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As television producer Peter Henning hits the Iditarod Trail, he isn't worried about finding a fresh way to tell a story he's already told 18 times. He'll let the past guide him. As KIMO-Channel 13 prepares to cover the Iditarod for the 10th time as the race's official television station, it will let still-developing technology guide it. Different approaches, same goal: Attracting and entertaining viewers. Henning, who covered his first Iditarod more than 20 years ago for ABC Wide World of Sports, is putting together a 90-minute special that will air on the USA Network (cable channel 6) on April 11 and April 15. It's the second straight year Henning has produced a special for the network. He said last year's show drew the network's highest ratings for the particular time slot it aired. Even so, this year's show will be 30 minutes shorter than last year's. Not a problem, Henning said. "I remember being with ABC and doing it in eight minutes," he said. Race memories are valuable resource these days for Henning, who has possibly covered more Iditarods than anyone. "What I find myself doing is I use the old stories to tell new stories," he said. "You can see the evolvement of the race." Some of that evolution has directly benefitted the legion of people who cover the race. Although reporters and photographers still face dozens of challenges transmitting news and pictures from the most remote portions of the trail, these days there are cell phones that allow reporters instant contact with editors and news directors and satellite uplinks that beam images to Anchorage and beyond. Another technological development: the sled cam, a point-of-view camera in use by KIMO for the fourth straight year. The sled cam is actually two cigar-sized cameras mounted on a tripod and placed in the winner's sled about 11/2 miles outside Nome. One camera points at the dogs, giving viewers a husky's-eye view of the scene on Front Street, and the other points at the musher. The hope is to capture some spontaneous moments - like Jeff King's daughter hopping on the runners of his sled near the end of the 1998 race - and provide an unusual perspective for city dwellers. "We can put the viewer on the runners of the sled," said Chuck Talsky, the president of an advertising business who works with KIMO at the finish line. "You feel like you're in the wilderness and then, whoa, here comes the city of Nome." Last year's sled cam produced an unexpected but interesting scene as Doug Swingley mushed the final stretch into Nome. Channel 13 reporters interview the winner as he or she approaches the finish line, but with Swingley, the interview was upstaged by a stubborn dog. Stormy, one of Swingley's lead dogs, had trouble staying on the trail as the team came into the city. So instead of hearing Swingley talk about his run, you heard a musher trying to rein in a stubborn dog. KIMO tried to tell a headphone-equipped Swingley about a surprise awaiting him at the finish line - his sister and his daughter, who had flown in from the Lower 48. But Stormy wasn't cooperating. "Stormy! Stormy! C'mon, Stormy!" Swingley shouted. "Hi, Dad!" his daughter said into the finish-line microphone. "Stormy, no!" Swingley replied. "I'm having trouble with my lead dog," he added later, as if Stormy hadn't made the situation perfectly clear. That's the best kind of spontaneity - a situation so completely unorchestrated that the plan of surprising Swingley with news of his awaiting relatives wasn't entirely realized. It's what you hope for with live television. So far, the sled cam - which is operated by Emmy-winning Aerial Video Systems of Calif., whose $14,500 rental is covered by race sponsor Anchorage Chrysler - has been a worthy addition to KIMO's coverage. It's only used at the finish line, so it doesn't feel gimmicky, and there's always the chance a free-spirited lead dog can dictate the coverage of the final run to Nome. * Executive sports editor Beth Bragg can be reached at bbragg@adn.com
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