to encourage dialog and understanding of important international economic, political, and social issues through informed discussions, personal contacts, and other educational activities.

Juneau World Affairs Council organizes lectures and panel discussions for the benefit of its members and the public. Speakers include ambassadors, professors, business leaders, and other prominent and interesting presenters.

We are recording a lecture by Frank Ruddy on Western Sahara. Ruddy is an attorney who has held positions such as: Senior Attorney, The White House; U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea; General Counsel, U.S. Dept. of Energy; currently Counsel member of the firm Sale & Quinn in Washington, D.C. In 1994 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the U.N. Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara.

360 North is hoping to partner in the future with JWAC to bring its presentations and speakers to a larger audience throughout Alaska. We start tonight with this project in hopes that it will allow us to bring many enlightening presentations in the future. A broadcast date for this lecture will be determined soon.

The Alaska Short Forum - A Film Festival on 360 North

The Alaska Short Forum, a show focusing on short films created by Alaskan artists, has announced an open call for submissions. The program seeks films up to fifteen minutes in length for inclusion in episodes to air on 360 North and to podcast over the internet starting this winter.

Submission forms and guidelines can be found on the program website at
http://shortforum.com

“We’re looking for everything. We want documentaries, animation, experimental, whatever people are making. We want this show to be representative of the short films being produced in our state.” Pat Race, of The Alaska Short Forum said.

“Filmmaking is a relatively new art form and a lot of the barriers have come down in the past ten years. We want the show to not only give people an outlet for expression but to help teach them to use these new tools.” said Aaron Suring of The Alaska Short Forum. “The show will mostly feature short films but we’re also planning to do some quick tutorials and interviews with contributing filmmakers. We want to help people develop their skills and also build a better sense of community.” Race said.

The pilot episode of The Alaska Short Forum will be seen on 360 North in December. Submissions are now being accepted for the first, and subsequent episodes.

Aadland Marketing to Provide Advertising Support

Aadland Marketing Group has been hired to provide advertising and media support for 360 North through the end of 2007. Although media production for 360 North remains in-house at KTOO, Gregory Galik, President of Aadland Marketing Group, has agreed to oversee creation of the initial media plan and provide consulting, analysis and media purchase services.

360 North is eager to work with Galik and the team at Aadland. They will bring a fresh perspective and a wealth of experience to the promotion of our television service. Their unique background in the advertising world will help us get a lot of coverage with our limited ad budget.

"I am personally excited to work with you, and do what we can to get your promotional efforts underway. Alaskans need insightful and intelligent programming that can help them understand our State, its government, and people that make it all work." -Greg Galik

Bristol Bay Fisheries Films

Three independent documentary films about fishing in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska have been licensed for broadcast on 360 North.


Caught in Bristol Bay


Making Waves


Reds & Blues in Bristol Bay


Caught in Bristol Bay explores the heyday of the salmon fishery in the region. Making Waves looks at womens roles in the fishery and highlights female captains. The third program in this 'fisheries trilogy' looks at the downturn in the industry after the 1990's and how it affected people who worked in and counted on fishing as a way of life. The unique connection between the programs is that they were produced over the course of a decade and bring a long-term dedication to understanding the subject.

Producer Donald Blank, a New Yorker, is also known for his work on films in other parts of the country. The broadcast of these three half-hour programs as a 90-minute special on 360 North will bring an outsiders perspective of this very Alaskan way of life.

KYUK Provides Rural Perspecitve

KYUK in Bethel has teamed up with 360 North to provide a wealth of interesting documentary and cultural event programming.

For over thirty years KYUK has served the people of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Alaska as a broadcast entity providing both television and radio services.

During this time they have also been producers of a litany of radio and television programs. Now, KYUK has agreed to share their rich library of productions with 360 North.

Some of the programs that will be in future 360 North schedules include:

-Platinum Dreams
-Racing the Wind
-Pursuit of Excellence
-The Fastest Trail
-One Vision, Many Voices
-Following the Star
-Cross on the Yukon
-Cama-i Dance Festival productions from many years
-Uncle Sam's Men

.. and more. Watch for KYUK programs this winter on 360 North.

Evening at Egan-Season Underway

Fall marks the beginning of the Evening at Egan public lectures for the season. For years, the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus has been host to academics, dignitaries and visiting lecturers and made their presentations open to the public at the Egan Lecture Hall. Now, 360 North will join UATV to make these events available to Alaskans across the state on television.

Besides the interesting new productions scheduled for this winter, UAS Campus Technology has given 360 North permission to broadcast the presentations they have produced in the past. These include artists, writers, scientists, scholars, researchers, professors and visiting speakers. Programs being recorded this fall include:

-Economics of Climate Change, Britteny Cioni, UAS Assistant Professor of Economics

-Innovations in the Remote Monitoring of Marine Mammals, Russ Andrews, UAF Research Assistant Professor, Sea Life Center

-Digital Kids, Digital Storytelling and the Future of Learning, Jason Ohler, UA President’s Professor of Educational Technology

-Reconstructing Iraq and the Establishment of the Rule of Law-CANX, Judge Zuhair Jumma Bash Al-Maliki, legal advisor of finance and rule of law issues in Iraq

-Alaska Water Challenges: A Dialog, Sine Anahita, PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Nicole Grewe, PhD, Alaska Division of Community Advocacy

-North of Alaska: A Visit to Canada's High Arctic, Nick Jans, author, photographer and contributor to Outside Magazine and Rolling Stone

-November is the Cruelest Month:A Misanthrope’s Historical Almanac, David Noon, UAS Assistant Professor of History

-Southeast Alaska’s Languages, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, Richard Dauenhauer, UA Presidents Professor, Nora Dauenhauer, Tlinget Birth Speaker, Alice Taff, UAS Research Assistant Professor Alaska Native Languages

-Freedom in the Extreme: Where Adventurous Athletes Meet Stoic Philosophers, Kevin Krein, UAS Associate Professor of Philosophy

-Is Southeast Alaska at Risk From Global Mercury Pollution? Sonia Nagorski, Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Science

All of these programs will be seen on 360 North over the next year through a partnership with University of Alaska Southeast-Campus Technology.

They Made It Look Easy

At a little before 10:30 this morning, the transition button on the new switcher was pressed and the Gavel to Gavel Alaska coverage of the special session began with new equipment from the rebuilt control facilities and re-wired capitol building.
If there were technical difficulties, they were transparent to spectators in the room and to the viewers watching the proceedings begin on the air.

In the above picture you see (L-R) John Kelly, Will Judy, David Waters and Mary Williams. John, David and Mary are control room directors who switch and coordinate the on-air signal and that of meetings being saved for later broadcast. Will is the Director of IT and Engineering for KTOO and supervised the integration and construction project for the station. He doesn't usually sit in the control room but was on hand in case of difficulties. We didn't see him do anything during the big launch, so he must have had everything under control all along. Will's associate, Carmelo D'Amico, was keeping an eye on things in the transmission room just out of sight.

Not shown are the entire crew up at the capitol building under the direction of Skip Gray. Randy Burton, Gavel to Gavel Alaska producer, was at another station programming the automation system, web streams, the web site, and working on the ever-changing schedule for the rest of the day and week.

They make this extensive and sometimes complicated coverage look easy.

KAKM Partnership Increases Anchorage Coverage

DT 7.3

A new partnership with KAKM in Anchorage will bring 360 North to viewers in Southcentral Alaska in a new way. For the Gavel to Gavel Alaska special session coverage that begins tomorrow, KAKM will broadcast 360 North as a multi-cast channel on its digital transmitter. 360 North will be seen over-the-air by viewers with digital televisions in Alaska's largest city on DT 7.3.

We are very excited to have KAKM participate and help with the demonstration project that brings 360 North to Alaskans. And, we appreciate that KAKM sees the value in bringing coverage of government and the legislative process to as many Alaskans as possible.

360 North is working with KAKM to bring Alaska Weather and other locally-produced programs to a statewide audience when the special session concludes.

PPT-101

OIL TAXES IN ALASKA

To help viewers understand the history and complexities of oil taxes, KTOO is producing a four-part series of short programs as a primer to the subject. This tax and legislation regarding changes and the future of petroleum profits taxes are the focus of the upcoming Alaska Legislature special session that starts Thursday, October 18.

Producer Anne Sutton will explore the history of oil taxation in Alaska, how other states and countries tax resource extractors, and ACES, where Alaska stands today. The four programs will be seen during the extensive Gavel to Gavel Alaska coverage of the special session starting this week on 360 North.

Countdown to Special Session

The clocks really are counting down in the KTOO production and transmission facilities. Luckily, the clocks and most of the other equipment is installed and working.
Above, in the Master Control Room you see KTOO staff and technicians from BURST working to test all of the equipment and make sure it is communicating and interfacing properly.

This image shows the Production Control Room next to the MCR and one of the BURST project engineers programming and configuring the new digital production equipment. You will notice if you look closely that there are cameras making pictures on the monitors. Some of those images are coming down live from the new cameras in the capitol building.

Everything is on schedule to turn over the fully operational facilities on Wednesday -- just in time for the start of the legislative special session on Thursday morning. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Gavel to Gavel Alaska covers special session

"Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska,” the statewide television and Internet web casting service, will be providing full coverage of the upcoming special session of the Alaska Legislature, starting on Thursday, October 18th.

Throughout the session, cameras in the state capitol will televise unedited, start-to-finish coverage of House and Senate floor sessions, key committee hearings, news conferences and other state government activity.

Coinciding with the special session, Gavel to Gavel Alaska is moving into all new digital television facilities at the KTOO building in downtown Juneau. Technicians are finishing up work on a six-month, $1 million upgrade to the control rooms and the capitol building wiring and equipment, expected to be finished just in time for the special session. The project replaces old and obsolete analog television equipment, much of it dating back to the 1980s and 90s. The new facilities will allow KTOO to expand programming via a new Alaska channel called “360 North.”

The television service will be carried by 37 cable systems statewide, including all of the GCI Cable systems, as well as on satellite TV’s Dish Network and live on the Internet at www.ktoo.org/gavel. Gavel to Gavel will also stream live audio of most official meetings in the State Capitol building so that anyone with a computer connected to the Internet will be able to listen to almost any hearing, committee meeting or floor session live as it happens. In addition, every event will be saved in an extensive on-line audio archive and will be available for playback on the Internet.

Gavel to Gavel Alaska is produced by KTOO-TV, the public television station in Juneau. The City and Borough of Juneau provides a major grant to support the coverage. ACS provides the Internet web casting service. GCI Cable and several other cable systems are providing cable channels on 37 cable systems in the state and Dish Network provides distribution to their home satellite customers in Alaska.

In addition to the City and Borough of Juneau, special session sponsors include AT&T Alascom, ConocoPhillips, the Association of Alaska School Boards, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, BP, AARP, Public Employees Local 71, Wostmann and Associates and the Alaska Committee.

Viewers can obtain updated daily schedules and access the audio and video streams via the web site, www.ktoo.org/gavel. The e-mail address for Gavel to Gavel Alaska is gavel@ktoo.org.

News directors and editors: An updated list of local channels for each community is on the web at http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/cable.cfm. For telephone interviews about Gavel to Gavel Alaska, call Bill Legere, KTOO-TV at 907-586-1670.

Health Care Council - Broadcast Dates

The Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council meetings have been scheduled for broadcast on 360 North. The programs will air once a week for seven weeks. They begin on October 28 with the meeting recorded in June and run through December 9.

The broadcast dates are:

Sunday, October 28 – 7 pm
Sunday, November 4 – 7 pm
Sunday, November 11 – 7 pm
Sunday, November 18 – 7 pm
Sunday, November 25 – 7 pm
Sunday, December 2 – 7 pm
Sunday, December 9 – 7 pm.

Broadcast of these meetings was made possible, in part, by The Foraker Group. Their support was instrumental in our ability to produce this coverage for 360 North.

College Track 2

The Alaska College Track project began in 2004 as a follow up to a national PBS series. At that time, producer Katie Bausler visited with rural Southeast Alaskans transitioning between high school and the rest of their lives. The original Alaska College Track program featured young Alaskans with big plans for a college education.

The new documentary, Alaska College Track 2, catches up with these students at UAS, UAA and UAF in 2007 and tells the story of students making their way through the University system. Amanda, Duain and Marita face remedial classes, financial hardship and personal tragedy. Support systems and cultural identity help them stay in college despite challenges. Alaska College Track 2 will have its premiere broadcast over the public television stations in Alaska this month.

Before the first broadcast 360 North, in conjunction with the University of Alaska Southeast, will hold a public screening followed by a panel discussion that includes a question and answer session with the audience. This entire event, held at the Egan Library at UAS in Juneau, will be recorded for broadcast on 360 North.

This production characterizes a good example of how Alaska public television programs can be augmented by longer form, public affairs treatments of their subjects. The College Track 2 program can be broadcast in the future as a stand-alone documentary and also air with its companion "town meeting" program that takes a closer at the topic with experts, students and the public.

Alaska College Track 2 Screening followed by audience Q and A with panel
UAS Egan Lecture Hall, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7-9 p.m.

Alaska College Track 2 Broadcast:
October 18, 9 pm, on AlaskaOne Public Television stations
October 22, 9 pm, on KAKM-Anchorage

Alaska College Track 2 Broadcast--documentary and "town meeting" follow-up
in December on 360 North

"Truly Alaskan" Documentaries

Five very interesting and very Alaskan documentaries have recently been acquired to air on 360 North. They are all the work of long-time filmmaker Curt Madison of River Tracks Productions.

Four of the programs look deeply into Alaska Native culture and will be important contributions to the planned weekly block of Native programming. The fifth documentary, on mining, is a unique history offering.

Hitting Sticks, Healing Hearts - This documentary was produced at the request of village elders. It provides an in-depth, insiders view of an Athabaskan memorial potlatch. It aired on public television in Alaska and was used as part of the Death, A Trip of a Lifetime series produced by KCTS, Seattle.

Songs in Minto Life - Like 'Hitting Sticks,' the setting is the Athabaskan Indian village of Minto. This film is about music and the way it weaves through every aspect of life.

Tanana River Rat - This program is a vibrant drama of contemporary life in Interior Alaska. Brothers separated by the political realities of Alaska after the 1991 Native land claims are forced together on the river when a cousin drowns. The family and village come together as they always have in times of crisis.

Huteetl: A Koyukon Memorial Potlatch - Considered a valuable anthropological document, this video looks at the final death rites of a young couple who died in a small airplane crash. More than 200 people joined the 100 residents of Hughes for the week-long celebration releasing the deceased spirit from a year of wandering.

Bedrock Pay - This project gives viewers insight into some of the characters and the lifestyle of gold mining in the historic Manley and Eureka districts of the Interior.

Each of these "truly Alaskan" programs has won numerous awards and been recognized in North America and throughout the world.

Great Progress in the Control Room

The first days of work in the KTOO control room by the Burst team has revealed big changes. Here you see the BEFORE picture when the drywall mud was still wet.And, below, you see the progress of the first three days of work from the same angle. There is still so much to be done, but seeing the racks and furniture in place is exciting for the staff.
We will continue to post pictures as the control rooms take shape with the help of KTOO's John Kelly who has been documenting the work and providing pictures.

First Day Progress

These guys from Burst are pretty good. At 8 am the room was empty. By the time they left for lunch, the racks were in place and furniture was being built. It's a good start. Of course, there are all of these wires that need to be connected to something....

A Truck Full of Stuff...

A truck full of stuff arrived in the KTOO parking lot on Friday. It took a forklift and several people to unload the equipment, destined for the rebuild project in the control rooms, into the building for unpacking.

The technicians from Burst, the integrator selected for the KTOO digital conversion project, arrive in the building this morning to begin unpacking. Eventually, all of the equipment that now fills the studio in large crates and on pallets will fit neatly into the new master control room and production control room.



Let's hope there is a lot of packing material in there because it looks like a lot of equipment. It weighs just under 20,000 pounds and has a value of about $750,000. It will be exciting over the next weeks to see it all installed and operating in KTOO's new state-of-the-art 360 NORTH and Gavel to Gavel facility.

Regular updates and pictures will continue to be posted.

Planning for the Public Launch of a Television Service

The KTOO staff has been meeting to propose ideas and work through details of the official launch of 360 North. In August a work session including everyone from the KTOO stations was held to identify a list of promotion, programming and public relations tasks. Since then, small groups have worked through planning of different facets of announcing and presenting the new television service to the public.

Above, Tim Olson describes progress on the promotion plan and spot production at a staff meeting while Bill Legere, KTOO CEO and General Manager, looks on.

Special Session Coverage

On October 18, Alaska Day, the Alaska State Legislature will convene in special session to consider issues related to the state oil and gas tax. This topic and the special session has garnered unique interest in light of the ongoing corruption charges and trials, some involving legislators who voted on the original legislation regarding petroleum taxes.

KTOO's Gavel to Gavel Alaska will provide full coverage of all of the proceedings from Juneau during the session. Although KTOO will be in the middle of its digital conversion and facilities upgrade, equipment is being configured to provide the extensive coverage that Alaskans have come to expect from KTOO over the past twelve years.

360 North is excited to be able to broadcast this important public affairs coverage of Alaska government. It is one of the important services that the people of Alaska have come to rely on their public television stations to provide.