I had the privilege of working at several PBS stations early in my career, and one of them was KRMA-TV in Denver http://www.rmpbs.org/. I was the Cultural Affairs Producer there from 1980 – 1984. It was a rewarding and fun experience, and I made life-long connections with many people from my tenure there.

But I hadn’t actually been back to the station itself in over 20 years.

Last week I attended a production staff reunion sponsored by the station’s SAM (Station’s Archived Memories) Committee which is led by a dedicated and well-organized group of station volunteers www.tinyurl.com/yvhd5e

If you think about it, that is a unique endeavor — trying to collect memories of a medium that epitomizes the term, “planned obsolescence.” But there is something special about people who choose public broadcasting as their community service of choice. Any PBS station manager or development director will tell you that. These are folks who appreciate that PBS was started as a non-commercial, alternative and sane voice, and they want to see that continue even amidst today’s radically changing media landscape.

I have found that most everyone who has worked at a PBS station can tell you of an event in their life that caused them to realize the importance of their work in this alternative media. (Kind of like the people I’ve met who work in Head Start) For me, it was watching the original children’s program, “Zoom,” www.pbskids.org/zoom/ during the holiday break of my senior year in college. (“I want to do that!”) And although I haven’t worked at a PBS station since Denver, my attachment to its basic tenets remains. The KRMA SAM Committee members recognize the importance of documenting the special thread of dedication that runs through those who have worked at the station over the years.

At first, this group of volunteers thought the work would entail little more than putting together some scrapbooks, but they soon realized that to do the job right, they needed to allow the project to grow into a full media asset gathering and management program, complete with advanced digital equipment and multimedia software. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting http://www.cpb.org/ also thought this was a most worthy endeavor, and it gave a substantial grant to help fund the archiving effort.

I am a family history buff who loves to wander through the stacks of the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/ and visit historical societies, landmarks, battlefields and cemeteries. Is it any wonder then that when the SAM Committee put out a call for copies of “lost” programs and paraphernalia from decades ago that this “pack rat” would be able to produce a sizeable amount of material? (Hey, I have to find some way to validate my obsessive tendencies, no?)

Anyway, the reunion event was superb.

As a producer of many live television programs and events (including several reunions!) I learned early on in my career that the difference between a ho-hum event and a memorable event is often just an extra 5 or 10% of preparation and attention to detail.

From the sincere initial greeting and processing of guests to the parting gift of an anthology DVD and booklet upon leaving, the event was tastefully well-planned . . . and in a way that was not overbearing. The studio displays, layout, station tours and speeches were all done in a subtle low-key way that served to enhance the mingling of station alumni reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

What is the result? Well it’s straight from Marketing 101 — from Dale Carnegie — and from my current marketing mentor, Robert Middleton. http://www.actionplan.com/ I was treated like a well-regarded client. By their planning, the Committee in effect said that they thought enough of me to make sure I had a fun experience, while they also reminded me of the critical role public broadcasting has played, and continues to play, in our society. Well, I may not have tons of money to spend right now, but I’d say it’s safe to say that KRMA will now be on my non-profit contributions list. And they succeeded in turning this cynical Easterner, who has over the past two decades increasingly questioned the viability of public broadcasting — into at least a revitalized Don Quijote. If this ship is going down, I for one will go down with it.

But I don’t think that is going to happen. PBS has successfully defended itself against several attempts to curtail its activities.

But what is the future for public broadcasting? At the reunion I had a thought-provoking discussion with RMPBS President James Morgese www.tinyurl.com/2z6rp3.
He believes the business model of PBS needs to be reworked, and he has some interesting ideas on how to do that. We agreed to carry on our conversation via correspondence, and I look forward to doing that. Perhaps some time down the road we can have him as a Featured Media Guest on this web site.

But again, kudos to the SAM Committee for recognizing the importance of putting in that extra 5% to 10% effort. It certainly paid off. Thank you!

I end this post with a tribute to the person who hired me at KRMA, Executive Producer, Kaye Lavine. She decided I was the right person for the cultural affairs position even though during my interview over lunch, I mindlessly asked if I could have the uneaten portion of her sandwich. (My only excuse is that I remember that I flew in to Denver directly from an all-night editing session). Kaye became a mentor, and we remained close friends and business colleagues over the years as we both headed East, she to New York City and I to the DC area. Kaye passed away last year, and those who attended the reunion felt her spirit with us. I was glad to visit a place in Denver where her ashes are buried on my way out of town.

It was a fitting end to a most meaningful weekend.