Newsroom Archive

Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt will announce the official beginning of the Census 2000 enumeration in the remote areas of Alaska at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Wednesday, Jan. 19. at the Alaskan Native Heritage Center.

A webcast of the news conference will be available on the Census Bureau's Internet homepage <https://www.census.gov>. To view the webcast, you will need to first download RealPlayer 7 Basic. We strongly recommend that you download this software well in advance of viewing. Please contact your computer support staff if you have any difficulty with this procedure.

The news conference will be held at:

Video news feed times and coordinates are:

January 20, 2000
2:30-3:00 p.m. EST
Telstar 6/Transponder 8 (C) Band

January 21, 2000
10-10:30 a.m. EST
Telstar 4/Transponder 23 (C) Band (in rotation)

January 21, 2000
1-1:30 p.m. EST
Telstar 6/Transponder 8 (C) Band (in rotation)

Editor's note: Unalakleet, the Alaskan native village that Prewitt will enumerate with 20 census workers on Jan. 20, experiences severe cold weather during January (40 to 50 degrees below zero) and has limited accommodations. Also, by law the Census Bureau may not violate the confidentiality of respondents and thus cannot allow reporters or photographers to accompany the director or other census workers during the enumeration. The Public Information Office will have B-roll available on Census 2000 operations in Alaska. To obtain a copy, call 301-457-3691.

The Census Bureau has arranged with the Associated Press to provide coverage to its members. The Bureau strongly urges the electronic media to set up pool coverage as well. Networks should consider contacting their affiliates in Alaska to arrange local pool coverage.

The Census Bureau has reserved three seats for radio pool members and three for TV pool members on the 12:45 p.m. Pen Air flight from Anchorage to Unalakleet on Jan. 19 and on the return flight. A second Pen Air flight to Unalakleet via St. Mary's has been scheduled. (See the factsheet on the Census Bureau's home page <https://www.census.gov>.)

Audio and TV pool members designated by their colleagues who wish to travel to Unalakleet should identify themselves to Census Bureau media specialist David Olivera at the news conference at the Heritage Center in Anchorage.