Arizona Public Media Begins Move Into New Baker Center at The Bridges

TUCSON, AZ (March 27, 2026) — Arizona Public Media has begun moving staff and broadcast operations into its new 61,500-square-foot Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media at UA Tech Park at The Bridges, marking a major milestone for one of Southern Arizona’s most important public-serving media institutions. AZPM said on March 2 that the move was underway as part of a nine-week transition from its longtime home in the basement and sub-basement of the University of Arizona’s Modern Languages Building.

For Tucson, the move represents more than a routine relocation. The Baker Center has been positioned as a long-term investment in public media infrastructure, giving AZPM a purpose-built home with upgraded production and broadcast technology, expanded community engagement space, and new capacity for original local programming. The building is located within the Bridges district near South Kino Parkway and East 36th Street.

AZPM reached substantial completion of the $65 million project in October 2025, when it announced construction was finalized and crews were installing furniture, technology, and broadcast equipment. In its 2025 annual report, the organization said the 100 percent donor-funded facility was complete and that contractors were on-site commissioning systems ahead of a full opening in spring 2026.

The phased move-in now underway is the clearest sign yet that the building is starting to operate as AZPM’s new home. According to the March update, Classical 90.5 was the first service scheduled to broadcast from the Baker Center, with other radio and television services to follow as the transition continues. AZPM has described the facility as a hub not only for broadcasting, but also for education, storytelling, community events, and public connection.

Ground was broken for the Baker Center in January 2024, and the project has moved steadily from a donor-backed vision to a functioning media facility with a much greater public presence than AZPM’s former campus location allowed. At a time when many media organizations across the country are retrenching, Tucson is seeing the launch of a new public media center designed to serve audiences, students, and the broader community for decades to come.

While AZPM has not yet announced that the entire move is complete, the phased relocation now underway marks the operational start of the Paul and Alice Baker Center and a significant step forward for Tucson’s civic, cultural, and communications landscape.

Real Estate Daily News previously reported on the project’s early construction progress in July 2024 and on a major roof-installation milestone in March 2025. The latest development is that Arizona Public Media has now begun its phased move into the new Baker Center.