Pioneer shoots for late fall opening

The view inside Pioneer Public Television’s new studio headquarters in Granite Falls is as educational and impressive as the shows they produce.

“It’s hard to pick one particular thing I like the most about the new building because it’s all going to be so much bigger and with state-of-the-art equipment,” said Communications Director Patrick Moore.

“I really love the front office portion of the building because there is so much natural light that it makes it feel like you are working out on a deck instead of inside a building.”

In late February, eight administrators and a receptionist moved into the new Ron and Diane Fagen Building on the southern edge of Granite Falls along Highway 23.

“If everything goes as planned, we should be all moved in and begin operations here in late fall,” said Moore. “There is still a lot of work to be done inside, but it’s coming together and it’s going to be beautiful when it’s all done.”

The front lobby area features a large glass panel wall behind the receptionist’s desk with Pioneer’s logo etched into it. There are two large conference rooms with glass fronts directly across from that.

“The main studio is the heart of our operation,” said Moore.

“Because it’s important to not have any outside interference or sound, the roof was made thick and sound-suppressed so you can’t hear it raining. And there are floating floors to absorb sounds and vibrations such like the vehicles traveling on the highway.”

Pioneer will be able to host film festivals, industrial films and live music events in the main studio. Another new addition is a Green Room in which individuals can relax, get dressed, and put on makeup before they go on a show.

“We have a divider in the middle of the room that can be closed in case we have a Democrat and a Republican on at the same time,” Moore joked.

Moore admits there are times when he literally has to pinch himself at the wonder of this new 17,500 square-foot facility. “It’s very humbling,” he said, while actually pinching himself on his arm.

“I have to say to myself ‘How did this all happen? We needed a new facility and this is like night and day from the building and equipment we’ve been working with.”

The new facility came about when Ron and Diane Fagen graciously and generously stepped forward and agreed to donate the land and the money for a new facility if Pioneer would make the 40-mile transfer from Appleton to Granite Falls. “This is an exciting time for all of us, including our members,” said Station Manager Jon Panzer. “This was all a vision three years ago and now it’s rewarding to see it progressing along.” Panzer has been with the company for 28 years.

“(Pioneer President and General Manager) Les Heen called Jon Panzer the hardest-working man in public television,” Moore noted. “I say Jon Panzer is a true reconnaissance man who has dedicated his life to the service of the region through Pioneer.”

“Jon is the rare person with tons of technical and engineering know-how who is also a visionary thinker and caring humble servant. We would not be where we are without him.”

Upon completion of the new facility, the remaining 17 Pioneer staff members that include master control, programming and engineering will then move out of the building in Appleton and into the new Fagen Building in Granite Falls.

Ron Fagen is owner and board chairman of Fagen Inc., an industrial construction firm that built the new Pioneer facility located just south of its firm.

A $1.95 million bonding bill for Pioneer’s new equipment and towers was recently approved by the Minnesota Legislature and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton.

A fundraising effort for an additional $1.3 million will be launched by Pioneer in May.

Before Master Control personnel can move into the new building, though, Pioneer will have to set up microwave relay connections from the new building to the station’s transmitter site in Appleton.

“We still have to build our tower at this site and that will hook up with a relay tower in Montevideo, which will then connect with our main 1,260-foot tower in Appleton,” explained Moore.

“Construction of those relay towers will begin this spring.” The Pioneer building in Appleton, which has been used by the station since 1966, is still being used for production until the completion of the new building.

That building in Appleton will eventually be sold, but the main tower located approximately five miles southeast of Appleton will remain and will continue to broadcast Pioneer’s digital television signals to the region. Next to that tower is a 500-foot head-end tower for distributing microwave signals to Pioneer’s network.

“The Appleton towers are two of 11 towers in Pioneer’s network,” said Moore.

“Other main towers are located in Chandler and Fergus Falls.”

Combined, the towers enable Pioneer television to broadcast five digital channels (available unscrambled over the air with a simple antenna and digital TV, or an analog TV with a converter box) to more than one million viewers in western and southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and the eastern Dakotas.

“With the addition of cable and dish and direct satellite TV, Pioneer’s signal is estimated to reach 2.1 million households in parts of five states,” Moore said.

Pioneer will host a large Open House celebration once the move is completed into the new building.

As they head into a new era in its modern and state-of-the-art facility, Pioneer promises to bring the same focus of connecting, uplifting and inspiring stories about living in the small towns, tribal lands and farming communities of the Upper Midwest through quality, viewer-supported programming.

“This couldn’t be possible without our members,” said Moore.

“It’s a public-supported station. And we want to give back to them as best that we know how through quality programming.”

One of those main areas of quality and educational programming is Pioneer’s 24/7 children’s programs.

“We are the PBS station for the small towns and farming communities of the Upper Midwest,” said Moore.

“We want children to learn as much as possible through our programs. We’ve been told that having children view our programs is as good as going to pre-school.”