How to Watch

360 North is available to viewers in many ways.

•We can be watched over-the-air (DTV) on transmitters operated by KAKM-TV (DT7.3) in Anchorage and KTOO-TV (DT10.2) in Juneau.

•Home satellite service subscribers can watch 360 North as a local channel on DishNetwork (9384, 7040, 8299) and DirecTV (3.1).

•The 360 North webcast is available around-the-clock at www.360north.org, www.360north.tv, www.ktoo.org and http://360north.blogspot.com/

•And, around the state on cable televison....

Anchorage -GCI Cable...................................ch. 17
Atqasuk -Satellite TV Systems.................... ch. 11
Barrow -Barrow Cable TV.............................ch. 10
Bethel -GCI Cable............................................ch. 17
Big Lake -MTA DTV.......................................ch. 302
Buckland -City of Buckland Cable...............ch. 19
Cantwell -MTA DTV.......................................ch. 302
Chugiak -MTA DTV........................................ch. 302
Clear/Anderson -MTA DTV........................ch. 302
Cordova -GCI Cable........................................ch. 10
Craig -Craig Cable TV......................................ch. 96
Dillingham -Nushagak Telephone...............ch. 12
Eagle River -MTA DTV..................................ch. 302
Eagle River -GCI Cable..................................ch. 17
Fairbanks -GCI Cable.....................................ch. 17
Girdwood -Eyecom.........................................ch. 33
Haines -Haines Cable TV...............................ch. 17
Healy -MTA DTV.............................................ch. 302
Homer GCI Cable.............................................ch. 10
Houston -MTA DTV........................................ch. 302
Hydaburg -Hydaburg Cable TV....................ch. 96
Juneau -GCI Cable..........................................ch. 18 and 7
Kachemak Bay -GCI Cable...........................ch. 10
Kenai -GCI Cable..............................................ch. 17
Ketchikan -GCI Cable.....................................ch. 13
Ketchikan -KPU CommVision.......................ch. 72
King Salmon -Bay Cablevision......................ch. 37
Kodiak -GCI Cable............................................ch. 17
Kotzebue -GCI Cable........................................ch. 10
Nome -GCI Cable...............................................ch. 17
North Pole -GCI Cable.....................................ch. 17
Palmer -MTA DTV............................................ch. 302
Palmer -GCI Cable............................................ch. 17
Petersburg -GCI Cable.....................................ch. 13
Ridgeway -GCI Cable.......................................ch. 17
Saxman -GCI Cable...........................................ch. 13
Seward -GCI Cable............................................ch. 17
Sitka -GCI Cable.................................................ch. 17
Soldotna -GCI Cable.........................................ch. 17
Talkeetna -MTA DTV.......................................ch. 302
Trapper Creek -MTA DTV..............................ch. 302
Unalaska/Dutch Harbor -Eyecom..............ch. 40
Valdez -GCI Cable..............................................ch. 10
Wasilla -MTA DTV............................................ch. 302
Wasilla -GCI Cable.............................................ch. 17
Willow -MTA DTV..............................................ch. 302
Wrangell -GCI Cable..........................................ch. 13

Alaska, en Plein Air

The six-part television series Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape, produced at KTOO-TV in Juneau, began airing nationally on PBS stations this fall. The series will air statewide on 360 North in February. All six episodes were edited at KTOO-TV’s new high definition television production facility. KTOO’s Theresa Tavel was the editor and post-production coordinator.

Created and produced by well-know Alaska filmmaker Greg Bombeck of Eagle River, the series is a celebration of our natural world, a visual retreat to our nation’s beautiful places and an exploration of the rich and colorful history of American landscape painting. From the founding of the Cape Cod School by Charles Hawthorne in 1899 and gathering of the Taos Society of Artists a few years later – to location demonstrations by today’s leading landscape artists – viewers will discover the roots of this uniquely American art form and why painting “en plein air” is once again at the forefront of American representational art.

With major funding from the Rasmuson Foundation, three of the six episodes were shot on location in Alaska, including Denali Park, Seward and Juneau. Celebrated Alaska cinematographer Bill Holden was the principal photographer for the series.

9:00 pm Wednesday, February 13

•Denali, en Plein Air: Three nationally acclaimed plein air artists, Matt Smith, of Scottsdale, Arizona, Kenn Backhaus of Robesonia, Pennsylvania, and Jean LeGassick, of Silver City, Nevada, paint Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, North America’s tallest mountain, and the expansive wilderness landscape of Denali National Park.

Viewers join Smith on location for a brief painting demonstration and a glimpse into the training, technique and thought processes necessary to paint a successful plein air painting. And the adventure and risks of painting in the wild become evident when a blond grizzly arrives uninvited, and sends the artists scurrying.

A visit to the Anchorage Museum presents the astonishing mountaineer and artist, George Brown, and the paintings he created while climbing Mt. McKinley as a member of the 1947 Bradford Washburn Mt. McKinley Expedition.

•Cape Cod with Charles Sovek, en Plein Air: Nationally known Connecticut artist, author and educator, Charles Sovek, takes viewers to his summer home and studio on Cape Cod. Highly engaging, Charles shares his life as an artist and the perspective 50 years of experience brings to painting en plein air.

9:00 pm - Wednesday, February 20

•The Tongass Rain Forest, en Plein Air: Plein air artists, Smith, Backhaus and LeGassick, travel to remote Southeast Alaska to paint the Tongass Rain Forest, renowned for its towering old growth cedar, hanging moss and incessant rainfall. This episode features a demonstration by Jean LeGassick, who proves that it takes tenacity, gear, and considerable know-how to paint in a rain forest.

Jean shares her personal experience on her road to becoming a professional artist. And her colleagues prove there are struggles and obstacles in every endeavor.

Professor Kesler Woodward examines Laurence’s life and art in the context of modern times.The majesty of the Kenai landscape, the fun and camaraderie amongst the artists, and their pursuit of the rich heritage of landscape painting on location in Alaska creates a memorable viewing experience.

•Taos en Plein Air, and the Taos Society of Artists: Contemporary plein air artist, Ron Rencher, is featured in this episode and introduces viewers to the rich and colorful history of Taos, New Mexico. Following a brief biographical sketch, discover how the Pueblo (Tewa) Indians, the Sante Fe Railroad and a group of academically trained, highly skilled artists from the East Coast came together to give birth to the Taos Society of Artists and artists colony that remain active today.

9:00 pm - Wednesday, February 27

•Seward, Alaska, en Plein Air: Kenn Backhaus leads the trio of visiting artists to Seward, Alaska and its beautiful Resurrection Bay, gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. With the towering Chugach Mountains as a backdrop the artists fi nd inspiration in a derelict boatyard. Kenn demonstrates his approach to painting en plein air, and discusses the influences that shaped him as an artist.

The activities of today’s artists are examined in context with earlier nationally known Alaskan plein air artists and adventurers, Eustace Ziegler and Ted Lambert. Professor Kesler Woordward provides commentary and examples.

Viewers are introduced to iconoclastic painter of Mt. McKinley, Sidney Laurence, whose paintings, created in the early 1900s, have come to epitomize the Alaska landscape.

•Trinidad, Colorado, en Plein Air, and the California Impressionists: Watercolorist and oil painter, Frank LaLumia, shows his command of both mediums with an on-location watercolor demonstration as he paints the historic buildings of Trinidad. Colorado; then, painting in oils at Three Ponds Farm in Central Michigan. And, Frank shares insights into his life as a professional landscape artist.

The Alaska Short Forum - 2008 Season

The pilot episodes of The Alaska Short Forum were a success. Based on the audience reaction and the quality of the programs The Alaska Short Forum will have a regularly scheduled time slot on 360 North.



Starting on February 6, The Alaska Short Forum producers will have a new episode with new short film submissions each month. FIRST WEDNESDAY of each month... tune in to see the best and most eclectic collection of Alaska short productions available. The programs include:

-documentaries
-comedy
-drama
-animation
-tips for video production
-commentary from the curators and producers of the series

DO YOU have films to submit, questions to ask or comments about the programs? Go to the new Alaska Short Forum web site and learn more.

Tune to 360 North to watch the series.
FIRST WEDNESDAY
9:00 p.m.

And the Survey Says.....

The data from the first 360 North audience research has been tabulated. This was the initial, baseline telephone survey. With the help of Hays Research Group we will be gathering audience information, both quantitative and qualitative over the next months. There will be periodic phone research and focus groups conducted throughout the state.

This first field research was scheduled to coincide with the beginning of the 360 North service, on January 8-9, 2008. The information was gathered a month after the launch and just two weeks after the beginning of the advertising campaign. There were several questions ranging in topic from name recognition to specific programming interests. 350 Alaskans were queried across the state. The following were some of the questions to which hard numbers could be affixed.

When asked if they had heard of the new television channel 360 North...
•17.1 percent said YES.

Asked if they had heard of the television program named Gavel to Gavel Alaska...
•48.6 percent said YES.

And, when asked if someone in their household had watched Gavel to Gavel Alaska...
•26.0 percent said YES.

This information gives us a basis on which to build and measure how our outreach and advertising initiatives are working. It also shows the strong name recognition associated with the many years of Gavel to Gavel Alaska production at KTOO. Coupled with the new households we have added to those who can receive 360 North over the past week, it will be very interesting to watch the 17.1 percent recognition figure grow throughout the spring. And, it will help us make decisions for the future as we go through the many programming-related answers from this survey and those surveys and focus group findings in the coming months.

Advertising Campaign Underway

click here to watch the television promo

With the help of Aadland Marketing, 360 North began a strategic marketing and advertising campaign in December. The emphasis is on name recognition of the 360 North brand and drawing new viewers to the service. The media placement targets Alaskans who have an interest in pubic affairs, news, politics and issues. This advertising period will run through mid-February.

Listen for radio spots on:
-CoastAlaska stations KCAW-Sitka, KRBD-Ketchikan, KFSK-Petersburg, KSTK-Wrangell, KRNN/KTOO/KXLL-Juneau.
-KUAC-Fairbanks
-KSKA-Anchorage

Watch for television spots on:
-KTUU-Anchorage (newscast placement including ARCS carriage)
-GCI Cable Media (CNN, ESPN, Fox News, Discovery, CNN-HLN, NFL, History Channel)

Browse web (rich text display advertising) placement at:
-Anchorage Daily News
-Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
-Juneau Empire
-Alaska Journal of Commerce
-Alaska Newspapers, The Tundra Drums, Seward Phoenix Log

To view the television promo click here.

www.360North.org

360 North now has its own presence on the world wide web. www.360North.org has links to the 360 North blog and the KTOO web site. www.360North.org can connect you with the web stream and explains a little bit about the channel.

We will be expanding and adding elements to the web site over the coming weeks. Soon we will include listings, program descriptions, links to our sponsors and where to watch 360 North throughout our ever-expanding statewide coverage area.

As always, the 360 North schedule and links to the web stream and blog can be found at www.ktoo.org. There is now a permanent link to www.360North.org in the right sidebar of the blog.

Supreme Court TV

During the 2008 legislative session, 360 North will be providing a regular weekly schedule time for Arguments Before the Alaska Supreme Court. Over the years, this Gavel to Gavel Alaska coverage of the court proceedings has occupied different time slots but not been scheduled on a weekly basis.

Alaska's version of "court tv" will go prime-time in 2008. Beginning this Sunday, January 20th, Arguments Before the Alaska Supreme Court will be broadcast starting at 7 p.m., and will be seen on Sunday evenings throughout the legislative session.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gavel to Gavel to start TV and Internet

Legislative Coverage January 15th

Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska, the statewide television and Internet webcasting service, starts a new season of Legislative broadcasts when the Legislature convenes.

Gavel to Gavel Alaska will premiere on the first day of the new legislative session, Tuesday, January 15th. Live coverage will include opening day House and Senate floor sessions, as well as Governor Sarah Palin’s State of the State address before a joint Legislative session at 7:00 p.m.

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.

This year, Gavel to Gavel Alaska will be aired on new statewide TV channel of Alaska programming, called 360 North. This all-new channel offers a full-time schedule of Alaska programming, including public affairs specials, documentaries, historical programs, Native interest shows and more.

The television service will be carried by 37 cable systems statewide, including all of the GCI Cable systems, as well as on satellite’s Dish Network and DIRECTV. The service is also available live on the Internet at www.ktoo.org/gavel, and is broadcast over the air on the digital TV services of KAKM in Anchorage and KTOO in Juneau.

Gavel to Gavel Alaska 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 hearings, committee meetings and floor sessions live as they happen. In addition, every meeting 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 webcasting service. GCI Cable and several other cable companies are providing channels on cable systems throughout the state and both Dish Network and DIRECTV provide distribution to their home satellite customers in Alaska.

Other sponsors include AT&T, AARP, the Association of Alaska School Boards, the Alaska Committee, the Alaska Conference of Mayors, the Alaska Power Association, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, Alaska USA, the Alaska State Employees Association, BP, Bartlett Regional Hospital, Conoco-Phillips, IBEW Local 1547, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, Public Employees Local 71, NEA Alaska, the University of Alaska and Wostmann and Associates.

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.

World Affairs Speakers Scheduled

We have now gathered enough World Affairs Council events to place them in the 360 North schedule as a series. Beginning this Monday, January 14, World Affairs council lectures will run weekly.

The first episode highlights Frank Ruddy discussing the issues of Western Sahara. The lecture was presented to an audience of Alaskans in Juneau who participated in a question and answer session with Ruddy.

This week 360 North recorded another event including Ian Williams titled "An Insider's Critique of the U.N." The other speakers highlighted during the first month are Gerard Baker - "US European Economic Relations" and Ambassador Said T. Jawad - "Beyond the Headlines, Afghanistan's Stability and Global Security."

The program airing this coming Monday (1/14) will begin at 9:30 pm. Subsequent Monday night World Affairs Council programs will begin at 9:00 pm or 9:30 pm depending on the length of the lectures and the Science for Alaska programs that air the same evening.

This is another new series created specifically for 360 North. We are actively looking for an underwriter to sponsor production costs for future World Affairs Council and other events and lectures so we can continue to bring our audience these new programs.

Live Legislative Coverage

The Alaska State Legislature begins the regular session of 2008 on January 15.

360 North will broadcast the proceedings with extensive Gavel to Gavel Alaska coverage. Weekday television broadcasts begin at 8 am and continue until 8 pm bringing a live look at the business in the capitol. Special events such as the Governor's State of the State and State of the Budget addresses will also be covered live during the first weeks and throughout the legislative session.

Ongoing Alaska information, entertainment and public affairs programming will continue during the evenings and weekends on 360 North. As always, live delivery of important presentations and events of state will be our focus. Bringing the best of Alaska programming from around the state remains our priority and our mission.

Watch Gavel to Gavel Alaska beginning next week and be an informed Alaskan.