Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media Opens

The Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media, a new $65 million state-of-the-art facility to support broadcasting and media innovation, is now open at Tech Park at The Bridges.

The center’s May 1 ribbon cutting brought together University of Arizona officials, donors, staff and community partners to mark the pivotal moment. AZPM will now operate from a facility purposely designed and built to support television, radio and digital program services–a first in its nearly 70-year history.

The building, near Silverlake Road and Kino Parkway, features high-tech television broadcast and radio production studios, podcast studios, an accessible and rentable community studio, a performance space for community events and a digital conference center and rooftop deck with skyline views. 

The new 50,000-square-foot facility replaces AZPM’s previous location–the basement of the Modern Languages Building–where it had operated for more than 50 years. But with three television services, four radio services and a growing digital presence, it had outgrown the space and needed a specifically built, modern facility to continue its growth.

The facility accommodates broadcast-quality production, with trapezoidal-shaped rooms and double “box-within-a-box” wall systems, ceiling systems and floating floor slabs for increased sound isolation properties. In addition to the physical features, the building required extensive broadcast cabling and production infrastructure layered into its design.

The Baker Center for Public Media will also act as a space for public debates, presentations, screenings, and events for generations to come. The 5,000-square-foot Studio A is equipped with floor-level retractable seating and permanent balcony seating. 

Photo courtesy AZPM Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media