60th ANNIVERSARY MILESTONE: 1956-2016

On January 30, 1956, Rocky Mountain PBS began broadcasting in the Denver area as KRMA-TV, Channel 6.  The 60th anniversary of RMPBS is a milestone of public service and community support for Colorado.  To celebrate the momentous occasion,  Rocky Mountain PBS presented a fascinating exhibit at the Denver Public Library from January-April 2016 displaying hundreds of historic photographs and memorabilia items from their extensive archives.  View some of the exhibits by browsing the slideshow below.

The station’s history continues to be meticulously preserved by volunteers of Station’s Archived Memories, also referred to as “SAM.”  Founded in 2000, SAM remains very unique within the entire public broadcasting system.  The mission of the archives is to identify, document and preserve the history of Rocky Mountain PBS relating to volunteer, programming, community outreach and administrative operations.  The SAM volunteers passionately believe that through preserving the station’s past, it will enlighten its future. The archives assure Rocky Mountain PBS that the history of the station and its importance to the Colorado community and to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will survive for generations to come.

The archive project was created by a group of RMPBS volunteers and continues to be volunteer-driven.  For over sixteen years, volunteers have developed a remarkable collection of the station’s history that now contains a massive combined assortment of over 91,500 documents, local productions, photographs, memorabilia and oral histories. The archives are digitized, categorized and available for use or research by Rocky Mountain PBS staff and volunteers as well as the greater public. 

There remains a lot of RMPBS material to be archived. History is being created daily!  New volunteers are always welcome year ‘round.  If interested in volunteering your time or contributing historic material to the archives, please contact the archive office at Rocky Mountain PBS:  303-620-5734 or SAM@rmpbs.org.

by Laura Sampson, Founder of Station’s Archived Memories
7-06-2016