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{{Short description|PBS member network in Colorado}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox broadcasting network
| name = Rocky Mountain PBS
| logo
| image
| image_size
| caption = The network's headquarters at the Buell Public Media Center in Denver
| type = [[Non-commercial educational station|Non-commercial educational]] [[Television network|broadcast television]] network
| branding
| digital
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''.1:''' [[PBS]]|''for others, see {{Section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| broadcast_area = statewide [[Colorado]]
| country = United States
| airdate = {{start date and age|1956|01|20|p=y}}
| former_affiliations = [[National Educational Television|NET]] (1956–1970)
| website = [http://www.rmpbs.org/home/ www.rmpbs.org]
| servicename1 = [[Sister station|Sister stations]]
| service1 = [[KUVO]]
}}
'''Rocky Mountain PBS''' is a network of [[PBS]] [[network affiliate#member station|member]] [[television station]]s serving the [[U.S. state]] of [[Colorado]]. Headquartered in [[Denver]], it is operated by '''Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc.''', a [[non-profit organization]] which holds the [[broadcast license|licenses]] for most of the PBS member stations licensed in the state, with the exception of [[KBDI-TV]] (channel 12) in [[Broomfield, Colorado|Broomfield]], which serves as the Denver [[media market|market]]'s secondary (or "beta") PBS station through the network's Program Differentiation Plan. The network comprises five full-power stations—[[flagship station]] '''KRMA-TV''' (channel 6) in Denver and [[broadcast relay station#Satellite stations|satellites]] '''[[KTSC (TV)|KTSC]]''' (channel 8) in [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]] (also serving [[Colorado Springs]]), '''KRMJ''' (channel 18) in [[Grand Junction, Colorado|Grand Junction]], '''KRMU''' (channel 20) in [[Durango, Colorado|Durango]] and '''[[KRMZ]]''' (channel 24) in [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado|Steamboat Springs]]. The broadcast signals of the five full-power stations and 60 [[broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translators]] cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of [[Wyoming]], [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]] and [[New Mexico]].
The network's offices and network operations center are located at the Buell Public Media Center on Arapahoe Street in Denver's [[Five Points, Denver|Five Points]] section. KRMJ and KTSC maintain their own respective studio facilities: KRMJ is based at [[Colorado Mesa University]] in Grand Junction, while KTSC operates from the campus of [[Colorado State University–Pueblo]]. Rocky Mountain Public Media also operates a [[public radio]] station, [[NPR]] and [[jazz]] outlet [[KUVO]] (89.3 FM) in Denver, which joined the organization in a merger announced in January 2013.
==History==
The network's flagship station, KRMA-TV (channel 6) in Denver, first signed on the air on January 30, 1956, as an [[educational television]] station owned by the [[Denver Public Schools]], with [[University of Denver]] instructor [[Jim Case]] serving as its program director. It is the oldest public television station in the [[Rocky Mountains]]. Its original studio facility was located in a converted body shop at the [[Emily Griffith Opportunity School]] in downtown Denver. The station was originally a member of [[National Educational Television]] (NET), before becoming a member of PBS when it launched on October 6, 1970.
Originally broadcasting only two hours of programming a day during the week, KRMA soon became a key PBS member, distributing PBS programming to many areas in the Rocky Mountain region that did not have educational stations of their own. From the 1960s onward, it began building translators across Colorado and surrounding states. It was also carried by nearly every [[cable television]] system in Colorado and eastern Wyoming. Denver Public Schools sold KRMA to the community group Channel Six, Inc. in 1987. In 1992, KRMA moved its operations into a studio facility on Bannock Street in Denver's Civic Center neighborhood, which formerly housed the operations of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KUSA-TV]] (channel 9, now an [[NBC]] affiliate); that station moved to a new facility located on Speer Boulevard before KRMA moved into the Bannock Street facility.
In response to requests from viewers on the [[Colorado Western Slope|Western Slope]], KRMA applied for and was awarded a [[construction permit]] by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) to operate a station on [[UHF]] channel 18 in [[Grand Junction, Colorado|Grand Junction]] in August 1995. That station signed on the air on January 1, 1997, as KRMJ. Prior to that station's launch, KRMA had been available on cable in western Colorado for decades. It still operates a number of translators in the area. Soon afterward, KRMA dropped its longtime "Six" branding and relaunched as "Rocky Mountain PBS", while Channel Six, Inc. changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network.
In 1999, [[KTSC (TV)|KTSC]] (channel 8) in Pueblo joined the network after it was sold by the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). The station had originally operated as a separate PBS station for Pueblo, Colorado Springs and southern Colorado from its sign-on on February 3, 1971. Until KRMJ's sign-on, KRMA and KTSC had been the only full PBS members in Colorado (as mentioned above, Denver's KBDI is a "beta" PBS member).
On December 3, 2004, KRMU (channel 20) in Durango signed on 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.
On February 2, 2007, Rocky Mountain PBS added its fifth full-service station and its second station in western Colorado, KMAS-TV (channel 24) in [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado|Steamboat Springs]]. KMAS had served as the [[Telemundo]] station for the Denver market prior to joining RMPBS, and brought its programming into Denver itself by way of two low-powered repeater stations—[[KMAS-LD|KMAS-LP]] (channel 33) and [[KSBS-CD|KSBS-LP]] (channel 10). However, its status was placed in doubt when [[NBC Universal]] purchased [[KDEN-TV]] (channel 25) and converted it into a Telemundo [[owned-and-operated station]]. NBC Universal finally decided to donate the KMAS-TV license and transmitter to Rocky Mountain PBS. On September 4, 2007, the station's call letters were changed to [[KRMZ]], reflecting its identity as a Rocky Mountain PBS station.
On January 16, 2013, it was announced that the non-profit [[investigative journalism]] organization I-News Network and public radio station [[KUVO]] (89.3 FM) had reached an agreement to merge with Rocky Mountain PBS. The merger is intended to broaden the reach of their content to new platforms and ensure formal collaboration between the outlets. The deal was expected to close in April 2013.<ref name=dp-merger>{{cite web|last=Ostrow|first=Joanne|title=RMPBS, KUVO and I-News merge, redefining Colorado public media|date=January 15, 2013|url=http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_22379630/rmpbs-kuvo-and-i-news-merge-redefining-colorado|publisher=[[Denver Post]]|access-date=January 16, 2013}}</ref> With the merger, the corporate name was modified to Rocky Mountain Public Media.
In 2020, RMPBS moved out of the Bannock Street facility and into the new Buell Studios building which also house radio stations KUVO and Urban Alternative formatted ''The Drop''.
==Programming==
Rocky Mountain PBS produces several local programs, such as the weekly ''Colorado State of Mind'', ''Arts District'' and the seasonal ''Colorado Experience''. However, the network has focused much of its production efforts on local documentaries, which often take months or years to produce. Many of these documentaries (such as ''La Raza de Colorado'', ''Jewel of the Rockies'', ''[[The Arkansas River: From Leadville to Lamar]]'' and ''[[Urban Rez]]'' have earned multiple [[Emmy Award]]s over the years.
Satellite stations KRMJ and KTSC occasionally break away from the KRMA feed to provide programming targeted for their respective communities, and each station airs separate local promotions and [[underwriting]]. KRMU is a full-time satellite of KRMJ, while KRMZ is a full-time satellite of KRMA. Citing costs at each station, Rocky Mountain PBS applied for and received waivers of the FCC's main studio rule, which requires that each full-service station maintain a main studio within its local service area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101071742&formid=2&fac_num=84224 |title=Request for Main Studio Waiver - KRMU |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |date=July 8, 2005 |access-date=May 1, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=451763 |title=Request for Main Studio Waiver - KMAS |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |date=November 21, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2007}}</ref>
==Stations==
{| class="wikitable"
! [[City of license]]<br>{{small|(Other cities served)}}
! [[channel (broadcasting)|Channels]]<br>''[[virtual channel|VC]] / [[digital terrestrial television|RF]]''
! First air date
! [[call signs in North America|Call letters'<br>meaning]]
! [[Network affiliate|Former affiliations]]
! [[effective radiated power|ERP]]
! [[HAAT]]
! [[Facility ID]]
! Transmitter coordinates
! Public license information
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| '''KRMA-TV
| [[Denver]]
|
| {{start date and age|1956|1|30|p=y}}
| Knowledge for the Rocky Mountain Area
| [[National Educational Television|NET]] (1956–1970)
| 115 [[kW]]
| {{convert|331|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| 14040
| {{coord|39|40|17.4|N|105|13|8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KRMA-TV}}
| {{br separated entries|{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|KRMA-TV|Public file}}|{{FCC-LMS-Facility|14040|3=LMS}}}}
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| '''[[KTSC
| [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]]<br>{{small|([[Colorado Springs]])}}
|
| {{start date and age|1971|2|3|p=y}}<sup>1</sup>
| Television for Southern Colorado
|
| 22.4 kW
| {{convert|720|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| 69170
| {{coord|38|44|43|N|104|51|39|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KTSC}}
| {{br separated entries|{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|KTSC|Public file}}|{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69170|3=LMS}}}}
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| '''KRMJ
| [[Grand Junction, Colorado|Grand Junction]]
| 18<br>18 (UHF)
| {{start date and age|1997|1|1|p=y}}
| KRMA Grand Junction
|
| 17.7 kW
| {{convert|409|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| 14042
| {{coord|39|3|58.4|N|108|44|45.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KRMJ}}
| {{br separated entries|{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|KRMJ|Public file}}|{{FCC-LMS-Facility|14042|3=LMS}}}}
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| '''KRMU
| [[Durango, Colorado|Durango]]<br>{{small|([[Farmington, NM]])}}
| 20
| {{start date and age|2004|12|3|p=y}}
| KRMA Durango
|
| 12.6 kW
| {{convert|130|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| 84224
| {{coord|37|15|46|N|107|53|58|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KRMU}}
| {{br separated entries|{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|KRMU|Public file}}|{{FCC-LMS-Facility|84224|3=LMS}}}}
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| '''[[KRMZ]]'''<sup>2, 3</sup>
| [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado|Steamboat Springs]]
| 24<br>10 (VHF)
| {{start date and age|1988|3|1|p=y}}
| Disambiguation of KRMA
| [[Telemundo]] (until 2007)
| 0.481 kW
| {{convert|175.2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| 20373
| {{coord|40|27|43.2|N|106|50|59.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KRMZ}}
| {{br separated entries|{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|KRMZ|Public file}}|{{FCC-LMS-Facility|20373|3=LMS}}}}
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
|}
Notes:
*1. KTSC joined RMPBS in 1999 and also covers Colorado Springs. "SC" could stand for either Southern Colorado or State College. Southern Colorado State College was CSU-Pueblo's name at the time the station signed on.
*2. KRMZ used the callsigns KSBS-TV from 1988 to 2000, and KMAS-TV from 2000 to 2007.
*3. KRMZ (then KMAS-TV) joined RMPBS in 2007.
===Subchannels===
The signals of Rocky Mountain PBS' stations are [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocky Mountain PBS subchannels<ref>{{cite web|title=Stations for Owner - Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=owner_search&owner=Rocky+Mountain+Public+Broadcasting|website=RabbitEars.Info|access-date=February 14, 2017|language=en}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | xx.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=4| [[16:9]] || xxxx-DT || [[PBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | xx.2
| rowspan=3| [[480i]] || Kids || [[PBS Kids]]
|-
! scope = "row" | xx.3
| Create || [[Create (TV network)|Create]]
|-
! scope = "row" | xx.4
| World || [[World Channel|World]]
|}
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
During 2009, in the lead-up to the [[Digital television transition in the United States|analog-to-digital television transition]] that would ultimately occur on June 12, Rocky Mountain PBS shut down the analog transmitters of its stations on a staggered basis. Listed below are the dates each analog transmitter ceased operations as well as their post-transition channel allocations:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref>
* KRMA-TV ended programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 6, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 18, using [[virtual channel]] 6. As part of the [[SAFER Act]],<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2012}}</ref> KRMA kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|digital television transition]] through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].
* KTSC shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, on June 12, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 26 to VHF channel 8 for post-transition operations.
* KRMJ shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 18, on June 12, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 17 to channel 18 for post-transition operations.
* KRMZ shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 24, on February 17, 2009, the original date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 10, using virtual channel 24.
KRMU signed on in December 2004 as a digital-only station, although it also had endured a temporary shutdown in early 2009 in final preparation for the transition.
===Translators===
In addition to its five full-service television stations, Rocky Mountain PBS operates one of the largest translator networks in the country, serving portions of Colorado, Wyoming, [[Kansas]], Nebraska and [[Utah]]. KRMA feeds two translators in [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]] and [[Fort Collins]]. KTSC feeds 10 translators in rural southern Colorado, and KRMJ feeds 13 translators serving rural western Colorado. The other translators are operated by community groups that pick up one of the three Rocky Mountain PBS regional feeds, and carry the signals onward through their systems.
All 25 translators within the RMPBS system operate as digital signals, and as such carry the primary channel and two subchannels from their respective parent transmitters.
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167429|3=K35OR-D}}''' [[Aguilar, Colorado|Aguilar]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|126089|3=K13XW-D}}''' [[Akron, Colorado|Akron]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|131067|3=K36GX-D}}''' [[Basalt, Colorado|Basalt]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167431|3=K24HQ-D}}''' [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|52726|3=K31CW-D}}''' [[Carbondale, Colorado|Carbondale]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69262|3=K33IW-D}}''' [[Coaldale, Colorado|Coaldale]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|41289|3=K11PS-D}}''' [[Collbran]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|16533|3=K24JO-D}}''' [[Crawford, Colorado|Crawford]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167427|3=K35OO-D}}''' [[Del Norte, Colorado|Del Norte]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|198509|3=K19KN-D}}''' [[Eads, Colorado|Eads]], etc. (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|14040|3=KRMA-TV (DRT)}}''' [[Fort Collins]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|25631|3=K29IT-D}}''' [[Gateview, Colorado|Gateview]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|41276|3=K25PC-D}}''' [[Gateway, Colorado|Gateway]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167430|3=K32NO-D}}''' [[Glenwood Springs]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|23182|3=K28HA-D}}''' [[Grand Valley, Colorado|Grand Valley]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|55606|3=K32NU-D}}''' [[Haxtun]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|130898|3=K02QI-D}}''' [[Hesperus, Colorado|Hesperus]] (translates KRMU)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|55604|3=K15FD-D}}''' [[Holyoke, Colorado|Holyoke]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|126068|3=K20HM-D}}''' [[Idalia, Colorado|Idalia]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69173|3=K36IH-D}}''' [[Ignacio, Colorado|Ignacio]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167428|3=K35OM-D}}''' [[La Veta]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|142|3=K29HM-D}}''' [[Lake George, Colorado|Lake George]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|53689|3=K31NI-D}}''' [[Lamar, Colorado|Lamar]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|4783|3=K29JL-D}}''' [[Las Animas, Colorado|Las Animas]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69004|3=K07PA-D}}''' [[Manitou Springs]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|41291|3=K33PB-D}}''' [[Mesa, Colorado|Mesa]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|55635|3=K32CW-D}}''' [[Montrose, Colorado|Montrose]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|11513|3=K35NS-D}}''' Montrose (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|23159|3=K06GW-D}}''' [[New Castle, Colorado|New Castle]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|43667|3=K13SN-D}}''' [[Nucla]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|14129|3=K09PJ-D}}''' [[Ouray, Colorado|Ouray]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|16524|3=K35ON-D}}''' [[Paonia]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|6070|3=K26FM-D}}''' [[Peetz, Colorado|Peetz]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|67426|3=K23DX-D}}''' [[Pitkin, Colorado|Pitkin]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|126149|3=K26GX-D}}''' [[Pleasant Valley, Colorado|Pleasant Valley]] (translates KRMA-TV)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|183057|3=K07ZG-D}}''' [[Powderhorn Valley, Colorado|Powderhorn Valley]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|168523|3=K19HG-D}}''' [[Redstone, Colorado|Redstone]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|11512|3=K31IW-D}}''' [[Ridgway, Colorado|Ridgway]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|23170|3=K32HL-D}}''' [[Rulison, Colorado|Rulison]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|68949|3=K31IX-D}}''' [[Salida, Colorado|Salida]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167426|3=K35OQ-D}}''' [[San Luis, Colorado|San Luis]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69185|3=K32IK-D}}''' [[San Luis Valley, Colorado|San Luis Valley]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|23163|3=K20OE-D}}''' [[Silt, Colorado|Silt]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|188102|3=K26LH-D}}''' [[Snowmass Village]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|168357|3=K08OX-D}}''' [[Thomasville, Colorado|Thomasville]] (translates KRMJ)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|69153|3=K15GL-D}}''' [[Trinidad, Colorado|Trinidad]], [[Valdez, Colorado|Valdez]], etc. (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|25597|3=K15ED-D}}''' [[Waunita Hot Springs, Colorado|Waunita Hot Springs]] (translates KTSC)
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|73668|3=K27OV-D}}''' [[Woody Creek]] (translates KRMJ)
==See also==
*[[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]] for some KRMA (now Rocky Mountain PBS) shows, documentaries, and serials.
*[[KBDI-TV]], a secondary PBS station in Broomfield.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External
*[http://www.rmpbs.org/home/
{{Denver TV}}
{{Colorado Springs/Pueblo TV}}
{{Grand Junction/Montrose TV}}
{{Albuquerque TV}}
{{Cheyenne TV}}
{{PBS Colorado}}
{{Public broadcasting in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:
[[Category:PBS member networks]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1956]]
[[Category:Television stations in Colorado]]
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