August 2 (2021-08-02) – August 16, 2021 (2021-08-16)
Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump is an American documentary miniseries. It follows news station KPVM-LD in Pahrump, Nevada, and centers around news anchor Deanna O'Donnell, as they take on the challenge of expanding into the Las Vegas market. It consists of 6 episodes and premiered on August 2, 2021, on HBO.[1]
Plot
Vern Van Winkle, the owner of KPVM-LD in Pahrump, Nevada, takes on the challenge of expanding into the Las Vegas market for more exposure.
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato came across KPVM-LD while working on their documentary Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal, the two decided to then pitch a television series about the station, however, they could not get a network interested in a pilot.[3] Bailey and Barbato also found Public-access television to be a ground for new talent and ideas.[4]
The series picked up traction at the end of 2017, with principal photography commencing in January 2020.[3] The series doesn't have a credited director due to the fact not everyone was on set or involved with the edit, with editing taking longer than filming.[5]
In June 2021, it was announced HBO would produce and distribute the series, with Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato serving as executive producers under their World of Wonder banner.[6]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 71% based on 7 critic reviews, with an average rating of 9.00/10.[7]
