Gavel to Gavel Alaska to Air Live Coverage of Conference of Alaskans February 10-12

For immediate release
February 4, 2004

Gavel to Gavel Alaska plans to provide live television coverage of the Conference of Alaskans from the University of Alaska Fairbanks on February 10, 11, and 12.

In his State of the State message, Governor Frank Murkowski called the conference to decide whether the Permanent Fund should be used to help fund state government. The Governor called for 55 conference delegates to meet in Fairbanks.

Gavel to Gavel Alaska will air the live coverage on cable TV channels across the state, and will also stream the live coverage on the Internet at www.ktoo.org/gavel. All the broadcasts from Fairbanks will be archived on the web for later viewing.

Gavel to Gavel is joining other public broadcasters to provide unprecedented coverage of the Conference, including:

• Live television coverage from the Wood Center at UAF of the entire conference on the Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS) and the statewide Gavel to Gavel Alaska cable TV service.
• Live video streaming of the main sessions of conference on the web, as well as live audio streams of breakout sessions, on the web at www.ktoo.org/gavel.
• A special broadcast of APRN’s radio call-in program "Talk of Alaska" from Fairbanks at 10 a.m. on February 10 on most public radio stations.
• An evening wrap-up TV and radio program on February 10th, 11th, and 12th. The program, to be hosted by Alaska Week’s Bill McAllister, will include highlights of the day's events and interviews with delegates, state officials, and reporters covering the event. The program will air at 9 p.m. each night on Alaska One, KAKM and many APRN stations. [Note: because of prior programming commitments, the Alaska Week special will air on KAKM at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 2/11]
• A special edition of "Alaska Week" on Friday, February 13 from Fairbanks. Alaska Week airs as follows:
  
  
• Alaska One on Friday at 8 p.m. with a repeat on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
• ARCS on Friday 9:30 p.m.
• Gavel to Gavel Alaska on cable TV, Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a repeat Monday at 8:00 a.m.
• KAKM airs Alaska Week on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

The special coverage is being co-produced by Alaska's four public television stations (KUAC, Fairbanks, KYUK, Bethel, KAKM, Anchorage and KTOO, Juneau along with the Alaska Public Radio Network. The organizations are pooling equipment and personnel and will set up remote broadcast facilities in the Wood Center at UAF.

The special coverage from Fairbanks is being funded with a grant from the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission, with additional funding from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, NEA-Alaska, Wostmann and Associates, Alaska Pacific Bank, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, ConocoPhillips and Avis.

A list of local channels for Gavel to Gavel Alaska is on the web at http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/cable.cfm.

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