The Runner

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Indigenous Broadcast Centre, Alaska
by Peter Serv

The popular Native television show Heartbeat Alaska draws inspiration for its stories from people living in the bush. But when it comes to advertising, the show attracts incentives from other circles, namely the Coca-Cola Company, a multinational powerhouse.

"I don't see any irony in whether it's Coca-Cola or the little print shop next door," says Greene, part Inupiat Eskimo, over the telephone line from Anchorage, Alaska. Her studio there tapes the show, originated by Greene, who is executive producer.

"They don't own the programming," she says, refusing to give specifics about her lucrative deal with Coca-Cola or other talks she's having with corporate America. "1 don't see content having anything to do with sponsors." Greene says programming, not advertising, is what provides the show's appeal. Her stories about rural Alaskan Natives are broadcast across the United Stales and into parts of Canada, Russia and Greenland.

Heartbeat's promotional material says the weekly, half-hour current affairs show is created on a shoestring budget with a Staff of four, and is "the only program dedicated to native news statewide and across the North." On air since January 1993, Heartbeat also has an all-Native newscast anchored by Gary Fife. He spent many years with Alaska Public Radio's National Native News in Anchorage.

The Heartbeat newscast has drawn such a loyal following from rural communities that Greene recently created a second, half-hour program called One Sky. Fife and Alaska based journalist John Tetpon act as moderators.

Both shows are folksy. Down-to-earth productions where Native people see themselves reflected in the content. It ranges from tribal rights and elders' conferences to salmon berry harvesting, artists' profiles and lessons on traditional skills.

Greene says her favourite Heartbeat piece focused on Percy Blatchford, a Native elder trained in the Navy Seals. "He's the uplifting hero type of person," she says. "He's also an extremely humble, modest person. That's what people tune in to see. Without the people, the show would be nothing."

She writes, edits, and produces most of Heartbeat's material herself, describing the content as "fringe news" that would not satisfy most big city newsrooms. Yet it has a substantial audience, Greene says. One that the American networks have tried to capitalize on in the past without much success.

Heartbeat is broadcast on two local Anchorage stations, and is carried by Rural Alaska Television Network satellite, reaching another 247 rural communities.

Greene distinguishes Native broadcast efforts from the big American networks who had "big money" to send camera crews to villages. "But the news director decided what was important and they wrote the story from their perspective."

"Now what I do is find out what's happening, and the Natives let me know what is important to them,'' says Greene. Moreover, her audiences send her about a dozen video tapes of raw footage each month. She then digs for leads and story lines, and narrates short, human-interest pieces, giving the audience some control in the making of their own story.

The Native Alaskans, formerly unhappy with coverage by TV network affiliates, now feel they can do something about how their lives are covered. "Here we are with no apologies. This is who we are. I think this is why we ate so successful," rays Greene.

Fife also thinks big, and globally. He built a national reputation for his work with the Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN). There he tried to get an international audience for Native issues, yet sees far more success with Heartbeat and One Sky.

"As tribal peoples we have always been fascinated with each other," says Fife, a Cherokee from Oklahoma's Muskogee Creek Nation. "We're just trying to use that momentum and see what we can do with it," he adds, with shades of a southern drawl.

Fife now sees two priorities: to cover local Native American issues with accuracy and insight and to show the common links of Aboriginal people around the world.

Only the Indigenous Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Anchorage, Alaska, provides ongoing training for Aboriginal journalists in the United States, according to IBC director Jaclyn Sallee. Created in 1991, IBC responded to 25 tribal radio stations' concern about deficiency in training.

The IBC provides classes and seminars in Anchorage and on-site at tribal stations, with two full time staff, several freelance teachers and an annual budget of 3180.000. Training targets both professional journalist and also youth in a program that offers instruction in radio and video production as well as print and photo journalism.

IBC's current goal also is to produce more Native managers at tribal stations. Looking at the future, (BC has a planning grant to study the feasibility of doing a radio co-production between the United States, Canada and Greenland.

Two challenges for IBC to carry out the project are finding ways to overcome language barriers, and combining forces with other stations for co-productions. "People have been working on this project since 1983." says Sallee, an Inupiat Eskimo. "It's a wonderful idea. It just takes a lot of work."

The Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB), which financially supports some IBC programs, also is expanding its horizons. The CPB recently has funded a project to create a Native American satellite television channel. The project is in the developmental stage. If it flies, the goal is to produce 24 hours of Native coverage daily distributed to stations across the globe.