 ° f / ° c  |
 |
 Days  |
/ Press Releases / Iditarod Start And Finish Live On Channel 2; Re-Start To Stream
Iditarod Start And Finish Live On Channel 2; Re-Start To Stream
by Chas St. George
ANCHORAGE, AK - Live coverage of the start and finish of the 2007 Iditarod will be broadcast on KTUU-TV throughout South central Alaska and to over 230 rural communities statewide, race officials announced today.
The coverage plans also call for the re-start - in which the mushers leave the valley on their 1,150-mile trek across Alaska's winter landscape - to be streamed on http://www.iditarodinsider.com/. Alaska Mobile Productions (AMP), part of KTUU-TV, will produce the re-start for internet streaming. The start is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, with the re-start the next day.
"There is so much demand to see this race both in and out of Alaska that this added TV and internet coverage will provide a foundation on which coverage and knowledge of the race can be built, " said Stan Hooley, executive directory of the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC). "We constantly have the public seeking more information and coverage of the race, and this package of TV and internet is a step in meeting that demand."
Broadcasting in-depth coverage of the live start in Anchorage for three hours allows the public to get a look behind the scenes at what it takes to be a world class musher and compete in the Iditarod; the commitment and sacrifices, said John Tracy, Channel 2 News director.
"It really gives them a profile of the racer, the challenges ahead and the history of this great race," Tracy said. "That kind of background and perspective heightens interest in the race and mushers," he added.
Coverage plans call for the live start team to include Channel 2 Sports' John Carpenter and news anchor Megan Baldino along with ITC commentators Greg Heister and former musher Joe Runyan.
"Greg Heister is a skilled broadcaster with a passion for this race and Joe Runyan knows it inside and out," Carpenter said, adding their participation will ensure the full flavor of the race is captured.
Baldino will follow the teams north and report daily in various Channel 2 newscasts as the teams drive toward Nome and the finish where she will be joined by Heister and Runyan for a special half hour live program aired when the race is won.
"On the trail, we want to capture not only the challenges of the front runners, but the spirit of these adventurers getting together and racing across Alaska," Baldino said.
As part of the coverage, Channel 2 will move its flyaway portable satellite service into McGrath, Unalakleet and Nome to bring the stories and video of the race to Alaska and the world, said Chas St. George, director of public relations for the ITC. "We get a lot of interest in broadcast companies from all over the world, and now we have a proven and secure way for them to get their video out live each day," he said.
The portable satellite system can reach anywhere in the world, said Trent McNelly, manager of Alaska Mobile Productions, the Channel 2 arm providing the uplinks.
Channel 2 broadcasting the live start and finish will insure the widest distribution of those events in Alaska, said Andy MacLeod, general sales manager, noting that Channel 2 News reaches 80 percent of the people who watch local news each week with 17 hours of newscasts from morning to night. Nielsen surveys show that audience is not only broad, but loyal with two-thirds of the Channel 2 News viewers only watching Channel 2 News, MacLeod added.
"That strong distribution and brand loyalty, coupled with the high viewer interest and following of the Iditarod, makes this a natural fit," MacLeod added.
The live start and finish along with streaming the re-start combines the best of TV and the internet, said Al Bramstedt, general manager. "The Iditarod is the quintessential Alaska event and this is a critical step in further developing a true multiplatform daily coverage of the race," he said.
Discussions between the ITC and Channel 2 have centered on how each party can work together long-term to build strong promotion and insure compelling coverage of the race and are scheduled to continue following this year's event.
"It makes a lot of sense to work together and use our strengths in coordination, "Bramsted said. "You have the most powerful Alaska event and the most powerful television and media operation in the state and the result will benefit the race, mushers and viewers of TV and the internet."
The Iditarod is known worldwide as the Last Great Race on Earth. The route is now a National Historic Trail and follows much of the supply line that moved goods and mail from the open water port of Seward through the Interior mining camps of Flat, Ophir and Ruby and beyond to the coastal towns of the Seward Peninsula including Nome. Today adventurers from all over the world join Alaskans in running the race while a huge audience in Alaska and worldwide follows the race's progression.
For Further Information Contact:
Chas St. George, Iditarod Trail Committee - (907) 352-2215
John Tracy, KTUU-TV - (907) 762-9202
