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Jun 17, 2012

Pubcasters cancel longtime AlaskaOne joint programming service

AlaskaOne, a pubTV service created in 1995 to consolidate programming services for the Bethel, Fairbanks and Juneau areas, is ending, according to a statement from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

AlaskaOne was created during an eight-month scramble to restructure the state system after the Republican majority in the state government announced plans to zero-out state aid to pubcasting (Current, Nov. 6, 1995). Fourteen years later, the stations studied an even greater consolidation of services (Current, Aug. 3, 2009) but ultimately pulled back from a full statewide merger (Current, Sept. 19, 2011).

"When the Alaska Public Broadcasting Service board voted to move the distribution point from Fairbanks to Anchorage," the statement said, "KUAC determined that the move would ultimately be detrimental to Interior communities’ service. The solution was to opt out of the statewide service and continue as a standalone station, which allows KUAC to tailor programming to the needs of the Interior."

Starting July 1, pubTV signals to the Interior will be provided by KUAC-TV in Fairbanks, while Bethel and Southeast Alaska will receive service from KAKM-TV in Anchorage.