New York Times rates Fairbanks podcast among best

January 11, 2021

Sarah Manriquez
907-370-7376

A New York Times article has listed the Fairbanks-based "Dark Winter Nights: True Stories from Alaska" as one of the best winter-themed podcasts in 2021.

Robert Prince, associate professor in the Communication and Journalism Department at UAF, started the show in 2014 with the goal of sharing true stories from Alaska with the rest of the world. 

"This was an incredible surprise and will really help us in our mission to share the real Alaska with the world," Prince said.

Prince started "Dark Winter Nights" because he was frustrated with how Alaska was being depicted in many reality TV programs. He felt if people were so interested in what life in Alaska is like, Alaskans should be sharing those true stories themselves.  

"I knew right from that first show that we were really onto something because the stories we were finding were jaw-dropping. I couldn't believe all these regular Alaskans were walking around with such incredible stories," Prince said. 

It wasn't long before things began to take off for "Dark Winter Nights ."

"I credit the success of the show to three things," Prince said. "The amazing stories we have here in Alaska, excellent support and guidance from KUAC and Lori Neufeld, and my wonderful team of executive producers who have volunteered their valuable time year after year after year."

COVID-19 has put the live shows on hold. The "Dark Winter Nights" team is considering alternatives but has no concrete plans for an event at this time.

"We're weighing the pros and cons of something safe, like a drive-in show, but putting on the programs is expensive and a tremendous amount of work, so we want to make sure it will be worth the effort," Prince said.

The "Dark Winter Nights" podcast can be found at www.darkwinternights.com . True stories from Alaska may be submitted to Prince at rob.prince@alaska.edu .

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Rob Prince, 907-474-7761, rob.prince@alaska.edu .

ON THE WEB: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/02/at-home/winter-podcasts.html?referringSource=articleShare

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos available upon request