Gray's KKTV Colorado Springs Taps New Facility

Lessons learned in Waldo Canyon fire inform new downtown digs

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/22/2012 4:07:53 PM

KKTV Colorado Springs, part of Gray Television, moves into a new downtown facility early next year. The station has purchased a building on East Colorado, and planning is underway for the transition.

"The building we selected is completely aligned with our goal of creating a next generation media facility," said Nick Matesi, vice president and general manager of KKTV. "As we evolve to more of a multi-platform content and advertising provider, the open spaces and open floor plan will provide us with a much more collaborative environment."

The facility will include what KKTV calls a state-of-the-art studio configuration for television broadcasts and will be designed to accommodate new workflows to ensure what the station calls "seamless content distribution on the Web, mobile, social media, and other digital platforms."

"The Waldo Canyon fire was a teachable moment, because KKTV marshaled the resources to broadcast uninterrupted coverage of the emergency for 131 hours," said Jim Ocon, vice president of technology at Gray. "We learned from those experiences that we need to create a working environment whereby information can flow easily both internally and externally. KKTV will create a mobile newsroom philosophy, and the building we selected is a perfect set-up for that to happen."

KKTV has worked out of its existing complex of buildings since 1969.

"Our construction of a new state-of-the-art facility for KKTV demonstrates Gray's commitment to Southern Colorado, and to being at the forefront of innovation," said Bob Prather, Gray president and COO.