PBS12 President & General Manager, Kim Johnson, to Retire

The independent PBS station in Denver, Colorado will transition to new leadership during the summer of 2021

Denver (March 30, 2021) – PBS12, formerly Colorado Public Television, announced today that their President and General Manager, Kim Johnson, will retire during the summer of 2021 after a 40-year career in commercial and public television. She is stepping down after 32 years at her beloved PBS station in Denver to join her husband in his job transfer to Albuquerque.

Johnson joined PBS12, then KBDI, in 1989. Over the course of her tenure, Johnson progressed from a studio supervisor to Vice President of Operations and eventually became the President & General Manager in 2013. During that time, Johnson spearheaded numerous changes for PBS12 and served in roles within national public media, including:

• Serving as a member of the board of national PBS and as President of IPTSA (Independent Public Television Stations Association).
• Managing station relocation from Stout Street to Federal Blvd. (1991) and permanent relocation from Federal Blvd. to Welton Street in the Five Points neighborhood (1994).
• Directing the station’s operational and broadcast conversion from analog to digital and designing its multichannel service to incorporate programming streams from Japan, international news and dramas, and Native American services. Shifting the station’s vision, strategic planning and platform diversification to meet the dynamic audience interests of Colorado.
• Convening PBS stations to launch and elevate projects of relevance and value to their own communities through broader distribution.

Johnson will continue to serve national public media as a member of the AGC (Affinity Group Coalition comprised of PBS and CPB representatives) until her departure.

“PBS12 members and Colorado benefited in innumerable ways from Kim’s three-decade career at the station, as well as her service on the board of the Public Broadcasting System,” said Micah Schwalb, PBS12 board chair. “Thanks to Kim, our viewers are served by a station located in the heart of a diverse community, a station that provides unique content across multiple platforms, including PBS12 Passport. Her depth of experience will be sorely missed when she leaves us for new adventures in New Mexico.”

“It has been an incredible honor to work with my colleagues at PBS12 and with our partner organizations,” Johnson said. “How do I possibly close-out a dream career that exceeded all of my expectations? There is a special camaraderie among those who achieve something important for the common good; together, we’ve built an internally supportive work environment to consistently meet the dynamic interests of our viewers.“

“I have always told people that I’m the luckiest person I know. My career in public media has been an off-the-charts extraordinary experience,” added Johnson. “As I settle in New Mexico, I plan to remain a strong community advocate for PBS and for PBS12 specifically. In that regard, I can remain connected to the industry that has meant so much to me, and to the people who made this journey so rewarding.”

The Board of Directors has retained the search firm Montague & Associates to partner with the PBS12 search committee to conduct a national search for the new PBS12 President and General Manager. All questions should be directed to Nancy DeMoss at Nancy@mlmontague.com.