KGNU begins a new chapter

It’s been one week since KGNU cut the ribbon on its “Gnu” Community Media and Cultural Center in downtown Boulder.

More than 700 community members gathered to celebrate KGNU’s 48th birthday, cut the ribbon on the new building, and reflect on how far KGNU has come since its first broadcast in 1978.

The new move comes at a time when many public media organizations, including ours, are dealing with the impacts of federal funding cuts. But with support from the community, KGNU plans to remain dedicated to education, entertainment, and uplifting marginalized voices.

The building has solar panels, a state-of-the-art broadcasting system, community gathering areas, and a performance space. Station manager Tim Russo says the goal is for KGNU to remain open during times of disaster and be a hub for the community.

“For me it’s not so much about the building, but the community coming together to do something for itself, which is to create a community cultural and media center that also serves as a resilience hub for the community in times of need, in times of disasters,” said Russo.

“This new KGNU Community Media and Cultural Center and resilience hub offers that affordable, accessible space for the creative and nonprofit community and individuals to get together.”

He also hopes the new location will help KGNU be more visible and accessible, particularly to young people. After all, KGNU was founded by young people at the Boulder Free School.

One of those founders is Will Schaleben. I asked him what it’s like to see KGNU come so far.

“It’s as if you’re dreaming, and you had this little kid, and it turned into this hero, this giant hero, and you’re going, ‘how did that happen?’ Maybe we were on the right track at the time,” he said.

This story aired on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.