- [Rietz] It's very exciting.

This is great for the whole area.

We're thrilled that we found a new home so that the broadcasting can continue because it's so important for all of us.

- [Shovelers] Great!

- [Chris] It means our region is really supportive of our mission, of public television.

We're thrilled beyond words.

- [Senjem] It's a special day in the history of a great TV station.

Great, and getting better.

- I want to welcome you all to the future of television in southeastern Minnesota.

The ground breaking of the KSMQ building, it's really, really cool.

(audience applauding) (upbeat music) - On behalf of the board of directors and membership of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, I'm so happy to congratulate the entire KSMQ organization on this auspicious day.

Having KSMQ as part of our community and their new location in downtown Austin is a sign of great things ahead.

This $5 million investment in the state of art broadcast center is a tremendous statement about the development of downtown Austin.

KSMQ is a valuable resource for Austin and our entire region.

Their role in providing programming on current event and issues, coupled with their locally produced MA awarding, award-winning programs, including their state legislative round tables, the Austiniers, Bocelli Christmas concerts, plus Off 90, demonstrates their commitment to sharing important news and events.

Thank you KSMQ for your 36 years of engagement.

As a member of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, we look forward to many more decades of partnership.

Today is really a celebration of Eric Olson's leadership in conjunction with KSMQ's board, state legislators, city leadership, and so without further ado, please welcome Eric Olson, president CEO of KSMQ public television.

(audience applauding) - Thank you!

Austin, isn't it about time for something fun to happen in this time in which we live?

Oh my gosh.

I'm honored, thrilled beyond words if you can believe that, to be here today, and many of you people I know because you helped us make this happen.

(panel clapping) And behind us to everybody.

I think one word I was thinking about this morning is trust.

It's something we hope will grow in our region and our nation.

People trust our programs.

They trust the work we do in the community.

As witness, this wonderful collaboration which is bringing us a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in downtown Austin, serving 700,000 people in 20 counties in our region.

So anything we put on the air down here highlighting Austin, everybody sees it around our area, so it's always a good thing.

It's what we've done for almost 50 years.

Next year will be our 50th anniversary.

And Elaine, thanks for looking up that we were only members for 36 years.

You looked that up.

I just said many years, you know, she looked it up, 36, but that's pretty good.

It's a pretty good record.

Anyway, it's the 18th straight year that PBS, which is the national entity the shows we air, some, Big Bird, Frontline, Sesame Street, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

The 18th consecutive year that PBS is ranked number one in trust in the United States by all pollsters.

18th straight year, and that's not just most trusted brand of media.

That's most trusted of any entity.

Courts of law, government, retail brands.

PBS is number one in people's minds when it comes to trust and that doesn't just happen, it doesn't happen because of KSMQ.

We're hopefully a helpful, helpful source, but it comes because they continue to have great influence in their programming, which is family friendly and well researched.

And people need that in our country and our media these days.

I think what's transforming, what's transpiring in our nation is people are learning they have the tools to see anything they want to now, and we have to keep getting them to come to PBS and KSMQ for rational discussion and family-friendly programming.

So I hope that's what brings us here, downtown will help raise our visibility.

It's the number one reason my board of directors, six years ago, charged us with improving visibility of KSMQ in the region.

And so hopefully this is one beginning of a deliverable along those lines.

So thank you all for being here.

The folks behind me are the instrumental people.

We could not have done this without them.

Their strategic advice, their partnership, their friendship, and their financial resources all made this possible.

And I'd like to introduce them and thank them so much for their work here today.

First on the list is our KSMQ Public Service Media Inc. Board of Directors.

Board members, can you, current ones, can you raise your hands please?

I know you're here.

Thank you very much for your service.

(all applauding) And to say a few words on behalf of the board, presently is one of our lead directors, former chair Dr. Fred Boga.

Fred?

(audience applauding) - Well, I have some remarks here, but I can't say that they haven't already been said by many people.

And I'm only the third person up here.

When I came to town about 40, so I'm just gonna have to get rid of them.

When I came to town more than 40 years ago, KSMQ existed.

Where was it?

And I was on some of the medical programs at that time.

How do I get there?

Well, you have to go in this door, and you go down the hall, and you know, it was invisible and it has remained invisible until next year.

And now it's visible through a hole in the ground.

It will be visible.

This is a good thing.

People will know we're here, will no where where we're at, and a big sign on it.

We will represent Austin, southeast Minnesota, have a big presence in Rochester.

What a great time we're doing here.

It's a, we owe it all to the people who've done the planning, the people who've done the financing, including the Foundation, many individual donors, the work of so many people, it's an interesting project.

There are architects, designers, technical people, and they're here, so many here gathered together.

So thank you for coming here today to this ground breaking of what we hope will be a growing, vibrant institution here in southeast Minnesota.

700,000 people in our viewing area is a non-negligible number, and we will have something to offer them.

So welcome, and thank you, and thank you to all the people who've contributed to this project so far, thank you.

(all applauding) Well, I think the future is very bright.

Technology is changing very rapidly and we don't know what will happen during the next five years, leave alone 50 years.

But KSMQ will be ready for it.

- Now while representing of The Hormel Foundation, which is the group, really, that was the seed that began this whole event.

It was through their support that we were able to achieve greater funding with other people, other agencies.

And so we are indebted to The Hormel Foundation, and representing them today, Vice-chair Bonnie Rietz and chair Jeff Ettinger.

(all applauding) - Thank you.

Well, it's a real honor to be here today with Jeff, representing The Hormel Foundation.

And it's also a very special day when you're on the same stage as Senator Senjem.

Let's give him a hand.

He is so incredible for his support of many, many projects here in Austin.

And let's look around, look at this ground and see where it is, right here in downtown Austin.

We are so lucky to have the project that is happening, and imagine a year from now, if all goes well, the beautiful building that will be here, and we'll all be back again for the grand opening.

And we think of the program that received a national award, it was called "Everyone Counts", and it was a program promoting the census, and they translated it into 15 languages so that our local people could understand what the process was for the census.

We look to the present and we've already heard about Off 90 and all the things going on.

And we look to the future where a beautiful new building will be with even more innovative local projects.

So we say thank you very much.

Congratulations, and I'll turn it over to Jeff.

(all applauding) - Well thank you, Bonnie, and thank you, Eric.

We're very happy at The Hormel Foundation to be having the chance to support this valuable community asset that is KSMQ.

A few years back we were asked to help support a master control upgrade and we did that with other partners.

That was described as sort of the nerve center of the public television station, and now we're gonna have more than just a nerve center, it's just gonna be a whole wonderful new facility here.

We're also excited to be funding partners with the state, and we have several state representatives here today who you're gonna hear from.

We like to be able to leverage the assets that we have in the community with other players as often as we can.

We were able to do that with the second expansion of The Hormel Institute, and so now this is another example of the Foundation dollars being leveraged with the state, and in this case also with the city, and also with KSMQ.

Also the Foundation has, for a long time, been a big advocate of just beautifying and improving downtown Austin.

And this is just gonna be so, such an exciting addition.

We'll have, we keep stretching downtown and that's terrific.

So we're stretching in this direction with this facility.

A couple of blocks down that way you're gonna be seeing a new community action building, and so Austin continues to thrive.

We're excited to be here today and we look forward to seeing this wonderful building when it's completed.

Thanks.

(all applauding) - With the history of KSMQ, we, as a foundation, wanted to make sure that KSMQ stayed in Austin, and just the wonderful advantages of having a public television right here in our community.

And then when Eric came to us and talked about the project where they would build a building, where KSMQ would have a bigger presence, where it would be visible, and take a look at this, I mean, this is going to be such a beautiful, wonderful, visible place right here in downtown Austin.

- Financial and strategic advice, also from the city of Austin.

They're responsible for us being in this physical location.

It was their work behind the scenes and with the city council that made it happen.

Representing the city, Mayor Steve King.

(all applauding) - Finally, finally.

In the early 1970s, I'm sitting where probably the produce was at the Piggly Wiggly.

And in the early 1970s, KSMQ was still in a bunker out in the old vo-tech building for the construction management.

Somewhere being moved around in Riverland.

Now, we appreciate Riverland's support over the years of housing KSMQ, but finally they get their own place.

And it's been six years to get to this place even today, to have KSMQ gonna build a really, really nice broadcast facility in downtown Austin is absolutely amazing.

So I'm super happy that we got here.

So, KSMQ as a whole TV broadcast outfit has moved forward, and now to be here today is absolutely amazing.

So thank you, we're super excited to have KSMQ in downtown Austin.

(all applauding) - I mentioned strategic partners and strategic help.

We had a board member on our KSMQ board, was a former state legislator for 10 years, and then she went off and ran for Mayor of Rochester, and so we lost her from the board.

But her advice and her counsel, especially on matters related to the state, was invaluable.

I'm thrilled she's here today, Rochester Mayor Kim Norton.

(all applauding) - Well, it is indeed exciting and my pleasure to be here today.

As Mayor of the city of Rochester, your sister city right down the road, we hope always to be a partner.

We know we are with KSMQ.

I want to congratulate you as a resident of Rochester who spends time not only tweeting about, but watching KSMQ.

I'm very appreciative of the programming, like our town that focuses on our community as well, because it helps draw the southeast communities together.

And that's one of the beauties of KSMQ and as, and as I said, as a former board member, it is so exciting to see those discussions come to fruition here today.

So I wish you all the very best of luck.

(all applauding) KSMQ is part of the family.

It's part of the, you know, the bedrock of our public television in Rochester, Minnesota.

So not only do we get to see all the great programs that everybody else get to see, gets to see, we also have some programming special for us, like our town, and I know our community really loves that.

I work really hard to tweet that out on Twitter so people can see the links and go learn about our community from what we consider our local public television station.

Even though it's in our sister city here of Austin.

- I'd like to thank right now and introduce the folks, the local representatives who made this possible: Gene Poppy and Dan Sparks.

(all applauding) - Thank you, Eric.

And it was indeed a pleasure to be able to carry this legislation.

You know, many people have talked about the generations of time that they've been here.

I remember early, when we were first married and moved here, it was like, you know, more than 35 years ago, and watching KSMQ, and one of my favorite things was the auction.

Remember the live auction?

You know, I watch it religiously every night, and bid on things and just, it was just really a fun event.

And then to be able to volunteer sometimes for KSMQ, to be able to watch the children's programming with my kids, now to watch more political programming and other things that are going on with KSMQ, and certainly I appreciate Farm Connections, as well as Off 90, as well as Let's Go Minnesota.

Everything that you've done over the course of the last number of years that's been educational, informative, fun, entertaining.

You know, it's been just a wonderful experience to be a part of watching KSMQ and being part of that.

But I also will say that it's been an honor and a privilege always to represent this community and this region in the Minnesota House.

Certainly it always is a source of pride when we can look around and think about the things that we helped to make sure happened.

This isn't my hometown but it became my hometown.

Austin is a special place, and it has special people, and it always has an eye for the progressive, what we should be doing, what we're looking out for, what's our next big project, whatever that might be.

We've had phenomenal leaders in the city council, and Mayors, and county commissioners and others.

We've had many people that have stepped forward, and I'm just proud to be able to say that I have a little minor part in making this happen, and I appreciate that everybody is here today, and we will see this grow, and we will be just benefactors from it.

So thank you so very much.

(all applauding) - Thank you very much.

What an exciting day to be here in downtown Austin.

I still remember the morning that Representative Poppy and I went to Eric's office, and it seemed a little bit overwhelming but I said, "Let's go for it."

And certainly we did, and here's where we ended up right?

Now, I'm not gonna lie to you, there were a few bumps along the way, but it was with the tremendous people that are here today and from all of your support as well, everyone working together, it really does show you, and it gives you a little hope for what can happen when people work together.

Government can work to do good things.

When city government works with state government, works with our private partners, but it took everyone working together to make that happen.

And so, to the city of Austin, I thank you.

I know that you had to go through a lot of hoops to make sure that this spot was secure.

Obviously, The Hormel Foundation, we couldn't do it without you.

Representative Poppy worked hard.

A lot of times in politics you don't see the final result until we get here, but she pushed hard along with Representative Norton in the house to make sure the bill was passed.

My colleague and good friend that you're gonna hear from next, Senator Senjem, signed on the bill with me and again, Democrats and Republicans working together to make wonderful things happen for our communities.

Thank you on this exciting day.

Can't wait to see this building completed, and come back and get a tour of it at that time.

I think, you want me to turn it over to Senator Senjem or do you want to?

Senator Senjem, come on up.

(all applauding) - It is really, really good to be here.

I've got some notes, I can't read them, and so we're gonna carry on anyway.

But let me just say this because, you know, so I'm a Republican and my two good friends here are Democrats.

You may not have seen it, but as we approached this place today, we both hugged.

We both rejoiced in the, you know, the glad of it, and that's this beautiful, beautiful, ground breaking that we're gonna do, and we can get along and get it done.

So Dan Sparks and Gene Poppy, stand up because you deserve a round of applause by your people for all the work you did on this.

(all applauding) And I'm dead serious about that, this is not politics.

We left politics back in Rochester, right Kim?

(all laughing) So I'm gonna have some fun.

So, I drive up here today, and some of you don't probably know I'm from Hayfield, Minnesota.

Kind of a long time ago, but this was our place.

You know, this was our place as far as frankly, where we went to see girls on Friday night.

And let me, let me just kind of talk about Austin just a little bit.

I don't know, maybe six, eight months ago, I had a call.

Actually it came from Germany, actually, the German embassy.

The question was, what is the renaissance city in Minnesota?

What is that city that's come the furthest?

And Mayor Norton, I could have easily said Rochester, but I didn't.

As I sat back and thought about all the cities I'm aware of, and we travel all over Minnesota, and the legislature, and we see what's going on.

This city of Austin, Minnesota was my choice for being the renaissance city of Minnesota over the last 30 years.

It's come that far.

This Hormel Institute and everything you have going here is just fantastic, and this just amplifies all that.

So be proud of your city because, frankly, I'm proud and it's always fun coming down here.

And I really do enjoy it.

Now to this thing we're about to talk about today, as Senator Sparks pointed out, you know, this is sometimes an arduous road, and we always knew it was gonna happen but we just didn't tell you.

(all laughing) We just have to kind of make you, you know, everything's got to be fair and above board, but you know, we knew this money was gonna come this way, and this wonderful, wonderful station called KSMQ is going to go forward, and it will, as it does with the groundbreaking today.

And it will for many, many years going forward.

So it's just a great pleasure for me to be here and just be a small part of this endeavor.

And I don't know if these are network people that are here or not, but, and we love them all, but I like your program better.

(all laughing) And I can watch the sports and all that, but you just do a fantastic job in delivering a great service to our citizens, and we just so much appreciate it.

So on this wonderful day, congratulations.

Okay, I'm gonna ask you, go forward, and do with the good word of our future and our citizens.

Obviously we put some state money into this and that's good.

It's proper, it's what we ought to do, and we did it, and I just wanted to be here for the ground breaking.

- I also want to mention, who I've always called our number one volunteer, representing all volunteers that we have.

Ruth Colette, thanks for being here.

You know, four years ago when we announced our intent to build this building, she knocked on my door of my cubicle.

I have an open cubicle policy, if you were wondering, but she came in and she said, "I want to be first."

And I said, "What do you mean?"

"I want to be the first to give money to this new building."

And it meant the world to me.

(all applauding) Ruth, thank you for being here.

(all applauding) - Oh, such a great bunch.

It's just, they worked so hard and it's worth it just to see it.

(upbeat guitar music) - So, as KSMQ turns 50 years old next year I want to touch briefly on some of KSMQ's first few years.

In fact, back in 1969 a city-wide bonding bill was passed by the state legislature, and plans then were underway to build a new technical college here, Austin Area Tech.

The blueprints called for a new and modern building to be constructed on the northwest farmland once owned by the Austin St. Olaf Hospital Association, now the Riverland Campus.

One of the new attractions of this new and innovative technical college building was going to be a large space to accommodate a state-of-the-art electronics instructional department.

But those leaders did not stop there.

As we've heard, and like other successful enterprises in Austin, the inspired leaders of that college knew that because of their rural location away from any major city, they would have to maximize and build upon the opportunities they have been given here.

They would need to think differently if they were to attract more students.

Therefore, within this expanded educational curriculum would be a totally new idea.

A new curriculum dedicated to the teaching of broadcast television engineering, unheard of before in the Minnesota community college system.

And the students came, the program grew.

Of particular interest to the Austin community is 1969.

It was a unique plan to build an adjacent 200 foot television tower to house an antenna and operate a low power channel 15 television transmitter.

The idea was to one day broadcast educational lessons from this new school to the primarily rural residents of the greater Moore County area.

By the time ground was broken on the college, plans for the experimental TV station were well underway.

In 1972, the new college was completed as was this television station, broadcasting just a few hours a day at first.

The FCC granted the broadcast license to the college and the station began broadcasting, assigned the call letters K-A-T-V, for K Austin Vo-Tech.

Just a few hours a day on the air, as I said, at first.

Fast forward to 2005.

Known at that time for those who were here as QTV for many years.

KSMQ became then an independent entity, breaking away from the educational facility, and a new forward-thinking board of directors really saved this place, raised funds, and did the legal work necessary to keep the station alive and in Austin.

As a community licensee, they had to go out and do all the reforming of, and ask for the license instead of giving it back to the federal government.

It took a lot of effort on the part of those board members, led by a Rochester executive.

It was not at all a certainty that we would still have this television station.

So we're forever grateful to our educational sponsors during those early years.

Austin Public Schools, Riverland Community College, our long time home.

They've always been great for us.

So, here we are today as KSMQ Public Television on the eve, as I said, of our 50th birthday.

Finally, I want to thank you, all of the past board members of KSMQ public television, several are here today, to all the elected representatives, present and past.

Corporate partners, we show our gratitude to you for your contributions, both financial and strategic.

As a society, I do think I alluded to it a little earlier, but I think it has become clear over these past few years that we need to do a better job of sharing our collective stories, including myself.

We have to find greater meaning in what unites us as a region and a nation.

And I think this broadcast center will be one great place to begin those conversations.

Thank you very much, thanks for coming.

(all applauding) (gentle orchestral music)