CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Vern VanWinkle sits in the control room of Channel 41's studio during a recent live news broadcast. The station has come a long way in 10 years; back then, VanWinkle was producing news broadcasts from his garage on Valentine Street. Advertisement

Ten years ago, Vern VanWinkle came to Pahrump, at the time a town with only 17,000 people in it and vast expanses of undeveloped land.

Despite the small population, VanWinkle, a self-described entrepreneur, saw the need for a television station.

"The philosophy of the station has always been to help the community to communicate, because there was a gap," VanWinkle explained.

So in 1997 he acquired the undeveloped Channel 41 from the Federal Communications Commission and got the licensing out of the way.

Pahrumpians began to enjoy newscasts and local programming, all produced in VanWinkle's garage on Valentine Street.

The tapes would be brought to an RV where they were played and broadcast by an elderly volunteer of sorts.

"I don't know why he did it, I guess he just liked it," VanWinkle said.

A year later, the station moved to its current location on Higley Street, and it wasn't long before the station began to expand.

Things really got rolling once a transmission tower was bought and assembled, then duly christened with a bottle of champagne.

The years went on, the town got bigger, and Channel 41 was always there to cover the growth and support the community.

It currently produces a magazine, Pahrumpinformation.com, that includes everything a new resident needs to know, from local events to frequently called numbers. And, of course, it includes Channel 41's programming schedule.

"We have a huge audience that continues to grow," VanWinkle said. "(The magazine) allows people to acclimate to the community as quickly as possible."

In addition, the station produces a free Pahrump DVD for people who want to see the community and are considering moving here.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the station held a two-day, 48-hour telethon and raised a total of $24,000 for victim's families.

They also bought the New Hope Christian Academy's band a van.

VanWinkle also believes the station has had a positive impact on the town in other ways.

"When we first started, we used to cover the town board meetings, and we'd have three cameras set up," VanWinkle. "All of a sudden, people started dressing up more, it was all dressed up. It cleaned the image up."

The station also needed room to grow and in 2004 began to add buildings.

Now Channel 41 is home to a studio with five sets, an administrative building complete with a conference room and four creative suites, and a even a recording studio, which VanWinkle said gives locals a chance to record their music cheaper than renting a studio in Las Vegas.

And although the station still focuses primarily on local programming with the morning show, High Desert Today, local news broadcasts, Community Viewpoint and Kidz Talk, the station's affiliations have also branched out.

It is now aligned with CNN and ION media and features Accuweather, meaning that the channel's weather predictions are done by professional meteorologists.

But Channel 41's philosophy remains centered around Pahrump and local events, from broadcasting local football games to promoting events.

Which was actually VanWinkle's intent all along.

"(The station) is allowing for faster communication for events in the community, especially giving people access to see local football games if they can't get to it," VanWinkle said.

The station's growth has not gone unnoticed by long-time residents.

"People compare today to the broadcasts from when we first started, and I get compliments every day," VanWinkle said.

However, newer residents sometimes forget to take into consideration the limiting factors that come with being a local television station.

"We are unfairly compared to the larger stations," VanWinkle said, referring to the ubiquitous television staples such as ABC or FOX. "The major networks have millions of dollars, whereas this station's entire budget barely reaches a million."

Still, there's no doubt about Channel 41 being an integral part of the community.

A decade after breaking a bottle on a new tower in the middle of an empty desert, VanWinkle is getting ready to throw an anniversary bash Oct. 18.

"I'd like to give a big huge thank you to the community for supporting the station as much as they have," VanWinkle said. "They've been really helpful, and we've improved the station quite a bit to make it a positive channel with good, family-oriented programming."