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Duane Ryan, credited with starting Portales PBS station, dies at 90

Christy Waite will forever remember the impact Duane Ryan had on her career as a broadcast journalist.

"Being in college and, you know, learning how to do all of that stuff can be really overwhelming. But he's so encouraging," she said last week from Greenville, S.C., where she works as a morning anchor for a television station.

"I don't even know if he knows the impact that he's had on so many of our lives. You know, a lot of us are the journalists we are today because of him, because of his guidance and support."

Ryan, director of broadcasting at Eastern New Mexico University's KENW for almost 50 years, died Thursday at age 90.

The university announced his retirement just a few weeks earlier. KENW announced his passing on social media Friday.

Ryan is credited with starting the Public Broadcast Station in Portales. He was inducted into the New Mexico Broadcasters Association (NMBA) Hall of Fame in 2015.

The NMBA compared Ryan to a great broadcast industry microphone in his 2015 induction video. "One that is the tireless workhorse of every announcer's booth."

The NMBA described Ryan as iconic, always one step ahead in technology, and a very well-respected broadcaster in the industry.

KENW-TV/FM issued a statement Friday memorializing their longtime leader.

"When Mr. Ryan came to Eastern New Mexico University in 1967 as an assistant professor, it was his dream to bring PBS (1974) and (National Public Radio, 1978) to the area to enrich the lives of citizens in eastern New Mexico and west Texas," it read in part.

"Mr. Ryan's kindness, understanding nature and vision for KENW every step along the way, from 1974 to the present, form an incredible legacy that reflects his life's work. To say it is a life well lived in the service of others does not begin to do it justice."

Waite is among hundreds of professional journalists trained by Ryan since KENW-TV signed on the air at 5 p.m. on Sept. 1, 1974.

She attended ENMU from 2008 to 2012 as a student journalist. Under Ryan's direction, she learned to be a reporter, producer, news anchor and to shoot and edit video.

She said the environment could be stressful and chaotic at KENW, but Ryan always brought a calming presence to the newsroom.

Paul Hunton, who attended ENMU from 2001-2006, worked as a master control operator for Ryan. He said working for Ryan felt like he was a part of his family.

"People loved working at KENW, so much so, that they'd retire then come back to work there," Hunton said.

He specifically remembers all of the "old timers" that would gather in the break room each morning to drink coffee and tell stories of the past.

Hunton is now the president of of WUNC, North Carolina Public Radio. When asked how Ryan impacted his career, Hunton said, "He wanted us to tell stories that mattered to people and he wanted us to work together and learn from each other. He created a culture of abundance and care."

And, when times got tough, "Luckily he was there, he was always there, and he came and helped me," Hunton said.

Patrice Caldwell, former president and chancellor of the ENMU System, said Ryan was one of the best directors she has ever seen.

"I just thought, oh, it must be very frenetic and crazy, wild; it never was with him. It was always this calm, controlled, professional production," she said.

She said Ryan impressed her, "not only as someone who was immensely talented, but loved by everyone."

Don Criss, who retired from KENW in January, worked with Ryan since the station made the air.

Criss said Ryan was the one to keep everything in line.

"I've never seen anybody willing to work as hard as he has been over the years to keep everything going smoothly."

Criss said Ryan was always eager to be a part of whatever was going on at the station and always offered his help.

"I never ran across anyone who didn't like him," Criss said.

Ryan wrote what he called an "end of year" letter to his staff each year to thank them for their work and dedication to making KENW a better station.

According to one of his more recent "end of year" letters, it was in the fall of 1967 that KENW-TV began broadcasting via the cable company in Portales. He wrote that KENW was "on-the-cable" Mondays through Fridays, five days a week from early afternoon until 9 p.m.

Throughout the 50+ years KENW has been on the air, Ryan led his staff through quite a few changes. One of those changes was a new building with new technology and equipment, which opened in the spring of 2006.

Criss said Ryan was always grateful for the public funding KENW received and he was dedicated to making the station better every day.

"The people who live out here have been fortunate to have a man with as much vision and ambition (as Ryan)," Criss said.

Ryan often said his favorite part of the job was working with the students.

"I enjoy everything about it, I think most of all working with the students that are interested in broadcasting and our staff. I really find that appealing," he said in a 2018 interview.

 
 
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