Anchorage Edition: Jan 30, 2009

Fri, January 30, 2009

mcarey-100thumbnail 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:

Governor Sarah Palin’s State of the State address summary – hiring freeze, budget cuts, TransCanada gas line remains top priority, education increases – legislature and constituent response
Palin forms her own Political Action Committee. Why? Is the media making too much it?
Connocco Phiilips, Shell and Exxon report huge losses. What does this mean for the Permanent Fund and oil exploration in the coming season?
Governor Palin talks big projects, code for Susitna Dam? The Susitna Hydroelectric Project, (commonly called the Susitna Dam) has been put on hold since the 1980’s. As renewable energy becomes increasingly appealing, price tag will ultimately determine support for the project.
Not suprisingly, Acting Mayor Matt Clamant announces he’s running for mayor, adding his name to the pool of ten, or eleven? How many more will join the race? Or drop out?
Alaska is about to receive some stimulus money from President Obama – job creation expected and various project proposals.
Energy subsidies, energy problems in the Bush, energy caps on prices – how do we solve the problems of high priced energy in Alaska? Senator Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel) suggests we place a ceiling on the cost of fuel, providing an energy rebate for anyone who has to pay more than $3.00 per gallon.

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Alaska Weather Extras: Feb 2 – Mar 1

Thu, January 29, 2009

Each day during Alaska Weather (5:30pm, 7 days a week), our local National Weather Service meteorologists share weather updates with a statewide perspective, but they also share brief video “extras” that cover astronomy, aviation and aeronautics, weather, boating safety, navigation and emergency preparedness.

Here are the “Alaska Weather Extras” planned for February 2 through March 1, 2009 if you’d like to plan your viewing:

Anchorage Edition: Jan 23, 2009

Fri, January 23, 2009

mcarey-100thumbnail1 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:

Alaskans turn out in large numbers to see Barrack Obama sworn in as President in Washington, D.C.
Governor Palin’s State of the State address highlights: budget cuts, upcoming projects, gas line, economic strategy
Role of Alaskan government in the midst of global economic crisis
Mark Begich replaces Ted Stevens in the Senate and Obama says no earmarks. Commonly used by Stevens for infrastructure projects in Alaska, how will the end of earmarks and a freshman senator impact Alaska?
Alaskans who served in the Territorial Guard will no longer be able to count their service towards Army retirement benefits. Senator Lisa Murkowsi demands benefits be reinstated.
State sends delegation to Emmonak to address economic crisis, forcing residents to choose between fuel and food. As high priced energy continues to effect communties around the state, can Alaskans expect another energy payment attached to this year’s PFD check?
Alaska’s involvement in Obama’s economic recovery plan – Obama calls for states to submit proposals

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Special Inauguration Coverage

Mon, January 19, 2009

Both KSKA Public Radio (FM 91.1) and KAKM Public TV (Channel 7) are broadcasting live Inauguration coverage from Washington, DC today. Additionally, we’re both offering additional programs capturing the thoughts and reactions of the American people in the midst of this historic event. Here’s what we have available…

LIVE on KAKM Channel 7

7:00am to 9:30am
The NewsHour Coverage of Inauguration 2009
Live coverage of Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President of the United States followed by commentary from anchor Jim Lehrer and a panel of analysts and historians.

LIVE on KSKA FM 91.1

6:00am to 10:00am
Special LIVE Coverage of Inauguration 2009
NPR-hosted live coverage of Inauguration festivities and Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony.

Additional Special Coverage on KSKA FM 91.1

10:00am – 12:00pm
Special Talk of the Nation: Inauguration Edition
(Alternatively, Talk of Alaska is available live on KNBA FM 90.3)

2:00pm – 3:00pm
Fresh Air: Inauguration Edition

3:00pm – 6:00pm
All Things Considered (extended edition)

7:00pm – 8:00pm
NPR Inauguration Wrap-up

Additional Special Coverage on KAKM Channel 7

6:00pm to 7:00pm (on KAKM DTV 7.1 + KAKM TV 7)
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Join the NewsHour team just a few hours after the official swearing-in ceremony for more news from Washington, DC in the opening hours of the Obama administration.

8:00pm to 9:00pm (on KAKM DTV 7.1 + KAKM TV 7)
FRONTLINE: Dreams of Obama
On the night of Barack Obama’s historic inauguration, FRONTLINE examines the rich personal and political biography of the 44th president of the United States. Through interviews with insiders and observers who’ve tracked Obama from his days at Harvard Law School, through his rise in Chicago politics, to his emergence onto the national scene after the 2004 Democratic National Convention, FRONTLINE pushes beyond the headlines chronicling Obama’s meteoric rise.

8:00pm to 10:30pm (on KAKM DTV 7.3 / 360 North + GCI cable 15)
The NewsHour Coverage of Inauguration 2009
Tape-delayed coverage of Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President of the United States followed by commentary from anchor Jim Lehrer and a panel of analysts and historians.

Anchorage Edition: Jan 16, 2009

Fri, January 16, 2009

FBI agent, Chad Joy files complaint against co-workers, alleging misconduct on the part of senior investigator in the case against Senator Ted Stevens
City of Anchorage faces 17 million dollar deficit this year, likely campaign issue in mayoral race
What are Anchorage voters looking for in next mayor?
First big-pay-day lottery in Alaska, proceeds to benefit STAR (Standing Together Against Rape), lottery winner, Alec Ahsoak turns out to be pedophile convicted of raping three children, donates $100,000 to STAR, subsequently attacked and beaten outside 5th Avenue Mall
Legislature goes into session next week, expected relations between Governor Palin and lawmakers

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Analog TV shutoff test: Thu, Jan 15 @ 6:20pm

Thu, January 15, 2009

Thursday evening — January 15, 2009 — KAKM is turning off its analog TV transmitter from 6:20 p.m. to 6:25 p.m. Our digital TV (DTV) broadcasts will continue uninterrupted.

This brief test allows you to determine whether your TVs are ready for the planned permanent shutdown of analog TV broadcasting on February 17, 2009. Simply tune all your TVs to Channel 7 before 6:20 p.m. and see what happens on each of your televisions.

Important: TVs hooked up to cable, satellite or DTV broadcast service will be unaffected. Only the analog TV over-the-air broadcast is being turned off for the test.

If your signal disappears during this 5-minute test, you must take action to prepare for the February 17 termination of analog TV service.

For most older analog-only televisions, you’ll need a DTV converter box: a device that tunes in DTV broadcast signals and makes the picture and sound available for your older analog TV. Such converter boxes are available at many electronics retailers in Alaska. They’re available online from Amazon.com and other retailers. Please note the federal government’s DTV converter box coupon program has recently changed — you may wish to act immediately to acquire a converter box without a coupon.

Viewers on the Kenai peninsula: Your analog TV broadcast service is not going away on February 17. KAKM is currently working to upgrade our translators on the Kenai to DTV service sometime during mid- to late-2009. If you watch KAKM via antenna in Seldovia, Homer, Kenai, Soldotna or other areas on the western side of the Kenai peninsula, you must prepare for the DTV transition, too — you just have more time to prepare than folks in the Anchorage metro area.

You can learn more about the DTV transition via lots of web sites, including the FCC’s own www.dtv.gov web site. Interestingly, Macworld published a succinct DTV FAQ this week that may be helpful in explaining the situation.

Will the transition still happen Feb 17?
Probably, but we’re not sure. The incoming Obama administration, Alaska’s own Congressional delegation and others are currently calling for a delay of the planned February 17 DTV conversion, citing viewer unpreparedness and difficulties with the converter box coupon program. However, no rules have been proposed, the Inauguration is distracting Washington policy developers and other parties lobbying Congress are proposing the deadline stay in place for reasons of cost and logistics.

For now, in the absence of new rules, we are proceeding on the assumption that KAKM’s analog signal will end February 17, 2009 as planned. If a delay is enacted, we’ll post more information here on our site.

Will there be another analog shutoff test?
Yes! In fact, KAKM’s analog broadcast signal goes off the air every single night at midnight, and stays off until 6:00 a.m. So if you’d like another test, just stay up late or get up early and tune to Channel 7. The DTV signal remains available 24×7.

PBS satellite trouble (updated)

Wed, January 14, 2009

Viewers may have noticed this morning (Wed, Jan 14) around 9:30 our children’s programming went haywire. We’ve traced the trouble back to the satellite signal and found the PBS channel we use is experiencing interference from an unknown source. PBS and the satellite operator are working to figure out who’s creating the interference and how to stop it.

More news as we have it.

2:00 p.m. Update – PBS has mostly restored their various satellite signals and normal KAKM programming has resumed. We’re still working through some technical challenges behind the scenes, but we’re hopeful that things are back to normal.

The prevailing theory for the outage is that extreme levels of Inauguration coverage prep in Washington, DC created the problem. It’s possible one of the myriad TV news services feeding live video from DC set up their satellite link to point at the wrong satellite, thus canceling out the PBS feed.

Anchorage Edition: January 9, 2009

Fri, January 9, 2009

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:

Vern McCorkle, publisher of Alaska Business Monthly and all-around good man, has passed away.
Change comes to politics in Washington and Alaska with Bush/Obama and Stevens/Begich as an economic meltdown continues
Obama calls for major federal spending actions to prop up the collapsing economy, including major new infrastructure projects. Is it time to take rural Alaska infrastructure requests to the federal government?
New Senator Mark Begich calls for a wish list of projects to take to the new President
Matt Claman ascends to the post of acting Mayor of Anchorage, leaving the Assembly with 5 conservatives and 5 liberals; what can they get done before the April elections?
Along with other investments, the PFD has taken a huge hit and rumors are flying that there may be no payout in late 2009. Plus there are predictions of slowdowns across the Alaska economy, including tourism.
Congressman Don Young has exchanged barbs with Massachusetts’ Ed Markey over ANWR development.
Sarah Palin takes to the national airwaves again, claiming coverage bias and saying the media ruined her VP chances.

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DTV converter box coupon program now on wait list

Mon, January 5, 2009

Good news / bad news on the DTV converter box coupon program…

The NTIA announced today that their DTV converter box coupon program has been wildly successful — so much so that they’ve run out of coupon funding. They may acquire additional funding from Congress in the coming weeks, but for the moment, all new DTV converter box coupon applicants (as of January 4, 2009) are being wait-listed for fulfillment either sometime in the future or perhaps never. Here’s what the NTIA has to say for those of you still preparing for the DTV conversion at home:

Consumers who have not taken action or who have applied and been placed on the waiting list are encouraged to take action to ensure at least one TV in their home is ready for the transition on February 17, 2009. Consumers can:

Purchase a converter box without a coupon

Purchase a TV with a digital tuner

Subscribe to cable, satellite or another pay service

Attached is a new brochure which describes the protocol for the Coupon waiting list.

If you do call for a DTV converter box coupon now, a reference number is being given — be sure to keep that number as it will allow you to go online to check the status of coupon delivery. As expired coupons are made available, new coupons will be mailed. NTIA estimates an additional 6 million coupons may be sent once older coupons (already sent) expire. So there’s still hope if you apply today.

Converter boxes are available online from Amazon.com as well as other outlets. Plus, local electronics retailers in Alaska often have DTV converter boxes in stock, too. Of course, if you’re in the market for a new TV anyway, it’s probably best to just buy one from a reseller right here in Alaska — especially if it has a large screen or if you need expert installation help.

NOTE: The DTV conversion will happen for KAKM viewers that watch us via over-the-air (antenna) signals broadcast from our primary transmitter, situated about 11 miles north of downtown Anchorage, on February 17. Viewers on the Kenai Peninsula watching KAKM via antenna will not see digital signals from KAKM until sometime later in 2009.

Questions? Feel free to post them here as comments or Contact Us.