Programs

Backcountry skiing opens more of Alaska to access by muscles alone than any other sport, and can take you to the most awesome and fearsome spots, too, for self-reliant adventure. But it’s complicated. We’ll learn about the several kinds of backcountry skis and techniques -- telemark, randonee, touring -- what each is best for, and the most reasonable route to find your way into the sport. KSKA: Thursday, 2/27 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Brooke Gladstone has spent 25 years in the news business, the past dozen years taking its temperature and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses on NPR's "On the Media." She does it on our behalf, as news consumers. Gladstone is in Alaska this week, her very first time, to talk about our uneasy relationship with news as detailed in her book, "The Influencing Machine." KSKA: Wednesday, 2/26, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

This week on Addressing Alaskans, Associate Professor in the UAA Department of Anthropology and former president of the Alaska Consortium of Zooarchaeologists, Diane Hanson. Dr. Hanson speaks candidly about her many interesting experiences doing archaeological work in Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday 2/25 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

THE BUFFALO KING, a richly textured and momentous film, follows James (Scotty) Philip from his meager upbringing to his success in saving the American bison from extinction. An original preservationist in the 1890s, he disdains the wanton slaughter of buffalo and uses this dark moment in history as a driving force for something greater. Thursday, February 27 at 7:00

"To sell out or not to sell out, that is the question" in Yussef El Guindi's comedy about Ashraf, a struggling actor who must choose between a humble, yet artistically rewarding career on stage and playing a stereotypical terrorist in a film (albeit with a beautiful woman and gads of money!). Join playwright Yussef El Guindi of Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes along with director Dick Reichman this week on Stage Talk as they talk about Cyrano's Theatre Company's latest offering running through March 9th. KSKA: Friday, 2/21 at 2:45 p.m. Listen now:

NOVA kicks off the fall season with a return to Ground Zero to witness the final chapter in an epic story of engineering, innovation, and the perseverance of the human spirit. “Ground Zero Supertower” examines the new skyscraper, One World Trade Center, rising up 104 stories and 1,776 feet from the site where the Twin Towers once stood. NOVA also goes underground to see another engineering marvel taking shape here: the construction of the National September 11 Memorial Museum that will house almost a thousand artifacts from that devastating day. In this update of NOVA’s Emmy-nominated special “Engineering Ground Zero,” which featured extraordinary behind-the-scenes access to the struggles of the engineers and architects working at 1 WTC and the 9/11 Memorial, NOVA goes inside the construction of the tower’s final floors and the installation of its soaring, 408-foot spire and beacon. The greatest test is still to come, though: Will One World Trade Center, a multi-billion dollar supertower, live up to its promise to be safe, beautiful and ahead of its time? Wednesday, February 26 at 8:00 pm

Thanks to the Lower 48 taking on our Polar Vortex - winter here in Fairbanks has been perfect: mostly warm, with plenty of snow for skiing and other winter recreating. It’s been good for chickens too. Maybe not for outside frolicking, but they haven’t reached that level of coop-fever that drives them out into the snowy yard. Read more.

The hardest thing to get used while studying abroad in Spain was the timing of Spanish meals. Spaniards eat a light breakfast, their largest meal of the day at 2 in the afternoon and a light dinner around 9 at night. Inevitably, I would find myself with my stomach grumbling around 6. Read more.

Pope Benedict made history when he announced his resignation, becoming the first pope to step down voluntarily in 600 years. In his wake, he left a bitterly divided Vatican mired in scandals. Is Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis, taming the forces that helped destroy Benedict’s papacy? Is he succeeding in lifting the church out of crisis? Nearly a year in the making, this special two-hour FRONTLINE goes inside the Vatican — one of the world’s most revered and mysterious institutions — to unravel the remarkable series of events that led to the resignation that shook the world. Through interviews with those at the very heart of what happened — cardinals, priests, convicted criminals, police, prosecutors and whistle-blowers — FRONTLINE gives a first-hand account of the final days of Benedict’s papacy and the current battle to set the church on a new path under Francis. Tuesday, February 25 at 8:00 pm

Antarctica is a land of extremes. Spectrum Radio reporter Glenn Zorpette takes listeners to the world's southernmost frozen expanse in the hour-long radio documentary, "Antarctica: Life on the Ice." This piece is a co-production of the National Science Foundation and IEEE Spectrum Radio Programming. Outdoor Explorer will return next week. KSKA: Thursday 2/20 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Tradition is an important part of politics. The Alaska Legislature has long followed the tradition of keeping the state's capital budget process confidential until the last minute, and then releasing and voting on it in the final days of the session. Some people think that leads to bad decisions. We'll talk about Anchorage's recent tennis court controversies, and other impacts of how the legislature does its job. Is there a better way? KSKA: Wednesday, 2/19, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now: