As Alaska’s premier Arctic telecom company, we have a lot of experience delivering high-speed broadband to our customers at the top of the world. In 2017, we decided to help share the stories of the remarkable people and companies who call the Arctic home. The GCI #ThinkArctic podcast helps to create a conversation between those that live in the Arctic and those who make decisions that impact the region.
#ThinkArctic’s first guest was Alaska’s own Senator Lisa Murkowski, who talked with us about the most pressing issues not just in Alaska but in the Arctic as a whole. As Senator Murkowski pointed out, the United States is an Arctic nation, and one of our shared goals is to show people in the Lower 48 why they should be thinking about the Arctic. What’s happening in the Arctic affects not just the people in Alaska or the United States, but the entire world.
Since that first interview with Senator Murkowski, the GCI #ThinkArctic podcast has featured a variety of people who live, work or make decisions in the Arctic, including American Ninja Warrior Nick Hanson, Captain Sean Dwyer of the “Deadliest Catch,” Arctic Youth Ambassadors and many others. We’ve talked about technological innovation, suicide prevention, healthcare and more. In our quest to focus on the big issues impacting the Arctic today, we’ve interviewed policy makers, scientists, artists and business owners to learn about their lives and communities, but, with more than 50 episodes under our belt, our work has only just begun.
For the first two years of production, the GCI #ThinkArctic podcast followed an interview format, featuring either one or two guests per episode. Beginning with Episode 51, the podcast shifted gears, taking more of a RadioLab approach by centering the episode around broad topics, such as food security and the indigenous voice. For example, Episode 51 focuses on maritime relations and features Vice Admiral Linda Fagan of the United States Coast Guard, Captain Ed Page of the Marine Exchange, Former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and Senators Lisa Murkowski and Patty Murray.
Look for more great episodes in the months to come! You can listen to #ThinkArctic on iTunes, Spreaker, SoundCloud and other podcast platforms. If you like what you hear, subscribe and share with your friends. What topics do you want us to dive into?