Programs

Trace the indelible mark that amazing women musicians, from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin to Lady Gaga, have made on America’s soundtrack. Inspired by the “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power” exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, WOMEN WHO ROCK reveals new insights into what it means to be female in the male-dominated world of rock and roll, while exploring how those dynamics between the sexes have changed with time. KAKM: Friday, 3/23 at 9:30pm

When someone says Alaska Native art, the first thing that comes to mind is often traditions like ivory carving, skin sewing or intricate weaving. But a new group of young Alaska Native artists in Anchorage is working to expand that image to one that embraces modern life as well as honoring their heritage.

This 10-part series, with renowned cultural critic and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history. Featuring Kevin Bacon, Cory Booker, Angela Buchdal, Geoffrey Canada, Margaret Cho, Harry Connick Jr., Robert Downey Jr., Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Samuel L. Jackson, John Legend, John Lewis, Branford Marsalis, Yasir Qadhi, Condoleezza Rice, Michelle Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, Wanda Sykes, Ruth Simmons, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and Rick Warren. KAKM: Parts 1 and 2 on Sunday, 3/25 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm

This spring a crew of carpenters will sweep the last of the winter snows from their sawhorses, ready for Alaska’s building season to begin. Though days are long, the summer is short – there’s no time to waste. Bill and Carolyn Thomason, who own a small sawmill in the rainforest of Prince of Wales Island in the Alaska panhandle, are resuming work on a log cabin in a picturesque little town in Alaska. Read more.

Grandmothers are no longer sitting in rockers, knitting socks or being an annoyance to their daughters-in-law—well let’s hope! In reality, grandparents have been economically necessary throughout history. In agrarian times they raised children and boosted family incomes by engaging in cottage trade while parents worked the fields or kept the local shops. I remember the exact spot I first became a grandmother. Read more.

INSIDE FENWAY PARK: AN ICON AT 100 celebrates the centennial of the oldest ballpark in America. Using a Red Sox/Yankees game as a thread, the film tells the story of Fenway’s long history as a venue for sports and as a public space. A decade ago, it looked as though Fenway would be largely destroyed and replaced with a new ballpark. Luckily, wiser heads prevailed and one of Boston’s most popular attractions, and a landmark for baseball fans everywhere, survived. KAKM: Monday, 3/26 at 9:00pm

Over half a century, Rupert Murdoch’s business audacity and political shrewdness built one of the world’s most powerful media empires. Now his dynasty is under threat — not from outside competition, but from shocking accounts of bribery, blackmail and invasion of privacy. The scandal has prompted criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic. It has also cracked open the insular world of the Murdoch family, its news executives and the political elite who court their favor. Today, the 80-year-old owner of the Wall Street Journal and FOX News Channel is in the fight of his life. In a joint production with the CBC, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman tells the story of the battle over the future of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch’s reputation and his family’s fortunes. KAKM: Tuesday, 3/27 at 9:30pm

Many Alaskans we knew were outdoors people – you had to enjoy the harsh weather and pioneer living conditions or you wouldn’t survive in the ‘olden’ days – and we were certainly no exception. Our family used these small aircraft much as the average family in the South 48 used their automobile: We took our weekend trips in a plane. Read more.

Mudrooms is a community-powered monthly event in Juneau, where real people tell real stories, live. At the fourth Mudrooms event, seven Juneauites told stories on the appropriately break-up season theme of "Cabin Fever" at McPhetre's Hall. Here's a sample story about a lesson learned while rebuilding a rotten cabin in Hope, Alaska as told by Eric Boraas. Click for more.

Through a partnership with the Institute of the North, Nils Andreassen, Karlin Itchoak and Sophie Wiepking Brown worked with Pamela Orme, ASD Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, to bring about a unique course for Alaska Studies teachers. This course entitled We the People of Alaska was offered at a low cost since the instruction was provided for free by guest speakers coordinated by the Institute. Read more.

Don't miss KAKM and KSKA's elections program, Running. Voting day is approaching quickly, so be sure to take this opportunity to get to know this year's school board and mayoral candidates. School Board: KAKM: Wednesday, 3/28 at 7:00pm KSKA: Wednesday, 3/28 at 8:00pm Mayoral: KAKM: Thursday, 3/29 at 7:00pm KSKA: Thursday, 3/29 at 7:00opm

The San Francisco Symphony is celebrating its centennial season. From the ashes of the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 rose the passionate desire of a community to embrace music and build an orchestra to restore its spirit. KAKM: Friday, 3/30 at 9:30pm

On Tuesday, April 3 Anchorage will elect a Mayor, 3 School Board members and vote 'yes' or 'no' on 8 Ballot Propositions. Polling places close at 8:00 pm. Results will be posted on the Municipality of Anchorage website after 8:30 pm. Listen for election results Tuesday evening 9:00 - 11:00 pm on KSKA during World Café and Wednesday morning during Morning Edition. More Info & Links...

What’s in a name? Well, a lot, at least when it comes to piecing together family history. For former slaves, choosing a last name was one of their first acts of freedom. For Jewish immigrants, it was a way to fit in in their new country. Whatever the reason for a name change, it can make the process of learning about one’s ancestors difficult, if not impossible. In this episode, Gates unearths missing links in the family histories of media legend Barbara Walters and educational superstar Geoffrey Canada. Walters did not know her father’s real last name. Canada did not know the name of his grandfather. Both had been unable to access their history … until now. KAKM: Sunday, 4/1 at 7:00pm

Discover the Pulitzer Prize-winning author behind Gone With the Wind, one of the world’s best-selling novels that features two of the world’s great lovers — Scarlett and Rhett — and was adapted into one of the most popular films of all time. No ordinary writer — or woman — Margaret Mitchell was a charismatic force who challenged the stifling Southern social order and struggled with the changing role of women and the liberation of African Americans. She suffered from depression and illness and experienced profound identity shifts during her life, until an accident led to her death in 1949. KAKM: Monday, 4/2 at 8:00pm

As the end of winter draws near I open the chest freezer to find it mostly empty. It is a sight that stirs both sadness due to a diminished food stash and excited anticipation for how to best fill it again in these imminent summer months. A freezer full of locally grown and wild harvested food is no small task. With March here, it is time to start blocking out the weekends to ensure that we are in the right place at the right time for the many seasonal wild foods available in Alaska. See the recipes.

Josh Mumm, Eben Sargent, John Sykes and I hoped to find a skiable route up the south side of Mt. Blackburn (16390 ft., Wrangell Mountains, Alaska) for a one-week road-to-road climb, March 2012. Shallow snow and huge cracks prevented us from getting up Blackburn, but the landscape, sunset, and northern lights at the Kuskulana-Kennicott pass (10,000 ft.) were spectacular. Click for larger view.