2004 KRMU IN DURANGO JOINED THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS FAMILY
By Laura Sampson, Founder, Station’s Archived Memories (SAM)
On December 3, 2004, KRMU (Channel 20) in Durango signed on as part of Rocky Mountain PBS to serve southwestern Colorado and a small portion of northwestern New Mexico. When KRMU received its license in 2001, it was the first television station in the United States to operate a digital signal without a companion analog channel assignment.
A few years ago (2017), Rocky Mountain PBS announced its partnership with Fort Lewis College to create an innovation center in Durango. The center is in the Ballantine Media Center on the FLC camps. Students work with Rocky Mountain PBS producer-in-residence, Carol Fleisher, to tell important stories of the region.
In 2019, KRMU honored the late Bliss Bruen by renaming the Durango Regional Innovation Center in her name. Amanda Mountain, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Public Media said, “As a volunteer, Bliss inspired those around her to see greater possibilities through partnerships. As a colleague, she helped us refine our statewide Regional Innovation Center strategy by showing us how we could have a greater impact through the creation of more local content.”
Fort Lewis College students have produced numerous segments showcased across the state on “Arts District” of Rocky Mountain PBS. As part of the 2020 Rocky Mountain PBS “Water Week,” a special event brought Colorado-based organizations and communities together to share resources, education and diverse perspectives about Western water issues with an advanced screening of the Rocky Mountain PBS documentary, “Western Water – and Power.”
As part of the 2018 Rocky Mountain PBS initiative “The Great American Read,” a “little library” was installed and stocked with books in front of the Powerhouse Science Center.
Some of the previous volunteer events sponsored by KRMU include the 2020 Snowdown and premiere screening of a new PBS program “Roots to Ranches”, the 2019 Ballantine Center Open House, an event about the documentary, Native Lens: Strength Through Storytelling as well as local events about the 2019 “Great American Read.”
KRMU will welcome back community volunteers when it is safe to do so.