KCET
Encyclopedia
KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial
public television station licensed
to Los Angeles, California
, USA
. KCET's studio
is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter
is atop Mount Wilson
. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.
KCET was a charter member of the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) at its inception in 1970. The station was Los Angeles's main PBS affiliate until December 31, 2010, when it ended its partnership with PBS, one that lasted forty years. KCET's management cited unresolvable financial and programming disputes among its major reasons for leaving PBS. KOCE-TV
(channel 50), licensed to Huntington Beach
, Orange County
, replaced KCET as the area's primary PBS affiliate.
KCET and KTLA
are the only broadcasters in the Southern California to be based in Hollywood, as many radio and television stations have left the community for other neighborhoods and cities.
of National Educational Television
, or NET, with Jim Case
heading all of the program direction. It was actually the second attempt at an educational station in the Los Angeles area. KTHE, operated by the University of Southern California
, had previously broadcast on channel 28, beginning on September 22, 1953. It was the second educational television station in the United States, signing on six months and four days after KUHT
in Houston
, Texas
, but it went dark after nine months due to its primary benefactor, the Hancock Foundation, determining that the station was too much of a financial drain on its resources. In 1970, KCET became a charter member of PBS. For most of the next 40 years, it was the second most-watched PBS station in the country.
The call letters KCET stand for Community Educational Television, not to be confused with the organization of the same name formed by Daystar Television Network
in 2003, which made an unsuccessful bid to purchase Orange County
public television station KOCE.
KCET is located in a historic area of Hollywood, used as a film and television studio from 1912 to 1970. KCET purchased the former Monogram Pictures
property in 1971, assisted financially in part by both the Ford Foundation
and the Michael Connell Foundation. The newest building is named the Weingart Educational Telecommunications Center which houses KCET's master control, digital control rooms, ingest, and editing stations on the first floor and engineering, new media operations, and news and public affairs on the second floor.
As of 2011, Al Jerome is the president and CEO.
Today, all programs produced by KCET are produced in high definition, and the station's main channel is transmitted in 720p
.
On October 8, 2010, KCET announced that it could not reach an agreement to remain with PBS and would become an independent television service as of January 1, 2011. In a letter to viewers, board chairman Gordon Bava said that PBS wanted KCET to pay $7 million for its programming--more than double what KOCE was paying.
On March 30, 2011, the Los Angeles Times
reported that KCET was in negotiations to sell the studio to the Church of Scientology
, with KCET relocating to a smaller location following the sale, in light of KCET's sharp decreases in ratings and pledges following dismembership from PBS. The sale was closed on April 25, 2011. KCET continues to operate out of Hollywood until new facilities are found.
, KCET was a major producer of PBS programming.
It produced the acclaimed Carl Sagan
series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
in 1978-1979.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, KCET produced a six-part miniseries in conjunction with the BBC
called Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State.
productions include its award-winning and signature news and public affairs program Life & Times
hosted by Val Zavala (underwritten by The Whittier Foundation, Jim & Anne Rothenberg, QueensCare, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Boeing
, and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department). Huell Howser
's California's Gold
is produced at the KCET lot.
KCET also produces the weeknight talk show Tavis Smiley
and the new PBS science show, Wired Science. Peabody award
-winning shows A Place of Our Own
http://www.aplaceofourown.org and the Spanish language equivalent, Los Niños en Su Casa http://www.losninosensucasa.org/ are taped at the KCET studios. Both programs, part of the KCEd initiative, have received a generous grant from BP
to expand its coverage as a nation-wide television program designed for care-givers.
A few kids' shows also come from KCET -- Storytime
, The Puzzle Place
, Adventures from the Book of Virtues
, The Charlie Horse Music Pizza, and Sid the Science Kid
(the latter now airing on KOCE).
Award-winning California Connected
ended its run in 2007 after five seasons.
On December 9, 2010, KCET announced their new program schedule without PBS affiliation in 2011. Commercial-free programming will include classic and blockbuster movies, travel, science, and drama programs, British sitcoms and news programs, as the station maintains their relationship with program distributor and producer American Public Television
, which does not depend on PBS for distribution and allows non-PBS members to air their programming. Some of the programs that were announced on the new lineup include Globe Trekker
, Rick Steves' Europe
, Burt Wolf: Travels and Traditions, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki
, Doc Martin
, The McLaughlin Group
, Inside Washington
, BBC World News, Keeping Up Appearances
, As Time Goes By
and Visiting With Huell Howser
.
Digital channels>
Channel
Programming
28.1
Main KCET programming
28.2
KCET Kids and Family
28.3
V-me
28.4
MHz WorldView
For its first seven years on digital TV, the majority of the programming on KCET's high definition subchannel 28.1 (outside of most primetime shows) was different from the main signal on Channel 28 (which was initially operated on digital subchannel 28.2 and was later replaced with KCET Orange), as was with most other PBS stations with HDTV capabilities. With the arrival of new programming services from PBS and V-me
(which airs on digital subchannel 28.3) in mid 2007, programming from the main signal was integrated into the HD subchannel to accommodate for space, while at the same time preserving the integrity and demand for quality HD programming. In August 2007, KCET began broadcasting PBS World
under digital subchannel 28.4. World's lineup includes programming related to world culture, news and history.
On January 1, 2011, with the suspension of its active membership in PBS, 28.2 became "KCET Kids and Family" airing mostly children's programs, 28.3 remained V-me (which operates independently of PBS), and 28.4 began airing Mhz Worldview. The former had 28.2 is KCET Orange and 28.4 is PBS World
.
KCET's website produces original multimedia web content including CA Stories. There are also video clips, podcasts, television schedule, contact information, and a Life & Times blog.
In 2006, KCET established an exclusive media partnership with Cal State-Fullerton
. In 2007, KCET and Cal State-Fullerton collaborated on the new digital subchannel
network "KCET Orange", which aired on Channel 28.2 until the January 2011 PBS dismembership, and the majority of Southern California digital cable systems. The network aired programs like Life and Times, plus additional arts and cultural programming tailored to Orange County. Contributions from students from Titan Communications TV and the College of Communications was intended to expand Cal State-Fullerton's contribution to KCET.
KCET also had a digital cable channel, KCET Desert Cities, which was available for Time Warner Cable
subscribers in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area until the January 2011 PBS dismembership. It was carried on Channel 218, and its programming schedule differed from the main Los Angeles signal.
KCET offers their studio facilities to commercial productions to provide themselves an additional stream of revenue. They have been used mainly for the productions of the Game Show Network
, including 2007's Camouflage
and the 2010 revival of The Newlywed Game
KCET's studios also hosted the MTV
game show webRIOT
and the California Lottery's Saturday evening programs, The Big Spin
and Make Me a Millionaire
.
(FCC) fined KCET $10,000 for failure to make its public file
available for inspection by the general public. The fine was stemmed to an incident on August 19, 2010, when an FCC agent, not identifying himself as such, requested the security guard on duty that he would like to see the public file; the guard denied him access, as he was told that he would need to make an appointment. A return visit the following day (August 20) gave the same results. It wasn't until another visit that day that the agent was able to see the public file, but only after identifying himself as a FCC agent. According to the FCC document, the Executive Assistant for KCET explained that "the General Counsel of Station KCET was not in the office during those two days and that she did not know the exact organizational rules regarding public access to the station's public inspection file." The Security Supervisor also said that he was just following the station's security procedures. The FCC later levied the fine, citing that while security delays are reasonable, the fact that the examiner was unable to see the public file without an appointment without identifying themselves as such led to the fine.
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
public television station licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. KCET's studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
is atop Mount Wilson
Mount Wilson (California)
Mount Wilson is one of the better known peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. It is the location of the Mount Wilson Observatory and has become the astronomical center of Southern California with and telescopes, and and tall...
. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.
KCET was a charter member of the 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....
(PBS) at its inception in 1970. The station was Los Angeles's main PBS affiliate until December 31, 2010, when it ended its partnership with PBS, one that lasted forty years. KCET's management cited unresolvable financial and programming disputes among its major reasons for leaving PBS. KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public televisionstation, and is the primary PBS member for Los Angeles and Southern California. KOCE also features programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with...
(channel 50), licensed to Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
, Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, replaced KCET as the area's primary PBS affiliate.
KCET and KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
are the only broadcasters in the Southern California to be based in Hollywood, as many radio and television stations have left the community for other neighborhoods and cities.
History
KCET signed on September 28, 1964 as an affiliateAffiliate
An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
of 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...
, or NET, with Jim Case
James W. "Jim" Case
James W. "Jim" Case is a University of Denver graduate who worked for NBC, CBS and various other media organizations throughout his career. He is most notable for his involvement in the 1959 KRMA-TV series, The Ragtime Era, which he directed during his time with the station...
heading all of the program direction. It was actually the second attempt at an educational station in the Los Angeles area. KTHE, operated by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, had previously broadcast on channel 28, beginning on September 22, 1953. It was the second educational television station in the United States, signing on six months and four days after 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...
in 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 ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but it went dark after nine months due to its primary benefactor, the Hancock Foundation, determining that the station was too much of a financial drain on its resources. In 1970, KCET became a charter member of PBS. For most of the next 40 years, it was the second most-watched PBS station in the country.
The call letters KCET stand for Community Educational Television, not to be confused with the organization of the same name formed by Daystar Television Network
Daystar Television Network
The Daystar Television Network is an American evangelical Christian television religious broadcasting network headquartered near Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Bedford, Texas...
in 2003, which made an unsuccessful bid to purchase Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
public television station KOCE.
KCET is located in a historic area of Hollywood, used as a film and television studio from 1912 to 1970. KCET purchased the former Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
property in 1971, assisted financially in part by both the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
and the Michael Connell Foundation. The newest building is named the Weingart Educational Telecommunications Center which houses KCET's master control, digital control rooms, ingest, and editing stations on the first floor and engineering, new media operations, and news and public affairs on the second floor.
As of 2011, Al Jerome is the president and CEO.
Today, all programs produced by KCET are produced in high definition, and the station's main channel is transmitted in 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
.
On October 8, 2010, KCET announced that it could not reach an agreement to remain with PBS and would become an independent television service as of January 1, 2011. In a letter to viewers, board chairman Gordon Bava said that PBS wanted KCET to pay $7 million for its programming--more than double what KOCE was paying.
On March 30, 2011, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that KCET was in negotiations to sell the studio to the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
, with KCET relocating to a smaller location following the sale, in light of KCET's sharp decreases in ratings and pledges following dismembership from PBS. The sale was closed on April 25, 2011. KCET continues to operate out of Hollywood until new facilities are found.
Slogans
- "Community Supported Television" (c. 1976-198?)
- "Member Supported Television for Southern and Central California" (198?-1997)
- "Infinitely More" (1997–2010)
- "Rethink TV" (2011–present)
Programming
As the flagship PBS station for the Pacific Time ZonePacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
, KCET was a major producer of PBS programming.
It produced the acclaimed Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers, David...
in 1978-1979.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, KCET produced a six-part miniseries in conjunction with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
called Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State.
productions include its award-winning and signature news and public affairs program Life & Times
Life & Times (TV series)
Life & Times was a long-running award-winning local news magazine and public affairs series produced by and broadcast on KCET from 1991 to 2007. It was KCET's signature local program, airing weeknights, Monday through Friday, at 7pm....
hosted by Val Zavala (underwritten by The Whittier Foundation, Jim & Anne Rothenberg, QueensCare, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department). Huell Howser
Huell Howser
Huell Burnley Howser is an American television personality best known for California's Gold, his travel show for the Los Angeles based KCET.-Early career:...
's California's Gold
California's Gold
California's Gold is a public television travel program that explores the numerous natural, cultural and historical wonders of the Golden State. The show, now in its 17th year, is produced and hosted by Huell Howser...
is produced at the KCET lot.
KCET also produces the weeknight talk show Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
and the new PBS science show, Wired Science. Peabody award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
-winning shows A Place of Our Own
A Place of Our Own
A Place of Our Own is a daily program about child care that airs on Public Broadcasting Service , produced in Los Angeles by KCET. It was hosted by Debi Gutierrez and has been recently hosted by Elizabeth Sanchez. The Spanish-language version is Los Niños en Su Casa , seen on PBS and on the...
http://www.aplaceofourown.org and the Spanish language equivalent, Los Niños en Su Casa http://www.losninosensucasa.org/ are taped at the KCET studios. Both programs, part of the KCEd initiative, have received a generous grant from BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to expand its coverage as a nation-wide television program designed for care-givers.
A few kids' shows also come from KCET -- Storytime
Storytime
"Storytime" is a song from the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album Imaginaerum, as well as the first single from the album. It was released on November 9, 2011, twenty days prior to the album, along with a music video...
, The Puzzle Place
The Puzzle Place
The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York...
, Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Adventures from the Book of Virtues is an animated television series which originally aired on PBS Kids in the United States for three seasons, beginning in 1996 and ending in 2000. There was a two-year gap in between the second and third seasons. In 2008 the series aired twice daily on qubo...
, The Charlie Horse Music Pizza, and Sid the Science Kid
Sid the Science Kid
Sid the Science Kid is a half-hour PBS Kids series that debuted on September 1, 2008. The computer generated show is produced by Jim Henson Productions and then-PBS member KCET in Los Angeles, California using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio...
(the latter now airing on KOCE).
Award-winning California Connected
California Connected
California Connected was a television newsmagazine that broadcast stories about the state of California to "increase civic engagement." The show was created by Marley Klaus and aired on twelve PBS member stations throughout California. In 2006, former NBC producer Bret Marcus took over as executive...
ended its run in 2007 after five seasons.
On December 9, 2010, KCET announced their new program schedule without PBS affiliation in 2011. Commercial-free programming will include classic and blockbuster movies, travel, science, and drama programs, British sitcoms and news programs, as the station maintains their relationship with program distributor and producer American Public Television
American Public Television
American Public Television is the largest syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States.-History:...
, which does not depend on PBS for distribution and allows non-PBS members to air their programming. Some of the programs that were announced on the new lineup include Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker
Globe Trekker is an adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British-based series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994...
, Rick Steves' Europe
Rick Steves
Richard "Rick" Steves is an American author and television personality focusing on European travel. He is the host of the American Public Television series Rick Steves' Europe, has a public radio travel show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored various location-specific travel...
, Burt Wolf: Travels and Traditions, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki
The Nature of Things
The Nature of Things is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on the CBC on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging...
, Doc Martin
Doc Martin
Doc Martin is a British television comedy drama series starring Martin Clunes in the title role. It was created by Mark Crowdy, Craig Ferguson and Dominic Minghella. The show is filmed on location in the fishing village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, United Kingdom, with filming of most interior scenes...
, The McLaughlin Group
The McLaughlin Group
The McLaughlin Group is a syndicated half-hour weekly public affairs television program in the United States, where a group of five pundits discuss current political issues in a round table format. It has been broadcast since 1982, and is currently sponsored by MetLife...
, Inside Washington
Inside Washington
Inside Washington is a political roundtable show hosted by WJLA news anchor and chief political reporter Gordon Peterson. It is produced by Allbritton, owner of WJLA, and distributed to PBS stations nationwide by American Public Television...
, BBC World News, Keeping Up Appearances
Keeping Up Appearances
Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. Centred on the life of eccentric, social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket , the sitcom portrays a social hierarchy-ruled British society...
, As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By (TV series)
As Time Goes By is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1992 to 2005. Starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, it follows the relationship between two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years....
and Visiting With Huell Howser
Huell Howser
Huell Burnley Howser is an American television personality best known for California's Gold, his travel show for the Los Angeles based KCET.-Early career:...
.
Digital television
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:V-me
V-me is a public television service in the United States, broadcasting only in Spanish. The 24-hour digital broadcast service was launched on March 5, 2007, and is currently available in over 75% of all U.S...
MHz Worldview
MHz WorldView is an independent, non-commercial Public television network that broadcasts newscasts and other programs from around the world. It is owned and operated by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation who also run MHz Networks....
For its first seven years on digital TV, the majority of the programming on KCET's high definition subchannel 28.1 (outside of most primetime shows) was different from the main signal on Channel 28 (which was initially operated on digital subchannel 28.2 and was later replaced with KCET Orange), as was with most other PBS stations with HDTV capabilities. With the arrival of new programming services from PBS and V-me
V-me
V-me is a public television service in the United States, broadcasting only in Spanish. The 24-hour digital broadcast service was launched on March 5, 2007, and is currently available in over 75% of all U.S...
(which airs on digital subchannel 28.3) in mid 2007, programming from the main signal was integrated into the HD subchannel to accommodate for space, while at the same time preserving the integrity and demand for quality HD programming. In August 2007, KCET began broadcasting PBS World
PBS World
PBS World is a 24-hour United States over-the-air digital subchannel showing public TV non-fiction, science, nature, news, public affairs and documentaries...
under digital subchannel 28.4. World's lineup includes programming related to world culture, news and history.
On January 1, 2011, with the suspension of its active membership in PBS, 28.2 became "KCET Kids and Family" airing mostly children's programs, 28.3 remained V-me (which operates independently of PBS), and 28.4 began airing Mhz Worldview. The former had 28.2 is KCET Orange and 28.4 is PBS World
PBS World
PBS World is a 24-hour United States over-the-air digital subchannel showing public TV non-fiction, science, nature, news, public affairs and documentaries...
.
Other ventures and partnerships
In 2006, KCET established an exclusive media partnership with Cal State-Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
. In 2007, KCET and Cal State-Fullerton collaborated on the new digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
network "KCET Orange", which aired on Channel 28.2 until the January 2011 PBS dismembership, and the majority of Southern California digital cable systems. The network aired programs like Life and Times, plus additional arts and cultural programming tailored to Orange County. Contributions from students from Titan Communications TV and the College of Communications was intended to expand Cal State-Fullerton's contribution to KCET.
KCET also had a digital cable channel, KCET Desert Cities, which was available for Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
subscribers in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area until the January 2011 PBS dismembership. It was carried on Channel 218, and its programming schedule differed from the main Los Angeles signal.
KCET offers their studio facilities to commercial productions to provide themselves an additional stream of revenue. They have been used mainly for the productions of the Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
, including 2007's Camouflage
Camouflage (2007 TV series)
Camouflage is a television game show airing on GSN. Hosted by Roger Lodge, and billed as "the hidden word game where the answer is always right in front of you", Camouflage originally aired for 40 episodes from July 2 to 27, 2007...
and the 2010 revival of The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is an American television game show that pits newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other. The program, originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir The Newlywed Game is an American...
KCET's studios also hosted the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
game show webRIOT
WebRIOT
webRIOT was a game show that debuted on MTV in December 1999. It was hosted by Ahmet Zappa and Masasa served as the announcer. The gameplay consisted of contestants answering multiple-choice music trivia questions while accompanying music videos played. After the question was read, four choices...
and the California Lottery's Saturday evening programs, The Big Spin
The Big Spin
The Big Spin is the California Lottery's first television game show. Originally a Fred Tatashore production, it was later an Alexander Media Services production, followed by a production of Cal Image, and then finally a Jonathan Goodson Production....
and Make Me a Millionaire
Make Me a Millionaire
Make Me a Millionaire is the second television game show of the California Lottery, having replaced The Big Spin on January 17, 2009. Originally contracted for a four-year run, the Lottery cancelled the show after eighteen months, with its last episode telecast on July 3, 2010...
.
Rebroadcasters
KCET utilizes several repeaters to extend its coverage:| Call sign Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
Analog NTSC NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as... channel |
Digital ATSC ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks.... channel |
City of License | Ownership | Notes |
| K16FC | 16 | yes | San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities... |
KCET | originally on channel 15 as K15BD, displaced for KSBY-DT |
| K26FT | 26 | Yes | Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean... |
KCET | Now K26FT-D since June 2009 |
| K28GY | 28 | yes | Santa Barbara, etc. Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean... |
KCET | |
| K46II | 46 | yes | Bakersfield Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively.... |
KCET | |
| K47CC | 47 | no | Victorville Victorville, California Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:... |
KCET | |
| K14AT | 14 | no | China Lake, etc. China Lake Acres, California China Lake Acres is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2010 census, up from 1,761 at the 2000 census.- Geography :China Lake Acres is located at .... |
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster | |
| K31JM-D | no | 31 (soon) | China Lake, etc. China Lake Acres, California China Lake Acres is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2010 census, up from 1,761 at the 2000 census.- Geography :China Lake Acres is located at .... |
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster | currently holds a construction permit Construction permit A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance... |
| K51DD-D | no | 51 | Ridgecrest Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest, formerly known as Crumville, was incorporated as a city in 1913. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake . Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County... |
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster | |
| K46HT | 46 | no | Daggett, etc. Daggett, California Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was... |
County of San Bernardino | |
| K48EM | 48 | no | Morongo Valley Morongo Valley, California Morongo Valley is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2010 census, up from 1,929 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:... |
County of San Bernardino | |
FCC actions
On February 4, 2011, the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) fined KCET $10,000 for failure to make its public file
Public file
A public file is a collection of documents required by a broadcasting authority to be maintained by all broadcast stations under its jurisdiction....
available for inspection by the general public. The fine was stemmed to an incident on August 19, 2010, when an FCC agent, not identifying himself as such, requested the security guard on duty that he would like to see the public file; the guard denied him access, as he was told that he would need to make an appointment. A return visit the following day (August 20) gave the same results. It wasn't until another visit that day that the agent was able to see the public file, but only after identifying himself as a FCC agent. According to the FCC document, the Executive Assistant for KCET explained that "the General Counsel of Station KCET was not in the office during those two days and that she did not know the exact organizational rules regarding public access to the station's public inspection file." The Security Supervisor also said that he was just following the station's security procedures. The FCC later levied the fine, citing that while security delays are reasonable, the fact that the examiner was unable to see the public file without an appointment without identifying themselves as such led to the fine.