About Alaska’s News Source

With a reputation of excellence anchored in innovation and a mission to Tell Alaska’s Story, Alaska’s News Source is the state’s most-watched news and media organization.

Broadcasting since 1953, Alaska’s News Source produces 32 hours of news, weather, and sports content every week for the largest viewing area in the country. In Lower 48 terms, it’s a viewing area stretching from Minnesota to Arizona and South Carolina to California, covering more than 586,000 square miles. That’s an area greater than California, Texas and Montana combined. Live broadcasts extend into more than 200 rural communities via the Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS) and include simulcasts on Anchorage radio stations, KHAR and KFQD.

Beyond broadcast, Alaska’s News Source engages with on-demand audiences through a growing portfolio of Connected TV (CTV) and streaming options, including apps for news and weather, daily podcasts, and AlaskasNewsSource.com, which averages between four and six million page views each month.

Traveling by commercial and bush plane, snowmachine, on boats, off the road system, across the country, and around the globe — the journalists at Alaska’s News Source know Alaska’s borders are not boundaries when it comes to keeping Alaskans informed and delivering award-winning content about Alaskans to Alaskans and the rest of the world. The Alaska’s News Source team covers stories from coast to coast across the Lower 48 states. Internationally, stories have taken our crews to Europe, Asia, and Oceania. We have traveled with Alaska-based soldiers and airmen deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and sailed through the Arctic with the U.S. Coast Guard on a polar Icebreaker.

In addition to daily content, statewide audiences have watched historic moments, live events, and special coverage on our family of channels. We’re proud to have delivered the first live broadcasts from: Prudhoe Bay (the nation’s largest oil field), the 7,000-foot base camp of Denali and from the middle of Resurrection Bay. News crews have brought Alaskans special live coverage of events including the launch of the first Alaskan into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race, the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race, the Mount Marathon Race, the Great Alaska Shootout, Special Olympics World Winter Games, World Eskimo Indian Olympics and the Alaska Federation of Natives Conferences, to name a few.

Telling Alaska’s Story is not only what we do, it is our responsibility, and we take tremendous pride in fulfilling that responsibility to the people of Alaska every day.

AWARDS:

Alaska’s News Source’s dedication to bringing Alaskans timely, accurate and compelling stories has not gone unnoticed throughout the decades. The station has earned numerous national, regional, and statewide awards including: The Northwest Regional Emmy for Overall Excellence from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting; SPJ Northwest Awards for General Excellence, Breaking News, Investigative Reporting, Sports; Small Market Station of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association; the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall News Excellence; Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awards; National Academy of Television of Arts and Sciences award for Community Service; RTDNA/Unity Award; countless Best Newscast and Community Service awards from the Alaska Press Club and Alaska Broadcasters Association; as well as regional and national Edward R. Murrow and Emmy awards for Continuing News Coverage, Best News Cast, Feature Reporting, News Series, and a variety of local documentaries. The talented journalists of Alaska’s News Source have also earned numerous individual awards for their work including: Regional Emmys for best photography, best writing, overall body of work, and station promotion; Edward R. Murrow awards for writing and best documentary; NPPA photographer of the year; the National Federation of Press Women’s Awards for best stories and newscasters; as well as Alaska Press Club and Alaska Broadcasters Associations awards in all categories.

COMMUNITY:

In addition to Alaska News Source’s exemplary news coverage, the station maintains a longstanding commitment to community service. Station employees regularly appear, volunteer, and participate in dozens of local events throughout the year. We invest in the communities we serve through partnerships with nonprofit organizations including: American Heart Association, The Alaska Ski for Women, Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Alaska’s Native Youth Olympics, Blood Bank of Alaska, Food Bank of Alaska, Friends of Pets, Alaska Run For Women, Alaska Black Caucus, and many more.

HISTORY:

· 1953: KFIA (First In Anchorage), owned by Kiggins and Rolling of San Diego, Calif., was issued a broadcast license.

· 1954: Midnight Sun Broadcasting Company, owned by the Lathrop Company and managed by Al Bramstedt Sr., purchases KFIA.

· 1955: Midnight Sun invested in a new transmitter tower and KFIA becomes KENI-TV.

· 1959: Midnight Sun Broadcasting Company sold KENI-TV to All Alaska Broadcasting Company, which later became Midnight Sun Broadcasters Inc.

· 1966: A historic night for viewers across the state as Channel 2 becomes the first station in Alaska to transmit in color when it aired an episode of That Girl on September 19.

· 1981: Zaser and Longston of Bellevue, Wash. purchased KENI-TV, where it then became KTUU-TV, Channel 2 Broadcasting Company.

· 2008: Schurz Communications Inc. of South Bend, Ind. purchased KTUU-TV, becoming Northern Lights Media.

· 2014: KTUU moves into its current location, the Northern Lights Media Center in midtown Anchorage.

· 2016: Gray Television, Inc. of Atlanta, GA purchased KTUU-TV, Northern Lights Media.

· 2020: Channel 2 News is rebranded to Alaska’s News Source.

· 2021 to present: KTUU’s family of channels continues to expand to include KYES, KATH, KYEX, and KAUU.