Founded in 1956, Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. (RMPM) provides provocative and inspiring local, national, and international programming to 900,000 viewers every week. RMPM is the license holder for the five full-power Public Broadcasting Service Stations that serve the State of Colorado. RMPM’s mission is to “strengthen the civic fabric of Colorado.” In addition to providing award winning television, RMPM is proud of its involvement in the community. Rocky Mountain PBS Learning Media is a free online digital service utilized by more than 17,000 teachers with over 100,000 cataloged entries. RMPM received over 10,000 volunteer hours in 2016 and had over 18,000 children and parents attend one of its multiple KIDS Fun Fest events across the state.
RMPM recently completed a $12,100,000 tax-exempt bond financing through CECFA in support of the Buell Public Media Center (the “Project”), which is intended to transform the Arapahoe Square neighborhood into a nexus of community resources that will simultaneously benefit the low-income community surrounding the new development. The proposed media center will become the new headquarters for Rocky Mountain Public Media and its minority-run and world-renowned radio station, KUVO, Denver’s full-time jazz radio station. This project will bring to the community a well-respected anchor institution that will activate the area through many community engagement activities.
The Project will also house partner organizations that are bringing their own high impact to the community. The new facility will provide programming and meeting space for a host of community partners, including Swallow Hill music nonprofit, the Denver Film Society, Colorado & National Public Radio and an educational and engagement center focused on children that will be programed in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Denver and the Fred Rogers Company. Also in the building will be the Open Media Foundation, a nonprofit providing access to studios, equipment and facilities for creating media content and teaching classes on media, equipment, and software to empower socially conscious organizations to use media for a greater impact. This partnership with RMPM will allow the Open Media Foundation to serve 20% more clients. Finally, the project includes a black box flex-space theater that will provide at least 60 free community events a year, a community meeting room equipped with teleconferencing technology and available for free to nonprofits, and communal office, event and studio space for all public media in Colorado.
The RMPM Project includes an 88,364 square foot space including 86 parking spaces. The Project is financed by a capital campaign, proceeds from the land swap and sale of a portion of the received land parcel, grants from the City of Denver’s Community Development Block Grant program, New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing benefits, and the CECFA bond issue.
