Programs

During one weekend in Chicago in 2008, 37 people were shot, seven of them fatally. FRONTLINE follows a group of older former gang leaders trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once committed. The film follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings, including weekly meetings where the interrupters report on the simmering disputes and the senseless shootings in their neighborhoods. From director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie), "The Interrupters" is a compelling observational journey into the stubborn, persistent violence that plagues our American cities. KAKM: Tuesday, Feb. 14 @ 8:00pm

This program follows the charismatic Dr. Kenny Broad as he dives into blue holes — underwater caves that formed during the last ice age when sea level was nearly 400 feet below what it is today. The holes are Earth’s least explored and perhaps most dangerous frontiers. With an interdisciplinary team of climatologists, paleontologists and anthropologists, Broad investigates the hidden history of Earth’s climate as revealed by finds in this spectacularly beautiful “alternate universe.” KAKM: Wednesday, Feb. 15 @ 8:00pm

In the finale, the family gathers at Downton Abbey for Christmas. KAKM: Sunday, Feb. 19 @ 8:00pm

The Art Showcase auction will feature over 180 Alaskan works of art, interviews with several Alaskan artists, in studio dinners and bidding audiences, phone bidding, and color comments from gallery owners, managers, and artists. All proceeds benefit public broadcasting right here in Alaska. Join us in our efforts to raise funds for quality programming that help informs, educates, inspires, & connect Alaskans of all ages. The 2012 Art Showcase Auction The KAKM Art Showcase is scheduled for three nights, Thursday through Saturday, February 16 through 18, and will be broadcast live on Channel 7 from 7-10:30pm. It will feature many beautiful collectable pieces of art from many well known and talented artists. KAKM: Thursday, Feb. 16 - Saturday, Feb. 18 from 7:00p, - 10:30pm

From draft dodging to the Dayton Accords, from Monica Lewinsky to a balanced budget, the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton veered between sordid scandal and grand achievement. In CLINTON, the latest installment in the critically acclaimed and successful series of presidential biographies, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE explores the fascinating story of an American president who rose from a broken childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage. Part 1 - KAKM: Monday, Feb. 20 @ 8:00pm Part 2 - KAKM: Tuesday, Feb 21 @ 7:00pm

Whales and dolphins remain a constant source of fascination. But how much do we really know about them? Whales and dolphins, known as cetaceans, may appear to be totally alien to us — but with their mental ability, group communication and the recent discovery that dolphins have individual names, they are closer to us than we ever imagined. This series provides new insights into the lives of whales and dolphins in a visually powerful, engaging and entertaining format. Two of the world’s top underwater cameramen — Doug Allan (“Planet Earth”’s polar specialist) and Didier Noirot (Cousteau’s front-line cameraman) — film breathtaking encounters. Teams of intrepid scientists equipped with the latest technology are making extraordinary breakthroughs in their understanding of these intelligent life forms — breakthroughs that may safeguard their survival. KAKM: Wednesday, Feb. 22 "Giant Lives" @ 7:00pm "Deep Thinkers" @ 8:00pm "Voices of the Sea" @ 9:00pm

A photo set of Alaska Pacific University's Outdoor Programs' recent day ice climbing trip. Click for more photos.

Flying back home to Oregon from a family wedding in Anchorage, I cannot keep from reflecting on her changes over the years since I moved away.  During this visit especially, I am aware of how “grown-up” Anchorage has become since we moved there in 1948, when the population was about 15,000. How different she is now compared to the “early days”! I think of my Alaskan grandchildren, who have grown up in a much different world than we did; theirs is a world full of cell phones and video games and wireless Internet. They are used to the hustle-bustle of modern Anchorage, riddled with freeways, coffee kiosks and retail outlets on every corner. Read more.

The Alaska World Affairs Council and APTI are partnering to bring you the APRN Speakers Series featuring  T.R. Reid,  an author, lecturer,...

On February 4, the University of Alaska Anchorage campus was swarming with more than 800 Girl Scouts attending the 20th annual Women of Science and Technology Day. It's not surprising why this event draws such a crowd. What kid wouldn't love dissecting moose poop, playing with magnets, meeting a Great Horned owl, designing a mini roller-coaster, or drilling a hole in a tooth? Read more.

More than 160 premiere events are set to raise the curtain on Best Beginnings’ Babies on Track, a 14-minute DVD for parents. More than 80 villages, towns, and cities across Alaska took up the call to roll out the red carpet from February 25 through March 4. Best Beginnings produced Babies on Track to foster early learning and healthy brain development. Learn more.

Since the publication of its first volume in 2003, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis has rightly received critical and scholarly acclaim. Time, Newsweek and the New York Times praised Satrapi’s autobiography, both for its innovative use of comic-book format and for the insight it provides into life in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iran. I have assigned the book to students in my courses at Temple University, La Salle University, and the University of Alaska Anchorage with good results, so I was pleased to hear that Anchorage Public Library had selected Persepolis for this year’s Anchorage Reads. Read more.

This episode examines the allure of musical nightlife, from Mississippi juke joints, where Feinstein dazzles the crowd with some impromptu boogie-woogie blues, to the neon of Las Vegas, where he gets a private tour of the now-closed Liberace Museum — and gets to play one of the rhinestone encrusted pianos. KAKM: Friday, 2/24 at 9:30pm