Friends and Fans of KNME,
I had an
amazing experience the other day when I took my first ever balloon ride. Other than the (literally) uplifting experience of floating hundreds of feet above the
pre-dawn earth, it was wonderful to see and
feel New Mexico from such a different perspective. That thirst for a
new perspective and a new take on the place I live is what has inspired my career and is what has brought me to New Mexico as the new
General Manager and CEO of KNME.
We all know that New Mexico has rich cultural institutions to reflect its rich culture. And when you think of those institutions I’m sure you, like me, think of organizations like the
Santa Fe Opera,
Acoma Pueblo, the
New Mexico Symphony,
Site Santa Fe,
Explora!, the
National Hispanic Cultural Center, and the
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (to name but a few).
I want you to think of KNME in the same light. Recently we won three Emmy awards, two for our filmic exploration of the Sandia mountains,
The Sandias, and one for a brief, artistic profile of local, world-renowned architect Antoine Predock. And this past week we’ve logged well over 1000 man-hours documenting the
Balloon Fiesta for a world-premiere documentary next year. Those are just three of KNME’s many production projects. But the amazing leap forward in internet-based technology now allows us to not only cover larger than life subjects, but also the small and equally
mighty stories that shape our culture in more subtle ways. Whether it’s a profile of a
young native artist in Santa Fe,
a Rio Rancho man who turned his back yard into a successful “enchilada garden,” an exploration of what makes the
Rail-Runner run or a visit to
Chaco Canyon during the summer solstice, KNME’s
website, (and our
YouTube channel) features a new local vignette each week that’s designed to bring you closer to the world right outside your door.
Part of our commitment as a cultural institution is education, and we have a talented and dedicated
outreach department that is in our community daily helping to support teachers, parents and children with workshops, community discussions and online communities like
Science Central. KNME’s commitment to education runs through all we do, whether it’s helping to make sure you’re informed about the upcoming switch to
digital-only broadcast (make sure you’re TV is ready!), helping you prepare a delicious dinner with one of our Saturday afternoon cooking shows, or bring sense (and sensibility) to the
political world around us.
And in this most interesting of political times, we’re offering coverage of news and current events that you won’t see anywhere else. From coverage of local candidate conversations for all the stations congressional races, to live streaming on our
New Mexico In Focus site of political rallies and local visits by national thought leaders, to the enfranchisement of fresh new voices via our “By the People, For the People”
Citizen Journalist project. KNME is setting out to cover your world in new ways as interesting as the times in which we live.
Add to that
amazing artistic, dramatic and documentary programming from PBS, and I hope you’ll agree that KNME is squarely in the
center of institutions that not only reflect but also
shape the rich and diverse culture of New Mexico. I look forward to bringing you
exciting news and happenings at KNME in the future. When you visit our website, check in for my posts here in
The KNME Blog. And never hesitate to drop me an email and let me know how we’re doing and what you think of KNME. My email is
panderson@knme.org and I look forward to hearing from you.
More soon,
Polly Anderson
General Manager and CEO
KNME
Labels: ceo, general manager, KNME, polly anderson
