Friday, January 11, 2008

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.

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