MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS Correspondent Sergey Rybakov/. On board the North Pole ice-resistant scientific expedition vessel passengers drift for months to conduct scientific research while the vessel is frozen into an ice floe. I have seen how hard polar explorers are working there, and how joyfully they relax. We have discussed the New Point polar radio program, as well as other entertainment.
The world's northernmost media
The New Point (NP) is a radio program that grew so popular that it began almost round-the-clock multi-genre broadcasting. The program's initiator was Oleg Strybny, a radio enthusiast, who during the North Pole - 42 expedition leads the geophysics research group. He, without exaggeration, has become the expedition's voice.
"I may transmit on any broadcast frequency of the commercial FM band. There is no one 1,700 km around here, thus I could take any frequency. At first, the plan was we would broadcast from my radio station - so that everyone on board could hear and listen. Then we think: why transmit on VHF if we have a wired radio transmission network? I went the captain and we agreed. We've got an OK," Oleg Strybny said.
The broadcast was not connected to the ship's broadcast system, where volume cannot be adjusted in cabins. Therefore, the "New Point" was not audible in the hangar or corridors, as it used a separate broadcast network, and it could be heard in certain places: in cabins, the campus, the conference hall and in the salon. Everyone could choose whether to listen to it - simply by turning the sound on or off.
During the North Pole (NP) - 41 expedition, the program had 44 episodes featuring 41 guests, taking into account the regular rotation. Having listened to all NP - 42 episodes, I can say confidently: the program is not different from those produced by radio professionals.
Every episode had a script, topics and questions were discussed with each guest in advance, the presenters sounded confidently, and the program had its own introduction and pauses! In addition to Oleg, the other hosts were ice researcher Roman Guzenko, oceanographer Savva Pavsky, and biologist Roman Samsonov. The cabin of the latter in the very beginning used to host the program. Further on, the enthusiasts received a two-person cabin at their disposal, where without delays they equipped a real studio.
"I would like to highlight the high level of organization. Hosts Oleg and Roman were highly professional and friendly. They picked topics very thoroughly, to the smallest detail. The issues were relevant and interesting, and the format favored active and lively dialogues. I was able both to present the history of meteorology, and also to answer interesting questions from the expedition's wintering staff. That was great experience that I would love to repeat," said Denis Rize, who at NP - 41 led the team of atmospheric researchers.
Topics and name
According to Oleg Stribny, they tried to keep programs running within an hour, but over time the broadcast time was growing, so the enthusiasts added interactivity, where, for example, they were receiving internal phone calls to the 'studio.' The vessel's cabins had two telephone lines, thus when two people called at the same time, they were combined and aired along with the hosts and a guest. Noteworthy, the hosts were using one mike, which they had to pass to each other.
"Later on, we used the local network to launch an internal chat - everyone got connected and posted questions. After the first try, the audience liked it so much that we kept it a regular part. For those who wanted to ask a question anonymously, a storm latch kept the door to the studio ajar - they could throw in a note with a question printed on a printer, and the guest was obliged to respond to it. This was very popular - we received questions of the kind practically in every program. Hence the name "New Point", which also has the abbreviation we have for the expedition name - "North Pole", Oleg said.
Initially, the programs were devoted to certain topics - music, sports, tourism, computer games and other hobbies. However, as those topics were exhausted, guests began to talk more about themselves. Every guest used to bring favorite songs, announced them, explaining the choice. This practice presented people from a different angle, making a person easier to understand.
"Most people not only listened, they discussed the programs. Oleg, of course, is an incredible enthusiast, both Roman and Savva (co-hosts - TASS) are very talented and creative. That was a very cool and interesting project," said Viktor Bogin, New Point's one of the first guests. He led the geology research group at NP - 41.
The radio station featured even those who had never been to the ice-resistant platform. One day, the expedition members asked to invite to the program guests from their institute (the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, AARI), and the radio team found a solution similar to that in the popular Radio Day movie when they needed urgently an interview with Brigitte Bardot.
"The first guest from the Mainland was meteorologist Lyudmila Kapustkina. We made a list of questions to her and asked our reporter Margarita Emelina (AARI's Russian Polar Research Magazine - TASS) to interview her and to record answers. She responded to the questions, we got audio files, and when on air we asked questions live and picked audio fragments. As if she were there, with us," Oleg said.
Sections and regular broadcast
Further on, the radio station introduced a section covering current events in the world-news, birthdays, discoveries, etc., and it developed into a musical and educational program. That was followed by contests - for example, biologists asked the audience to give a name to a new mollusk species they planned to discover. The prize for the winner was a musical composition, though sometimes guests chose to bring something tangible. At the end of the program, the winner was invited to the studio, where the hosts presented a jar of mushrooms, or jam or a souvenir. Another new aspect was to greet colleagues on birthdays by broadcasting a song the person could pick in advance.
"We have a fairly big though not exhaustive media library, thus we had to order e-mails with many songs from the Mainland," Oleg said.
A certain time later, Oleg made the broadcast round-the-clock. For meals they broadcasted compositions without words, guitar - for breakfast; jazz, blues and soul - for lunch; and downtempo and lounge for dinner. At first, for the night they broadcasted audio stories and audio books, but then, the audience asked them to leave the silence for the night - that's how people left receivers turned on not to miss a morning "wake-up song."
So why the person so passionate about radio does not take the position of radio operator on board the vessel?
"The captain's assistant in radio electronics is a very responsible position. The person provides continuous data transmission to the Mainland. This is done strictly at certain times, and I doubt I would have had enough time to produce our New Point the way it has developed. We intend to continue ... Wait for the second season on NP - 42," Oleg concluded.
As Alexander Ipatov, the NP - 42 expedition's leader told TASS, the captain had received necessary permissions, so New Point will definitely be! When asked if he, Ipatov, would agree to be a guest on this program, he replied softly: "Why not? I like Oleg."
Measuring all distances onboard
On board the vessel there is another unique enthusiast - Vasily Leontiev, a member of the biology team, who ran his 364th marathon right on the ice-resistant platform. According to him, every day he gets up at 5:15 a.m., exercises, and then goes for a run. Not so long ago, at the end of last year, Leontiev turned 69 years old.
"I've run my 364th marathon here, on the second tier of the North Pole platform's hangar. The most important device to have is an ordinary warehouse counter. I run a loop and press it. Not to get messed. Plus, I have a curve meter on me - it's a road wheel that I've used to measure all possible distances here on the ship. My first distance was on the helipad, while it was free from the grid, the lap there was 82 m. The hangar's third level is 62 m in a straight line, and its average level is 150 m in the U form. I've ran there 67 times, that is 10 km," he said.
Vasily has been running marathons since 2008. Running on a ship is not new to him - in 2020, during an expedition aboard the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh research vessel, he ran seven such marathons.
"At times, in pitching, when it was as if I was running downhill, but that's okay. On the [Akademik Mstislav] Keldysh, at storms of four points, the pitching was bigger than here, so the track here is better," he joked.
The next goal he has is to run a marathon on an ice floe. He has special studded sneakers, in which he can run even on perfectly smooth ice without slipping, and tape to mark completed marathons. This, in fact, is why he has caught my attention - one day, number "363" on his jacket gave way to number "364".
"It's a shame to miss a chance like this, because other marathon runners simply do not have it. Whenever there is a trampled path near the ship, I definitely won't miss it. My studded winter sneakers match the color of the ship, red they are. But what matters first of all is safety and no stupidity. And, of course, that may happen only if we have some time free from work, as work is above all," he summed up.
Football, board games, and ... kefir
Polar explorers, surely, go in for different sports - in the past, at Soviet drifting stations, explorers used to compete in football, volleyball, and kettlebell lifting. Some explorers are football fans. For example, Alexander Ipatov, the head of NP - 42, a biggest fan of St. Petersburg's Zenit, told us how in 2008 they followed the Super Cup game, where the Russian team beat - mind it - Manchester United 2:1.
"We did have certain communication, though not sufficient for television, of course. At own expense, we could call the Mainland - that was quite the reason to do so. Then, when I returned home, I watched a video. That was beautiful. Back then we were literally hanging on the phone during the match. We were unable to watch, but at least we could learn results," he said.
At polar stations very popular is a game that has many names - "sea cross", "one-two", "hop-skip", "back and forth", plus a few foul-language versions. The game originates either in India, where it was called "Pachisi", or in Spain ("Parchis"), or in England ("Ludo"). It resembles backgammon, but polar explorers have added several features to it, and certain sayings and names. Anyway, nowadays the game is popular on any research vessel or polar station. In case there's none, it is easy to make - a piece of plywood, a set of screws, and an electrical tape in four different colors. Ideally, it is a two-on-two game, and during wintering seasons or expeditions, playing partners acquire the status of a team. Quite popular are "sea cross" championships, played necessarily in teams. I must say I've got very attached to it, as the excitement degree is exorbitant, and, unlike other games like chess or backgammon, it's impossible to predict the result to the very last move.
"When I was first invited to play, the name (its obscene version) confused me greatly. Then I think: well, why not see at least what they're playing there - well, they're throwing dice and throwing again. I didn't get it at first. I tell them: let me play, maybe you'll like it. Well, that time somehow I got dragged into the game. Further on, everyone knew for sure that from 20:00 to 22:00 I was playing. Even if the table was busy, some would get up and leave, as everyone knew that was my time. We started at NP - 41, probably in February, 2024. Since then, I've been playing every day," said Angela Tsareva, chef of NP - 42.
Those on board the ice-resistant platform treat themselves to delicious "polar" drinks. Doctor Denis Rudenko, shared a couple of recipes with me.
"Kvass: cut rye bread finely, like for crisps, fry to a moderate crust, then pour water - it begins to ferment a little. Plus add raisins to the water. I need to mention something - the water was in a vat, then we bottled it from this vat, and watched not to be late to remove excess gas. Thus, we had to unscrew every lid to let carbon dioxide out. Since the volume was large, and the bottles could burst. And that kvass, I must say, was truly good..."
"Kefir -put powdered milk into water, then pour into it powder from three or four Linex capsules and keep it in a warm place. Three days later, on top you get yogurt, and kefir is at the bottom. If stirred, you get sweet kefir. However, the milk was from Cape Town. With ours it won't work," he smiled.
About the North Pole - 42 expedition
The North Pole - 42" ("NP - 42") Expedition on board the North Pole ice-resistant self-propelled platform departed from Murmansk on September 15, 2024, and the explorers opened a drifting station on September 30, 2024.