Rocky Mountain PBS

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Rocky Mountain PBS
Statewide Colorado
Branding	Rocky Mountain PBS
Channels	see article analog, see article digital
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network
Founded	see article
Call letters meaning	see article
Website	www.rmpbs.org

The Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network, known on-air as Rocky Mountain PBS, is the only full PBS affiliate in Colorado. It reaches one million viewers in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico.

The network's flagship station, KRMA-TV, channel 6 in Denver, signed on January 30, 1956 as an educational station owned by the Denver Public Schools. It is the oldest public television station in the Rockies. Originally broadcasting only two hours of programming a day during the week, KRMA soon became a key PBS member. It was available on cable in nearly all of Colorado and the surrounding states, bringing PBS programming to many areas that didn't have their own public television stations. Denver Public Schools sold KRMA to Channel Six, Inc., a community group, in 1987.

On October 23, 1996; KRMA changed its on-air name to Rocky Mountain PBS to reflect plans for a satellite station in Grand Junction. That station, KRMJ-TV, channel 18, debuted on December 9 of that same year. In 1999, KTSC-TV, channel 8 in Pueblo joined the network. KTSC had been the PBS station for Pueblo and Colorado Springs since 1971. A fourth station, KRMU-DT, channel 20 in Durango, Colorado; signed on in 2001 to serve southwestern Colorado and a small portion of northwestern New Mexico. KRMU is the nation's first digital television station without a prior analog assignment to it. As of this writing, KRMU is rebroadcasting KRMJ's signal until better network links can be established with Denver.

KRMJ and KTSC maintain their own studios at Western Colorado Community College in Grand Junction and Colorado State University - Pueblo, respectively, but their signals originate from a network master control center at KRMA in Denver. The satellite stations occasionally break away from KRMA to provide programming targeted for their respective areas, and each airs its own local promotions and underwriting. KRMU will eventually provide this same service.

Rocky Mountain PBS produces several local programs, such as the weekly "Colorado State of Mind" and the seasonal "Spirit of Colorado" and "LifeWise." 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" and "Jewel of the Rockies," have earned multiple Emmy Awards over the years.

Rocky Mountain PBS is not affiliated with KBDI-TV Channel 12, although KBDI's master control operations are housed at KRMA. KBDI is a "beta" or secondary PBS station serving the same market. As such, KBDI has access to just 25% of PBS programming and may only air those programs at least eight days after they have aired on Rocky Mountain PBS.

[edit] Stations

Station	Analog	Digital	City	Founded	Callsign Meaning
KRMA-TV/DT	6, 87.7 FM radio	6.1 (18)	Denver	January 30, 1956	Knowledge for the Rocky Mountain Area
KTSC-TV/DT	8	8.1 (26)	Pueblo	1971, joined RMPBS in 1999	Television for Southern Colorado
KRMJ-TV/DT	18	18.1 (17)	Grand Junction	December 9, 1996	KRMA Grand Junction
KRMU-DT	none	20.1	Durango	2001	KRMA DUrango

[edit] External link

• KRMA ("Rocky Mountain PBS") Web site
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KRMA
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KRMJ
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KTSC
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KRMU

Broadcast television in the Denver market  (Nielsen DMA #18)
KWGN 2 (The CW) - KCNC 4 (CBS) - KRMA 6 (PBS/RMPBS) - KMGH 7 (ABC) - KUSA 9 (NBC) - KBDI 12 (PBS) - KTVD 20 / KUPN 3 (MNTV) - KDEN 25 (TMD) - KDVR 31 / KFCT 22 (Fox) - KDVT-LP 36 (TFU) - KDEV-LP 39 (RTN) - KRMT 41 (DS) - KCEC 50 (UNI) - KWHD 53 (LeSEA) - KPXC 59 (i)
Outlying Areas: KTNE 13 / KRNE 12 (PBS/NET) - K36DB 36 (RSN) - K45IE 45 (RSN)
Local cable television channels
Altitude - FSN Rocky Mountain

Broadcast television in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo market (Nielsen DMA #94)
KOAA 5 / K30AA 30 (NBC) - KTSC 8 (PBS/RMPBS) - KKTV 11 (CBS - MNTV on DT2) - KRDO 13 (ABC) - KXRM 21 (Fox) - KGHB 27 (UNI) - K32EO 32 (PBS) - K34FB 34 (TEL) - KJCS 38 (TBN/DS) - K48CU 48 (TBN) - K49CJ 49 (TEL) - KWHS 51 (LeSEA) - KXTU 57 (The CW)