A Unique State

Montana PBS has always been somewhat of an outlier within the PBS system. We live in a state that ranks 4th in land area but 43rd in population. Broadcasting to such a sparsely populated state creates many challenges, especially for noncommercial stations that rely on public support to cover their costs (transmitters are expensive and we need a bunch of them to adequately blanket the state). For this and other reasons, Montana was the last of the 50 states to get its own PBS station, and the road to its establishment was not straightforward. Our service was finally able to successfully launch thanks in large part to a few dedicated individuals andsome very notable acts of selflessness, collaboration, and generosity. Now, 40 years later, we have evolved into a thriving station with an emphasis on local production few other PBS stations can rival.

This is our story.

Early Stumbles

The first big push to bring PBS to Montana occurred in the 70s and was an undertaking of the Office of Public Instruction and the State Legislature. Even then, Montana had been slow to adopt educational television and was one of only two states—along with Wyoming—not to have its own PBS service. The public broadcasting act had been signed into law by President Johnson in 1967, PBS and NPR had both become incorporated by 1970, and member stations had sprung up all throughout the country, riding the wave of hype for programs like Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and the French Chef. By 1974, interest among Montanans had grown large enough that the state legislature formed the Montana Educational Broadcasting Commission and tasked it with creating and staffing a Montana-based PBS station. Regrettably, the effort would fall into disrepute and be shut down under allegations of corruption. The chair of the committee, Herb Pace, was also a realtor, and he had brokered the sale of a building in Bozeman that was to be leased to the state to become the station's broadcast operations center. During the process of arranging the deal, he had received a $2,500 private commission that looked suspiciously like a bribe. When the news story broke, it drew considerable attention and lead to the legislature dismantling the old whole operation in 1975. It was a misstep that left a black mark on educational television's reputation in the state and delayed its establishment by nearly a decade.

Take Two

The 80s arrived in Montana, along with a soundtrack of saxophones and synthesizers, and despite the earlier controversy surrounding public broadcasting, there was still a need and a desire for educational television in the state. Several individuals, representing different interests and working independently of each other, renewed efforts to establish a Montana-based PBS station during this period:

Ed Groenhout, Jack Hyyppa, Marilyn Wessel, and Montana State University:

Up until the 80s, Montana State University had had a very limited film and television program that was split between the attics and basements of multiple university buildings. Its "Television Services Center", a small production facility that recorded classes and lectures for various university departments, was housed in a mobile trailer parked outside McCall Hall on the MSU Bozeman campus.

That was all about to change, however, and the department was about to undergo a massive expansion with the construction of a new, dedicated base of operations: the Visual Communications Building (completed in 1983). This meant new facilities, new students, and a new desire to distribute student and faculty work to regional audiences.

Ed Groenhout, the dean of the College of Arts and Architecture, approached Jack Hyyppa, a professor of television production and the manager of the Television Services Center, with an idea: to install an antenna on campus and broadcast educational material throughout the Gallatin Valley. Jack thought it was a great idea, but there were still many hurdles to overcome before it could become a reality. Marilyn Wessel, the acting director of communication at the university, was brought onboard and set to work applying for a permit from the FCC to install a transmitter.

Nancy Flikkema and Montanans for Children’s Television: 

At the same time, Nancy Flikkema, a Gallatin County mother with three young children, was disappointed to learn that she was unable to receive educational children's programming in her home. It was possible to get PBS in the city of Bozeman via Salt Lake City's station, KUED, but only over cable. That was not an option for Nancy, who lived on the outskirts of town. Along with some other mothers in the area, she started Montanans for Children's Television in 1982, and began searching for support and ways to bring educational children's programming—especially Sesame Street—to broadcast television in the Gallatin valley. They were very dedicated, going as far as calling the Children's Television Workshop (producers of Sesame Street) to see how much it would cost to air the program on a local, commercial station. This turned out to be unrealistically expensive, and so they fortuitously turned their attention to Montana State University to see if there was an arrangement that might be brokered there.

Joe Sample and MTN:

Back in the 70s, during the first push to bring PBS to Montana, Joe Sample had served as vice chair on the Montana Educational Broadcasting Committee. Joe was a pioneer in Montana broadcasting, bringing the first network television signal to Billings in 1953 and later creating the MTN Network. The committee’s failure and the reputational damage it did to educational broadcasting in the state had weighed on Joe, since it was a cause he had strongly supported. He had been seeking a way to resurrect the effort ever since, and so he was primed and eager to help when he heard that administrators at Montana State University were trying to launch a fledgling educational broadcasting service.

The pieces began to fall into place by the end of 1983. Nancy and Montanans for Children’s Television had joined forces with Jack Hyyppa, Ed Groenhout, and Marilyn Wessel and a plan had been hatched to rebroadcast Salt Lake’s PBS service, KUED, using an antenna that would be installed on the roof of MSU’s South Hedges dormitory. Joe Sample would donate the transmitter and antenna, and the chief engineer of the Television Services Center, Tom Jenkins, would oversee its construction and installation. KUSM, as the new station would be called (“K” + “MSU” backwards), would switch out KUED’s feed at select times to broadcast local, Montana content. Skeletal as the plan was, it was enough to get the new station set up and on its feet.

The entire arrangement was made with the full support of KUED and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Ed Groenhout had used his connections as dean to contact Fred Esplin, the general manager of KUED, who proved to be an invaluable asset. Not only did Fred happily allow KUED’s program feed to be rebroadcast by KUSM, he volunteered a plan to transition members of his own funder base to our station. KUED was carried by cable throughout much of Montana, and so there were many Montanans who were donating funds to Salt Lake City. Fred knew KUSM would need that money to get off the ground, and he didn’t feel like the out-of-state donors were his to keep. So he made an arrangement with Jack Hyyppa to give up the donors over the course of 3 years. All the Montana money raised by both stations during that time would be put in a pool. The first year, KUSM would receive 1/3^rd of those funds, 2/3^rds the second year, and all of the funds the third year. Fred’s enthusiastic, unselfish, and collaborative attitude set an example for our station that we have endeavored to pay forward ever since.

KUSM Launches

On October 1^st, 1984, in subzero temperatures, a helicopter lowered the antenna onto the roof of South Hedges dormitory, the first Montana-originated PBS signal went live, and the staff of the newly formed station promptly got to work figuring out how to keep it on air.

The Early Years

No one watched at first.

Jack Hyyppa became the station’s general manager. Montanans for Children's Television became the non-profit Friends group for the station and Nancy became the chair. Early on-air fundraising drives were laughable. The phones didn't ring so employees at the station would call in just to make it seem like something was happening. Auctions were held by the friends board in which all the winning bidders were other board members. A sock hop was held in the studio and no one came. It was rough, but the station managed to eke by.

Fortunes began to change as a result of a few important events. In 1987, KUSM finally became a certified PBS member station, making it eligible to receive federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Shortly afterward, KUSM replaced KUED on TCI Cable, granting the station access to a statewide audience and significantly more donors. With these increases in funding and coverage area, KUSM was establishing itself as Montana’s source for public television programming. Reflecting the changes, the station rebranded to Montana Public Television and began to invest more in local programming.

Montana Ag Live

One of its first flagship productions was Montana Ag Live. Formed in partnership with the Montana State University Extension Service, this fan favorite offered farmers, ranchers, and home gardeners an opportunity to ask questions to a panel of agriculture experts. Its jovial tone and lively banter drew in an enthusiastic audience and it remains a staple of our programming to this day.

Backroads of Montana

Also started during this time was a collaboration with some (at the time) independent producers out of Missoula, Backroads of Montana. This heartwarming magazine program cataloging the many wonders of smalltown Montana introduced audiences to the work of soon-to-be major Montana PBS filmmakers William Marcus, Ray Ekness, Gus Chambers, and John Twiggs. The show quickly became beloved by audiences and has never been discontinued. It has been our most viewed local program for many years.

Faculty Collaborations

The station’s ties to the university led to the production of many documentaries and series through this period as well. Faculty members at the MSU school of film and photography were required to produce a quota of documentaries as a piece of their usual workload, leading to projects such as the documentary series Montana: The Second Century, Sacred Journeys of the Nez Perce, and a behind-the-scenes documentary, Shadow Casting, about the Robert Redford film “A River Runs through It.”

From Rivals to Partners

The 90s arrived and as radio transitioned from hair bands to grunge rock, KUSM/Montana Public Television continued to grow and expand slowly and steadily.

The defining achievement of this decade was an act of unprecedented collaboration between Montana’s two universities, Montana State University and the University of Montana. The broadcast producers in Missoula had watched what was happening with the new station in Bozeman with increasing interest and wanted to replicate something similar in Western Montana. Whereas Bozeman had originally coordinated a deal with KUED in Salt Lake City, leaders at the University of Montana in Missoula considered brokering a similar arrangement with KSPS in Spokane. Jack Hyyppa reached out early and approached Missoula with an alternative: join forces with KUSM instead and form a truly local, Montana public television service.

As any resident of Bozeman or Missoula knows, there is a vigorous rivalry between the two university towns. Large-scale, long-term collaborations between the universities were (and remain) essentially non-existent. But Jack wanted to attempt building a bridge for a few reasons. He was certain if the University of Montana formed their own public broadcasting station, the competition would result in both stations failing—there weren’t enough donors in the state to support two stations. But he was also acting in the spirit of selflessness and sharing that had been modeled by Fred Esplin at KUED. Jack believed that Western Montana deserved to have public broadcasting and that it should be represented by people from that region. The two stations could share funds and audiences. It was a win for everyone. 

William Marcus, in addition to serving as the host of the popular Backroads of Montana series, provided key leadership at this pivotal moment in our history. As the Director of the Broadcast Media Center, and general manager of KUFM, William worked with Jack to bring a joint public TV proposal to the state legislature, which promptly approved it and allocated state funds to the effort. It was the first appropriation of state money to public broadcasting, another important milestone in the station’s upward march to greater recognition and legitimacy. The creation of a unified public TV service for Montana would take some years to negotiate, but in 1997, a Montana Public Television Affiliation Agreement was signed by Jack, William, university executives, and even included the signatures of then MSU President Michael P. Malone and UM President George M. Dennison. The remarkable affiliation agreement between the two rival universities included a third vital partner, the Friends of Montana Public Television. This three-way affiliation agreement remains the foundation of our unified public TV service. On New Year’s Day in 1997, the KUFM Missoula transmitter went live and Montana Public Television truly became a statewide network. In 1999, we rebranded the station to simply Montana PBS, reflecting this momentous change.

Coming Into Our Own

By the 2000’s, we were really hitting our stride. An explosion of growth was occurring in many areas during this period.

Thanks in large part to the expertise of chief engineer Dean Lawver, over-the-air coverage expanded to Billings and Butte in 2004, and Great Falls in 2009, bringing educational television to all 5 of the most populous cities in the state.

Local production was booming as well. The Montana Summer Symphony, broadcast live from the Carrol College campus in Helena, highlighted the station’s growing production expertise and was one of the first locally produced programs to make use of the new High Definition (HD) TV technology. Scott Sterling was brought on board, and in collaboration with Eric Funk, created Montana PBS’s flagship music performance series, 11^th & Grant, which is still being produced today. Sterling also worked with long-time Montana PBS journalist Gene Brodeur to develop Montana Focus, our first field-based, in-depth news and public affairs series.

Missoula producers also created many now-classic documentaries during this period. Gus Chambers produced films such as Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army on Wheels, For This and Future Generations, and Night of the Grizzlies. John Twiggs’ first HD film Evelyn Cameron: Pictures from a Worth Life was picked up by national PBS for their new Digital TV service. Investigative producer Anna Rau tackled challenging public affairs topics in programs like Who’s Watching the Kids and Power Brokers.

Independent producers were also responsible for many important and beloved docs during these years, including the widely praised Class C: The Only Game in Town, Butte, America, and Indian Relay.

Bittersweetly, this was also the decade that marked the retirement of many of the station’s founders. Nancy Flikkema stepped down after years of volunteering from the Friends board, Tom Jenkins retired, and Jack Hyyppa handed over the reins of the station, with the general manager seat eventually being filled by his son Eric Hyyppa, who had been working as an engineer at Montana PBS for many years.

Modernization

The broader media universe had been undergoing massive changes since the turn of the millennium, and by the 2010’s, we were taking many steps to modernize.

2009 was a landmark year for broadcasting across the country. All stations were federally mandated to transition to digital signals. The days of snowy, analog reception were over, replaced by crisp, high-definition feeds. This transition helped to spur us to upgrade our studio equipment. The arrival of digital broadcasting also enabled the splitting of our signal into subchannels, and we immediately added 24/7 national feeds for Kids, Create, and World to our over-the-air lineup, as well as a new channel covering the Montana legislature, TVMT (now MPAN), reinforcing our dedication to public transparency and accessibility.

Audience viewing patterns were moving increasingly online during this era, prompting us to launch an online video player in 2010, and to make our library of local programs available to stream. In 2011, PBS released apps for iOS and Android to allow viewing of videos on mobile devices, and in 2015, launched a member-only benefit for watching additional videos on-demand, PBS Passport.

Montana PBS Today

Today, we are a thriving organization with a staff of 40+ and more talent and energy than ever before.

News and Public Affairs

We have the largest news and public affairs team in our history, with journalists located throughout the state, producing content under the banner of Montana PBS Reports. Our flagship series, Impact, takes in-depth looks at issues that affect residents across the state. At a time when journalism—and local journalism especially—is in a rough spot, we are doing what we can to bring light, not heat, to the conversations shaping our democracy.

Our civics coverage also extends to our legislative services channel, MPAN, which provides an unfiltered window to the inner workings of state government. Not only does the channel shed light and transparency on the drafting of state policy, it grants citizens a view of what happens on a day-to-day basis within the walls of the capitol, rendering it more accessible and approachable.

Education

We have an education department drawing national attention for its outreach work and digital production. Our teacher training and media certification programshelp to inspire teachers to integrate technology and media into their lectures and assignments, which can create opportunities for interactive and self-paced student learning. We also produce our own educational media series on subjects of local relevance, such as the Montana State Parks, and make them available for free on our Learning Media Platform. We are striving to create an ever-growing library of resources to support teachers, parents, and children, and make learning more fun, engaging, and effective.

Production

Our documentary production team is continuing to churn out high quality films each year that celebrate our neighbors and their personal stories. We are more production-focused than most of our peer stations, and films like CM Russell and the American West, Mavericks, and Ivan Doig: Landscapes of a Western Mind consistently receive national praise in the form of EMMY® awards and distribution throughout the PBS system. Two new major projects, Jonnie and George Bird Grinnell: The Way Forward, are slated to be released in 2025.

Higher Education

Continuing in the legacy of Jack Hyyppa, we remain as committed as ever to higher education and our university partnerships in the form of mentorship and professional development. We employ a large number of university students, many of whom go on to become permanent members of our staff. One of the largest sources of student employment is our athletics production team, which broadcasts the majority of MSU’s athletic events to ESPN+, including football games, basketball games, volleyball games, track and field, and rodeo. Students at the University of Montana’s School of Journalism regularly participate in on-air election coverage as well as producing public affairs programs form Montana PBS. Members of our staff also double as faculty and teach courses in television production and journalism.

A Bright Future

Looking back over our history, we’ve come a long way in 40 years, from a small 100 watt transmitter on a dorm to a multi-city, multi-channel, statewide service—it’s hard to believe! Still, we’re continuing to grow and have big plans for the future.

We are well underway in the process of designing a new base of operations, the Montana Public Media Center, which will be a 15,000-square-foot expansion to our current building on the campus of MSU. This will be the first significant expansion of our facilities since the construction of the Visual Communications Building in 1983. It will be a public face for our public service, with an event center, a classroom space, a learning gallery, and more. MSU’s community radio station, KGLT, will also be joining the family and moving into the building. The original fundraising goal of $20 million has already been met, be we are still seeking additional donations, anticipating that building costs will exceed our original budget.

For us to truly deliver on our promise to serve the citizens of Montana and to continue in the legacy of selflessness, collaboration, and generosity established by our founders Fred Esplin and Jack Hyyppa, we need everyone to participate. Every contribution, no matter the amount, will have a role in shaping the future of our station.

Help keep the promise alive for another 40 years. Donate at buildingpossibilities.org

Thank you for all of your support these many years. We couldn’t have done it without viewers like you.