KAKM

It's election season in Anchorage and you can't drive around the city without seeing signs for incumbent Mayor Dan Sullivan and challenger Paul Honeman.…

Four of six mayoral candidates joined host Michael Carey and panelists Grace Jang, KTVA and Daysha Eaton KSKA for Running 2012 in the KAKM studios on March 29. Watch the first hour of the program with candidates Dan Sullivan and Paul Honeman here. Bob Lupo and Phil Isley presented in second video.

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

Watch The Thomashefskys on PBS. See more from Great Performances.“The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater” brings to life the words and music of the American Yiddish theater. The story’s lead characters — Bessie and Boris Thomashefky — are the grandparents of San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas. Bessie and Boris immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe in the 1880s, and while still in their teens, they began to play major roles in the development of New York City’s Yiddish theater. For Jewish immigrants who settled on the lower East Side of Manhattan, the Yiddish theater was central to their lives, and provided a stage for the new ideas that were shaping the transition to an American way of life.KAKM: Saturday, 3/31 at 9:00pm

The stories up for discussion this week are: oil tax reform, Anchorage Municipal Election on April 3rd, Koenig abduction and arrest, KABATA Knik Arm bridge, federal court house closures, AHFC to lead natural gas pipeline project, Murkowski and others attempting to reform Justice Department, and Rep. Neuman's "Stand Your Ground" bill.

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

For two centuries, American whale oil lit the world — powering the start of the industrial revolution and laying the groundwork for a truly global economy. From its stunning rise as an economic force in the 18th century to its precipitous decline in the decades following the Civil War, the whaling industry mapped millions of miles of uncharted ocean, opened new seaways and markets, employed the world's most multi-cultural workforce and shrunk the globe by bringing once remote reaches of the Earth into contact as never before — all the while capturing the American imagination. KAKM: Tuesday, 3/20 at 7:00pm

Downton Abbey is THE hit drama series of the moment. It is the highest rating drama on British television for a decade. The fantastic scripts, great characters played by great actors and fabulous locations have made it event television. The actors talk exclusively about their characters and the gripping storylines across both series. They provide a real insight into the romance and conflict portrayed in the series, how they interact with each other and how they feel filming the crucial scenes for their character. KAKM: Sunday, March 18 at 8:00pm

The stories up for discussion this week are: the report on prosecutors’ conduct in the Ted Stevens case; the state’s oil tax debate; redistricting; Senate votes down measure to open ANWR; in-state gas line; the Anchorage mayoral race.KSKA: Friday, 3/16 at 2:00pm & Saturday, 3/17 at 6:00pmKAKM: Friday, 3/16 at 7:30pm & Saturday, 3/17 at 5:00pm

From isolated internment camps in Southeast Alaska to Congress and the White House, this is the incredible, untold story of Aleut Americans' decades-long struggle for human and civil rights. In 194, as World War II invaded Alaska, Aleut Americans were taken from their homes and removed to abysmal government camps 1,500 miles away. As the Aleuts prayed for deliverance, "friendly forces" looted their homes and churches in the Aleutian and Pribilof islands. Those who survied would fight for their rights - in the nation's courts and on Capitol Hill.KAKM: KAKM: Friday, 3/15 at 9:00pm