BD CONSTRUCTION, HOAK MEDIA SIGN PRE-CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT TO REBUILD KREX-TV STUDIO AND FACILITIES
Released On: July 29, 2008

BD Construction has announced a pre-construction design-build contract agreement with Hoak Media, LLC, of Grand Junction, Colorado, to rebuild KREXTV studios and other facilities destroyed by fire in January.

According to Mike Kalb, BD Construction business development manager, the nearly 10,000 square foot facility will house the entire station operations for Hoak’s five Colorado television stations including the news department, administration and sales for KREX-TV, KREY, KREG, all CBS affiliates, KFQX (FOX affiliate) and KGJT (My Network TV affiliate).

Kalb said the conceptual design and floor plan have been approved and the groundbreaking will take place this fall. Construction is expected to be completed by the summer of 2009.

“This facility is actually somewhat smaller than the one it replaces,” Kalb said, “but the original building was not purpose-built and had grown unsystematically over the years. New technology has evolved that allows us to reduce the square footage and significantly improve the functionality.”

At the time of the fire, KREX General Manager Ron Tillery was quoted as saying, "KREX was Grand Junction’s first TV station and this is its original facility. This station and this building have been part of Grand Junction’s fabric for decades, so we're just heartbroken to see this happen.”

Damage to the facility was estimated at roughly $6 million, making it the most significant fire loss in Grand Junction history.

Since the fire, KREX has been operating from temporary facilities in three separate locations: a construction trailer housing its technical operations near the transmitter on their midtown property; KREX’s news division, News Channel 5; and production facilities occupy temporary quarters at the Rocky Mountain PBS studios at Western Colorado Community College. Business and administration offices are in rented office space near RMPBS.

“KREX and its television stations are important media outlets in western Colorado,” Kalb said. “We’re working on a compressed schedule to get them back into proper facilities as quickly as possible.”

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