KCTS-TV
Encyclopedia
KCTS-TV is a public television station in Seattle, Washington, that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS), that broadcasts on digital channel 9. Its offices and broadcasting center are located at the northeast corner of Seattle Center
. Its transmitter is located 1.9 miles east on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
KCTS also operates KYVE in Yakima, Washington
(digital channel 21, PSIP channel 47), which serves as the PBS member station for the western portion of the Yakima/Tri-Cities
market. It has its own studio on Second Street in Yakima, though some support operations are based at KCTS' studios.
Effective June 12, 2009, KCTS's broadcasts are digital-only.
and using equipment donated by KING-TV
owner Dorothy Bullitt.
During the 1950s and 1960s, KCTS primarily supplied classroom instructional programs used in Washington State's K–12 schools, plus National Educational Television
programs. Outside of schoolrooms, KCTS' audience among the general public was somewhat limited, and most programming was in black-and-white until the mid-'70s.
In 1970, National Educational Television
was absorbed into the newly created Public Broadcasting Service
. Under PBS affiliation, KCTS began offering a vastly enhanced scope of programming for the general public, including British programming. KCTS is perhaps best known for producing/distributing the popular PBS Kids show Bill Nye the Science Guy
, as well as other programs such as Students by Nature (not a PBS-distributed program), The Miracle Planet, and the annual televised high school academic competition KYVE Apple Bowl
, among other shows.
KCTS moved to its present location on the Seattle Center campus in 1986. A year later, UW spun off KCTS, and the station became a community licensee.
KCTS is seen throughout southwestern British Columbia
on local cable systems, as well as across Canada
on the Bell TV and Shaw Direct satellite providers, as well as on many other Canadian cable TV systems. According to KCTS, "over 800,000 viewers tune in every week" from BC. KCTS receives substantial financial support from its far-flung Canadian audience as well as from viewers in Washington State.
In 1994, KCTS merged with KYVE, which has served central Washington since November 1, 1962. However, this wasn't the first time that the two stations had partnered together; during the early 1960s KYVE's engineers switched to and from KCTS' signal until the station got enough funding to be self-supporting. During the mid- and late-1990s, some programs included a combined KCTS/KYVE visual bug in the lower-right corner of the screen, indicating they were simulcast to both markets. However, since the late 1990s, KYVE has largely been a straight simulcast of KCTS. Combined, the two stations serve 2.4 million people, including almost two-thirds of Washington's population.
KCTS also operates a cable television
service known as KCTS Plus, currently carried on Seattle area cable systems. KCTS Plus runs 24-hour Classic Arts Showcase
programming.
From 1999 until late-2006, KCTS used a logo similar to the ones used by Detroit
's WTVS
and Houston
's KUHT
. These stations are members of LARK International, a public-television production company, which owns the sunburst-on-square logo; however, they are not related to each other.
KCTS was returned to full power operation in December, 2007 just about one year after the initial failure. It remained at full power until October 2008 at which time one of the NEC analog transmitters was removed from the building to make room for a brand new Rohde & Schwarz digital transmitter for operation on channel 9.
On June 12, 2009 the remaining NEC analog transmitter, indeed actually the one that originally failed, was shut down and the Rohde put into service as part of the nationwide transition to digital broadcasting.
KYVE is rebroadcast on * K17IL Channel 17 Ellensburg
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS), that broadcasts on digital channel 9. Its offices and broadcasting center are located at the northeast corner of Seattle Center
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...
. Its transmitter is located 1.9 miles east on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
KCTS also operates KYVE in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
(digital channel 21, PSIP channel 47), which serves as the PBS member station for the western portion of the Yakima/Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Washington
The Tri-Cities is a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, consisting of three neighboring cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the semi-arid region of...
market. It has its own studio on Second Street in Yakima, though some support operations are based at KCTS' studios.
Effective June 12, 2009, KCTS's broadcasts are digital-only.
History
KCTS first went on the air on December 7, 1954, broadcasting from the campus of the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and using equipment donated by KING-TV
KING-TV
KING-TV, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the NBC network. Owned by Belo Corporation, it broadcasts on UHF digital channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center...
owner Dorothy Bullitt.
During the 1950s and 1960s, KCTS primarily supplied classroom instructional programs used in Washington State's K–12 schools, plus National Educational Television
National Educational Television
National Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
programs. Outside of schoolrooms, KCTS' audience among the general public was somewhat limited, and most programming was in black-and-white until the mid-'70s.
In 1970, National Educational Television
National Educational Television
National Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
was absorbed into the newly created Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. Under PBS affiliation, KCTS began offering a vastly enhanced scope of programming for the general public, including British programming. KCTS is perhaps best known for producing/distributing the popular PBS Kids show Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by Bill Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations, making it the second first-run television...
, as well as other programs such as Students by Nature (not a PBS-distributed program), The Miracle Planet, and the annual televised high school academic competition KYVE Apple Bowl
KYVE Apple Bowl
The KYVE Apple Bowl is a televised single elimination competition between high school students. Over a period of one to three weeks, 20-30 high schools come from all over Central Washington to compete at the Apple Bowl studio, which is located on the Central Washington University campus in...
, among other shows.
KCTS moved to its present location on the Seattle Center campus in 1986. A year later, UW spun off KCTS, and the station became a community licensee.
KCTS is seen throughout southwestern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
on local cable systems, as well as across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the Bell TV and Shaw Direct satellite providers, as well as on many other Canadian cable TV systems. According to KCTS, "over 800,000 viewers tune in every week" from BC. KCTS receives substantial financial support from its far-flung Canadian audience as well as from viewers in Washington State.
In 1994, KCTS merged with KYVE, which has served central Washington since November 1, 1962. However, this wasn't the first time that the two stations had partnered together; during the early 1960s KYVE's engineers switched to and from KCTS' signal until the station got enough funding to be self-supporting. During the mid- and late-1990s, some programs included a combined KCTS/KYVE visual bug in the lower-right corner of the screen, indicating they were simulcast to both markets. However, since the late 1990s, KYVE has largely been a straight simulcast of KCTS. Combined, the two stations serve 2.4 million people, including almost two-thirds of Washington's population.
KCTS also operates a cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
service known as KCTS Plus, currently carried on Seattle area cable systems. KCTS Plus runs 24-hour Classic Arts Showcase
Classic Arts Showcase
Classic Arts Showcase is a television channel in the United States promoting the fine arts. The television program content includes prepared media and recorded live performances...
programming.
From 1999 until late-2006, KCTS used a logo similar to the ones used by Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
's WTVS
WTVS
WTVS, branded as Detroit Public TV, is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local...
and Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
's KUHT
KUHT
-Technical firsts:The station is also noted in Houston for many technical firsts at the local level. In 1981, KUHT became Houston's first closed captioned television station, and ten years later, in 1991, it became the first station in Houston to offer Descriptive Video Service , and other services...
. These stations are members of LARK International, a public-television production company, which owns the sunburst-on-square logo; however, they are not related to each other.
Transmitter Failure
On December 23, 2006 one of KCTS's analog transmitters failed, leaving the station no other choice but to operate at 158 kW, about half their licensed power. They requested a Special Temporary Authority from the FCC, and it was granted on February 20, 2007. On August 2, 2007 they requested an extension of the STA. They had the transmitter parts on order from NEC Japan.KCTS was returned to full power operation in December, 2007 just about one year after the initial failure. It remained at full power until October 2008 at which time one of the NEC analog transmitters was removed from the building to make room for a brand new Rohde & Schwarz digital transmitter for operation on channel 9.
On June 12, 2009 the remaining NEC analog transmitter, indeed actually the one that originally failed, was shut down and the Rohde put into service as part of the nationwide transition to digital broadcasting.
Translators
KCTS is rebroadcast on * K18AD Channel 18 WenatcheeWenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee is located in North Central Washington and is the largest city and county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925...
KYVE is rebroadcast on * K17IL Channel 17 Ellensburg
Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 18,174 at the 2010 census. The population was 18,250 at 2011 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Range on I-90 and is known as the...