½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï has entered into a long-term partnership with Colorado Public Radio, with the partnership creating a new public media center that will bring together 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, the Rocky Mountain PBS Regional Innovation Center, and college journalism resources. Together, CPR News and 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï will reach more than 80 percent of Colorado's population.
91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï news will become a part of the CPR news editorial structure and CPR will invest in KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's newsroom to enhance local and statewide news reporting and increase the capacity to produce original digital and audio storytelling content.
"This partnership with CPR preserves 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's regional identity and ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's educational mission," says President Jill Tiefenthaler. "Listeners will benefit because this collaboration brings more resources to cover the news in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, and KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's news will now have wider distribution via CPR. It also provides valuable learning and internship opportunities for our students."
"This investment in KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï will enable the station and CPR to be more reflective of the state, bringing important stories, ideas, and experiences to audiences across Colorado," says CPR's President Stewart Vanderwilt.
As a part of this agreement 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï will be affiliated with, and operated by, Colorado Public Radio in partnership with ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï and the station will continue to be identified as 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. CPR is committed to KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's local and regional news presence, sharing it with a statewide audience and having Colorado Springs-based employees. CPR will also make a capital investment to construct and relocate KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's studios. "We're excited to create a media hub that will include 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's Journalism Institute," says Tiefenthaler. "To have all of these under one roof, at what will be a state-of-the-art building at 720 N. Tejon St., creates tremendous possibilities."
Maintaining the local identity of 91.5 KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, while being a part of CPR, is important to the community service goals of ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, CPR, and KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. Working closely with KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï Station Manager Kyle Cunningham, Senior Project Director Erik Nycklemoe will lead the integration and implementation of KR½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's transition to CPR and their new facility.
