View “Prime Time” on KRMA-TV 1981-1982
By Laura Sampson, archive volunteer, May 2021
Former Channel 9 news anchor, Ed Sardella, hosted Channel Six’s 32-part series PRIME TIME that premiered on KRMA on October 1, 1981. The program focused on ways to help children improve or increase reading efficiency – as well as spotlight other activities and issues within the Denver Public Schools (DPS). PRIME TIME was an effort to make the public aware that the quality of education is directly affected by the involvement of the home and community. PRIME TIME promoted activities that concentrated on student, parent, school and community involvement in learning.
The PRIME TIME offices and support staff were located in the Denver Public Schools Administration Building and were part of the planning process for the televised series. PRIME TIME was produced under the direction of Mike Mottler, KRMA General Manager, and in cooperation with the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Dr. Joseph Brzeinski.
To add interest to the programs, many creative methods of presentation were used including segments from events and short reports to mini-documentaries. To enhance the programs, PRIME TIME visited schools to show student-teacher interaction in the classroom, visited homes of DPS families and utilized community resources to show how learning outside the school environment could encourage reading. Studio segments included interviews and panel discussions with various experts. The program was a great success raising awareness of educational opportunities in the Denver Public Schools and stressing the importance of reading as the foundation for all learning.
Several of the PRIME TIME programs have been digitized and are available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. You are invited to view this episode, “Technology in the Classroom” from 1982 which was broadcast on KRMA-TV (now Rocky Mountain PBS) on April 22, 1982.