Anchorage Edition: October 31, 2008
Fri, October 31, 2008
Each week, host Michael Carey gathers journalists and commentators for a review of the week’s news, politics and public affairs in Anchorage and Alaska. Topics this week include:
- Ted Stevens: Guilty
- Sarah Palin and John McCain call for Ted Stevens to resign in the wake of the conviction (among other national Republicans)
- Stevens is appealing to voters, asking for their vote on Tuesday, saying he can be effective in the Senate — but will his message turn into voter action, and can he really be effective in the Senate while under such a substantial legal cloud?
- How will bush Alaska vote, with respect to Stevens?
- Stevens returns to Alaska to a throng of supporters at his eponymous airport
- Stevens was surprised that Bill Allen was dishonest?
- Debate for the State: How did Ted Stevens do?
- Debate for the State: How did Don Young and Ethan Berkowitz do?
- Don Young is being nice, and isn’t being overconfident in this campaign
- How has Mark Begich handled the Ted Stevens trial and conviction?
- What is Begich’s plan for the remainder of his campaign?
- For Senator Stevens, what is his potential “road to victory?”
- With so much early and absentee voting combined with normal voting, how can we figure out the results?
- The national presidential race will likely be decided early toward the east coast — will that depress west coast voting?
Download Audio (MP3, 30 min)
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Debate for the State: U.S. Senate Candidates
Fri, October 31, 2008
Alaska’s public television stations — KAKM, KTOO, KUAC, KYUK — produced the following debate between the leading (polling more than 5%) candidates for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat:
- incumbent Republican Ted Stevens
- challenger Democrat Mark Begich
The program was recorded before a live studio audience and broadcast to live statewide TV and radio audiences from the studios of KAKM Public Television in Anchorage, Alaska on October 30, 2008.
You can watch the video here, play the audio here or download the audio for later. (The video can also be embedded on your own web site, if you like.)
You can see and hear more from Alaska’s U.S. Senate candidates from their appearance on KAKM’s RUNNING program earlier in October.
Download Audio (MP3, about 1 hour)
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Debate for the State: U.S. House Candidates
Fri, October 31, 2008
Alaska’s public television stations — KAKM, KTOO, KUAC, KYUK — produced the following debate between the leading (polling more than 5%) candidates for Alaska’s U.S. House seat:
- incumbent Republican Don Young
- challenger Democrat Ethan Berkowitz
The program was recorded before a live studio audience and broadcast to live statewide TV and radio audiences from the studios of KAKM Public Television in Anchorage, Alaska on October 30, 2008.
You can watch the video here, play the audio here or download the audio for later. (The video can also be embedded on your own web site, if you like.)
You can see and hear more from Alaska’s U.S. House candidates from their appearance on KAKM’s RUNNING program earlier in October.
Download Audio (MP3, about 1 hour)
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Anchorage Edition: October 24, 2008
Fri, October 24, 2008
Each week, host Michael Carey gathers journalists and commentators for a review of the week’s news, politics and public affairs in Anchorage and Alaska. Topics this week include:
- Ted Stevens corruption trial takes several strange turns — the jury seems to be losing its mind as deliberations start, stop and are now delayed through the weekend, maybe longer
- The Ted Stevens trial and election for the U.S. Senate are up for bets on a market in Ireland — and the odds suggest Begich will take the Senate seat from Stevens, 70 to 30
- Debates here in Alaska (Channel 2 this weekend, Channel 7 next Thursday) are struggling to figure out what to do since Ted Stevens may not be able to appear for the U.S. Senate debate
- Juneau’s reaction to the Stevens trial, to Begich and Berkowitz as a challenger candidates
- What happens if there’s a hung jury in the Stevens trial?
- How has Palin been performing on the campaign trail?
- Is the $150,000 Palin family makeover an issue or a non-issue in the campaign?
- Polls appear to be trending toward Obama in the presidential race
- Legislature holds hearing to talk about high price of gas in Alaska and says their appalled… and don’t know what to do about it
- Palin ran on transparency and openness, but responses to open records requests are slow.. if they’re responded to at all. Is the Palin administration actually the most secretive in Alaska history?
Download Audio (MP3, 30 min)
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RUNNING: U.S. Senate Candidates
Thu, October 23, 2008
On Wednesday evening, October 22 we broadcast candidate interviews with th major U.S. Senate candidates. All interviews are presented below. Incumbent Senator Ted Stevens was unable to appear for one of our candidate interviews.
Debate for the State: Thu, Oct 30
In addition to meeting the candidates on RUNNING, be sure to tune in for a LIVE debate for the U.S. Senate seat on Thursday, October 30 at 9:00pm.
Mark Begich, Democrat
Download Audio (MP3)
Bob Bird, Alaskan Independence Party
Download Audio (MP3)
Ted Gianoutsos (No Party)
Download Audio (MP3)
Fredrick “David” Haase, Libertarian
Download Audio (MP3)
Ted Stevens, Republican (incumbent)
Senator Stevens was unable to appear for a RUNNING candidate interview.
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RUNNING: U.S. House Candidates
Thu, October 23, 2008
On Wednesday evening, October 22 we broadcast candidate interviews with the two major U.S. House of Representatives candidates. Both interviews are presented below.
Debate for the State: Thu, Oct 30
In addition to meeting the candidates on RUNNING, be sure to tune in for a LIVE debate for the U.S. House seat on Thursday, October 30 at 8:00pm.
Finally, both candidates have also appeared on Talk of Alaska on the stations of the Alaska Public Radio Network, and links are presented below.
Don Young, Republican (incumbent)
Download Audio (MP3)
BONUS: Young on Talk of Alaska, Oct 23
Ethan Berkowitz, Democrat
Download Audio (MP3)
BONUS: Berkowitz on Talk of Alaska, Oct 21
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RUNNING: Tue, Oct 21
Tue, October 21, 2008
Tonight at 7:00pm we continue our traditional southcentral Alaska candidates debate program with incumbents and challengers from Alaska State House Districts 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 plus State Senate Seats M, O, and Q. Districts and seats are listed in the order they will appear this evening, running from about 7:00pm to about 10:00pm (times will vary).
RUNNING will continue tomorrow evening (Wed, Oct 22) with candidates running for Alaska’s sole U.S. House of Representatives seat and for one of Alaska’s two U.S. Senate seats.
For detailed election and voting information, don’t miss the Alaska Elections web site maintained by the Division of Elections.
State House District 25 / Anchorage
- Mike Doogan (Democrat) - Incumbent
- Lynda R. Placek (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 26 / Anchorage
- Lindsey Holmes (Democrat) - Incumbent
[unopposed]
Download Audio (MP3)
State Senate Seat M / Anchorage
- Hollis S. French II (Democrat) - Incumbent
[unopposed] - NOTE: Candidate French did not appear for this debate
State House District 27 / Anchorage
- Robert L. “Bob” Buch (Democrat) - Incumbent
- Bob Lewis (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 28 / Anchorage
- Valerie “Val” Baffone (Democrat)
- Craig W. Johnson (Republican) - Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 29 / Anchorage
- Ronald L. “Ron” Jordan (Republican)
- Chris S. Tuck (Democrat)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 30 / Anchorage
- Charisse E. Millett (Republican)
- Lynda L. Zaugg (Democrat)
Download Audio (MP3)
State Senate Seat O / Anchorage
- Kevin Meyer (Republican)
- Douglas P. “Doug” Van Etten (Democrat)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 31 / Anchorage
- Daniel DeNardo (Alaskan Independence)
- Pamela A. Freeman (Democrat)
- Bob Lynn (Republican) - Incumbent
- NOTE: Candidate Freeman did not appear for this debate
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 32 / Anchorage
- Mike Hawker (Republican) - Incumbent
- Mike Kenny (Democrat)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 33 / Kenai, Soldotna
- Kurt Olson (Republican) - Incumbent
- Richard A. “Dick” Waisanen (Democrat)
- Kelly J. Wolf (Non-Partisan)
- NOTE: Candidate Olson did not appear for this debate
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 34 / Nikiski
- Charles M. “Mike” Chenault (Republican) - Incumbent
- Tim Evans (Democrat)
- NOTE: Candidate Chenault did not appear for this debate
Download Audio (MP3)
State Senate Seat Q / Kenai, Soldotna
- Nels Anderson (Democrat)
- Thomas H. “Tom” Wagoner (Republican) - Incumbent
- NOTE: Candidate Wagoner did not appear for this debate
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 35 / Homer
- Philip W. Alderfer (Democrat)
- Paul K. Seaton (Republican) - Incumbent
- NOTE: Candidate Seaton did not appear for this debate
Download Audio (MP3)
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RUNNING: Mon, Oct 20
Mon, October 20, 2008
Tonight at 7:00pm we begin our traditional southcentral Alaska candidates debate program with incumbents and challengers from Alaska State House Districts 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 plus State Senate Seats G, I, and K. Districts and seats are listed in the order they will appear this evening, running from about 7:00pm to about 10:00pm (times will vary).
RUNNING will continue tomorrow evening (Tue, Oct 21) with candidates from House Districts 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 plus Senate Seats M, O, and Q. Finally, we’ll present a special edition of RUNNING featuring statewide candidates (U.S. House, U.S. Senate) on Wednesday (Oct 22). All evenings begin at 7:00pm.
For detailed election and voting information, don’t miss the Alaska Elections web site maintained by the Division of Elections.
State House District 13 / Palmer
- David Cheezem (Democrat)
- Carl J. Gatto (Republican) - Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 14 / Wasilla
- Wes Keller (Republican) - Incumbent
- Rose Smith (Democrat)
Download Audio (MP3)
State Senate Seat G / Wasilla
- Erick Cordero (Democrat)
- Linda K. Menard (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 15 / Willow
- Lew Dischner (Democrat)
- Mark A. Neuman (Republican) - Incumbent
- NOTE: District 15 candidates did not appear for the debate.
State House District 16 / Chugiak
- Beverly Serrano (Democrat)
- Bill Stoltze (Republican) - Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 17 / Eagle River
- Anna I. Fairclough (Republican) - Incumbent
- William A. “Bill” Gossweiler (Democrat)
- NOTE: District 17 candidates did not appear for the debate.
State House District 18 / Bases & Eagle River
- Nancy A. Dahlstrom (Republican) - Incumbent
[unopposed] - NOTE: The District 18 candidate did not appear for the debate.
State Senate Seat I / Anchorage
- Steven C. Amundson (Democrat)
- Fred J. Dyson (Republican) - Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 19 / Anchorage
- Pete Petersen (Democrat)
- Bob Roses (Republican) - Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 20 / Anchorage
- Max F. Gruenberg Jr. (Democrat) - Incumbent
- Scott A. Kohlhaas (Libertarian)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 21 / Anchorage
- Gene W. Brokaw (Republican)
- Harry T. Crawford Jr. (Democrat)- Incumbent
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 22 / Anchorage
- Sharon M. Cissna (Democrat)- Incumbent
- Mark S. Fish (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
State Senate Seat K / Anchorage
- Bettye J. Davis (Democrat) - Incumbent
- Dave Harbour (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 23 / Anchorage
- Les Gara (Democrat) - Incumbent
[unopposed]
Download Audio (MP3)
State House District 24 / Anchorage
- Berta Gardner (Democrat) - Incumbent
- Uwe Kalenka (Republican)
Download Audio (MP3)
KAKM Signal Update 5
Fri, October 17, 2008
Good News! KAKM’s broadcast TV signal has been solid for about 24 hours and all indications are that we’ve found all the transmission issues and should remain on the air without incident for the foreseeable future.
Of course, we’re continuing to monitor our signals to ensure our analog and digital over-the-air customers can keep watching without incident.
Please accept our deepest apologies and our humblest thanks for your patience as we’ve worked through these challenges.
Anchorage Edition: October 17, 2008
Fri, October 17, 2008
Each week, host Michael Carey gathers journalists and commentators for a review of the week’s news, politics and public affairs in Anchorage and Alaska. Topics this week include:
- Ted Stevens takes the stand in his own defense this week as the trial appears to be winding down
- Catherine Stevens testifies in the trial as well, professing ignorance of how several home renovations happened at their home in Girdwood
- Will the Stevens trial impact the Stevens campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate?
- The Mark Begich campaign is doing fairly well, but is it doing well enough to beat Stevens after 40 years in DC?
- Election ads are up and running — but not so much from the Stevens camp
- What ever happened to Vic Vickers, former U.S. Senate candidate on the Republican ticket?
- “Joe the Plumber” in Ohio was actually a Wasilla, Alaska resident in the past — how much more convoluted can the campaign get?
- McCain will take Alask’s 3 Electoral votes handily in the Presidential campaign… right?
- Palin’s criticism of Obama has been strident — will it harm an Obama presidency?
- What is the source of Palin’s popularity on the national stage?
- State-level legislative candidates are suffocating for campaign cash as the national and statewide races are sucking up all the money and attention
- Undecided voters… So what’s so hard for them to figure out?
- Oil prices continue to sag — what are the implications for Alaska’s state budget?
- Will the issue of the Constitutional Budget Reserve pop back up this year?
- Will depressed oil prices threaten a natural gas pipeline project?
- Will Sarah Palin boost Alaska tourism? Do VP candidates drive visitor numbers?
- Sarah Palin will be on Saturday Night Live this weekend
Download Audio (MP3, 30 min)
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KAKM Signal Update 4
Thu, October 16, 2008
We have good news, some temporarily bad news and some good news.
The good news is that our engineers found the source of the signal problem at our Goose Bay transmission facility north of Anchorage, south of Wasilla. It was fixed around 5:30pm this evening (Thu, Oct 16).
The bad news is that in fixing the picture for our over-the-air and MTA customers, engineers ended up disconnecting the audio from our analog TV broadcast. So the picture is solid but the audio is missing.
The second bit of good news is that the engineers know exactly what is causing the loss of audio and we expect the audio to be restored to our over-the-air analog TV broadcast by about 7:00pm this evening.
After that, based on engineering’s assessment, the picture and the audio should be solid throughout the night and, well… for the foreseeable future.
Naturally, given the rocky experience of the last week, we won’t be satisfied until we have several days of perfect picture and sound for all our customers. So we’re going to remain especially vigilant in the days to come.
Please bear with us through one last fix and thank you one more time for your patience.
KAKM Signal Update 3
Thu, October 16, 2008
While KAKM’s on-air signal improved during the day Wednesday, it degraded in the evening hours. Our engineers made additional adjustments during Thursday morning (10/16) and are working on one more major correction in the late afternoon hours. Our engineers are feeling confident they’ve eliminated several possible culprits and are zeroing in on one specific element today.
The signal during the daylight hours today has been relatively solid, and as of this writing (about 3:00pm) the off-air signal appears nearly normal. If adjustments this afternoon are successful, we should have a solid signal through the night hours.
We are continuing to actively monitor our off-air signal and relay information to and from engineers in the field. Thanks again for your patience. More news will be posted as we have it.



