The Show That Refuses to Die: PBS's Wild Nevada

Wild Nevada Co-Host Dave Santina above Diana's Punchbowl

  Nearly 20 years ago, I had the pleasure of assisting the crew of the Wild Nevada television program that is broadcast on Reno’s PBS station (KNPB) and shared on other affiliates around the country.

  My role was to research various places around the state that could be featured on the program and, on a handful of occasions, serve as a guest “expert” on some historic place or geological area being visited by the crew.

  It is an understatement to say that I had a blast. The hosts, Dave Santina and Chris Orr, were friendly and accommodating—and helped me get over any jitters about talking to a camera—and the rest of those involved in the program, including producer Jack Kelly and camera artist Ethan Salter, were easy to work with.

  I think I appeared on about five or six episodes during that time, joining the team for visits to Walker Lake, Virginia City, Virgin Valley, Manhattan, Diana’s Punchbowl, Belmont, the Sump, Hickison Summit, and several other places.

  My recollection is that the station filmed some three seasons of Wild Nevada, before funding apparently ran out and no new episodes were made. I moved on to other endeavors as did the KNPB team.

  But then something interesting happened. The shows, which proved popular from the beginning, remained in the station’s rotation over the years, shown over-and-over. I can recall relatives calling me up in subsequent years to tell me that I had just appeared on TV (again).

  A couple of years ago, during the height of the pandemic, the two co-hosts, Chris Orr and Dave Santina, created a behind-the-scenes look at Wild Nevada, offering comments and memories about the filming of those episodes. Called Wild Nevada Memories, the shows were a new way to look at the old programs.

  And, again, some of my relatives called me to ask if I knew I was on TV.

  The new show proved to be so popular that it spurred the filming of brand-new episodes of the show for the first time in more than a decade and a half. As a result, there are now five seasons of Wild Nevada episodes, all of which can be viewed at any time on the KNPB website.

  Additionally, Orr, Santina and friends are back out in the field, continuing to explore the backroads and cool places of Nevada in additional new episodes (I am so jealous!).

  So, what is my favorite memory about the show? Perhaps the one that means the most to me was episode 5 in season 2, when my daughter, who was then about seven years old, came along on the journey.

  During the filming of the episode, we walked the streets of Paradise Valley, hiked a portion of the Santa Rosa Range, took a drive on Hickey Summit Road, visited with acclaimed western photographer Linda Dufurrena at her rural gallery, and dug for fire opals at a mine in the Virgin Valley.

  At one point while searching for opals, my daughter accidentally appears on the video, squatting next to me and digging through the mud looking for one of the precious stones. Most people probably assumed she was just some kid who was at the mine. But, for me, it will always be a special memory.

  Wild Nevada is broadcast in Reno on Thursdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m., Sundays at 6 p.m., and Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Or you can watch on the KNPB website, www.pbsreno.org/watch/wildnevada.