Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Washington, has had a video program since the early 1980s. 

In the early years, “Media Tech” under the leadership of Ron Saalborn, the advanced video students concentrated on producing a “senior video” (see the CRHS Video Archives) and producing the “morning announcements,” a live show for the school. 

In the 1997-1998 school year, Saalborn retired and Janine Blackwell took over the program, establishing Columbia River Television, or CRTV. 

As technologies changed the annual senior video became a thing of the past and learning became more focused on local, industry practices for news and sports. 

Today, CRTV has a strong tradition of excellence locally and nationally. Students are writers, reporters, editors, photographers, directors and producers. CRTV produces a variety of programs for River and the local community via YouTube and Xfinity/Comcast. 

Students compete and dominate in SkillsUSA’s Broadcast News competition (SkillsUSA is a national, student leadership organization) usually taking gold at the regional and state levels and placing in the the top ten at the national level. 

CRTV's productions have won multiple Student Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) as well, garnering numerous wins at the regional level (NATAS Northwest) for a variety of programs and nominations at the national level.

Reorganized as "Columbia River Television Media" or "CRTV Media" in 2022, the organization is the home of CR Sports, CR News, CR This Week, CR This Morning, The Rapids Report, original entertainment & other digital exclusives. 

In 2024, CRTV Media expanded its mission with the creation of CRTV Digital, a new branch focused on written journalism, photojournalism, and digital storytelling. Launched under the leadership of Talan Collins, CRTV Digital provides students with opportunities to report, write, and publish content that complements CRTV’s award-winning video productions.

CRTV Digital operates through crhstv.com, where students share news articles, interviews, opinion pieces, and photography that highlight the voices and experiences of Columbia River High School. This platform reflects CRTV’s continued growth as a modern student media organization — one that adapts to evolving forms of storytelling while staying rooted in its core purpose: to amplify student voice.