KUAT-TV
Encyclopedia
KUAT-TV is the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) member Public television
station in Tucson, Arizona
, United States
. Owned by the Arizona Board of Regents and operated by the University of Arizona
, it broadcasts from the facilities of Arizona Public Media, located on campus in the Modern Languages Building. KUAT's transmitter is located on Mount Bigelow and broadcasts in digital
on UHF
channel 30. The station can be seen in the eastern suburbs of Phoenix
under the right conditions.
KUAT-TV's audio signal was heard on 87.7 MHz until March 31, 2009.
The station operates a full-time satellite, KUAS-TV, which covers northwest Tucson and the communities west of Mount Lemmon
that are shielded from the KUAT signal. Its transmitter is located on Tumamoc Hill
, west of downtown Tucson, broadcasting in digital on UHF channel 28. KUAT is also rebroadcast on translator station K20GG in Duncan, Arizona
.
(NET), forerunner to PBS, from 1959 through 1970, when PBS replaced NET.
Like the other stations in the Mount Bigelow tower farm, KUAT-TV is barely viewable in much of northwest Tucson and areas west of Mount Lemmon
(even though its coverage area should theoretically include most of southern Arizona). The Santa Catalina Mountains
abruptly end with a steep drop-off in Oro Valley, a Tucson suburb, and communities near the mountain are shielded by terrain from the signal. As a result, much of this area only got a grade B ("rimshot") signal from KUAT-TV until the arrival of cable television
in Tucson in the 1970s.
Eventually, the U of A activated Tucson's second noncommercial license on UHF channel 27, and opened KUAS as a satellite of KUAT. The construction permit was granted on July 25, 1985, and after two failed attempts, the station went on the air on July 22, 1988 under Program Test Authority, and was licensed on December 20.
In July 2003, the Aspen fire interrupted the KUAT transmitter's remote control system. The station was forced to remain off the air, instead of signing on in the morning, as it could not restart its transmitter. Operations on KUAS and cable distribution were unaffected.
Both stations were granted construction permits to build digital facilities in August 2001, and both signed on in February 2003. KUAT-DT received Special Temporary Authorization to operate at reduced power the same month. KUAS-DT was licensed on June 5, 2003, and KUAT-DT received a license for its full facilities on September 23, 2004.
, NOW, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
, Washington Week
and Antiques Roadshow
.
Two notable long-running series on KUAT are produced in-house: Arizona Illustrated, a nightly newsmagazine which has provided in-depth coverage and analysis on local public affairs issues since 1980, and The Desert Speaks, an Emmy Award-winning natural history and travel series. University students handle most of the production of Arizona Illustrated, providing them with valuable hands-on experience. The Desert Speaks is produced in high-definition, has been distributed nationally to PBS member stations and has been picked up by the high-definition television channel, HDNet
. KUAT also produces Reflexiones Domingo, a Spanish-language newsmagazine that airs on Sunday mornings.
In addition to its primary programming, KUAT operates two digital subchannels on channel 6, V-me
and Create and two subchannels on channel 27, KUAT Kids and PBS World
. V-me is a Spanish-language public television network offering programming focused on the Latino culture, while Create focuses on home improvement, do-it-yourself, arts and crafts, cooking and travel. KUAT Kids, formerly known as PBS Kids
, offers youth-focused educational and entertainment programming, while World features non-fictional programming.
Arizona Public Media also operates The UA Channel, which is only available on Cox
and Comcast
cable systems in the Tucson area. The UA Channel offers programming of specific interest to the University of Arizona community and includes many locally-produced programs.
KUAS-TV:
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) member Public television
station in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Owned by the Arizona Board of Regents and operated by the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, it broadcasts from the facilities of Arizona Public Media, located on campus in the Modern Languages Building. KUAT's transmitter is located on Mount Bigelow and broadcasts in 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....
on UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 30. The station can be seen in the eastern suburbs of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
under the right conditions.
KUAT-TV's audio signal was heard on 87.7 MHz until March 31, 2009.
The station operates a full-time satellite, KUAS-TV, which covers northwest Tucson and the communities west of Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of...
that are shielded from the KUAT signal. Its transmitter is located on Tumamoc Hill
Tumamoc Hill
Tumamoc Hill is located west of downtown Tucson, Arizona and is home to many radio, television, and public safety transmitters. The University of Arizona owns a preserve and leases another as a research and education facility with a small astronomical observatory with a telescope on the hill...
, west of downtown Tucson, broadcasting in digital on UHF channel 28. KUAT is also rebroadcast on translator station K20GG in Duncan, Arizona
Duncan, Arizona
Duncan is a town in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 713. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Duncan is at the juncture of the Gila River and the Arizona-New Mexico state border...
.
History
KUAT-TV launched on March 8, 1959 as the first public television station in Arizona. It was an affiliate of National Educational TelevisionNational 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...
(NET), forerunner to PBS, from 1959 through 1970, when PBS replaced NET.
Like the other stations in the Mount Bigelow tower farm, KUAT-TV is barely viewable in much of northwest Tucson and areas west of Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of...
(even though its coverage area should theoretically include most of southern Arizona). The Santa Catalina Mountains
Santa Catalina Mountains
The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains, are located north, and northeast of Tucson, Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation...
abruptly end with a steep drop-off in Oro Valley, a Tucson suburb, and communities near the mountain are shielded by terrain from the signal. As a result, much of this area only got a grade B ("rimshot") signal from KUAT-TV until the arrival of 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...
in Tucson in the 1970s.
Eventually, the U of A activated Tucson's second noncommercial license on UHF channel 27, and opened KUAS as a satellite of KUAT. The construction permit was granted on July 25, 1985, and after two failed attempts, the station went on the air on July 22, 1988 under Program Test Authority, and was licensed on December 20.
In July 2003, the Aspen fire interrupted the KUAT transmitter's remote control system. The station was forced to remain off the air, instead of signing on in the morning, as it could not restart its transmitter. Operations on KUAS and cable distribution were unaffected.
Both stations were granted construction permits to build digital facilities in August 2001, and both signed on in February 2003. KUAT-DT received Special Temporary Authorization to operate at reduced power the same month. KUAS-DT was licensed on June 5, 2003, and KUAT-DT received a license for its full facilities on September 23, 2004.
Programming
As a PBS member station, KUAT-TV televises the most popular PBS shows, such as FrontlineFrontline (TV series)
FRONTLINE is a public affairs television program that produces and broadcasts in-depth documentaries about various subjects. Produced at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts and distributed through the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, the program has been critically acclaimed and...
, NOW, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
, Washington Week
Washington Week
Washington Week is a public affairs program on PBS. Unlike panel discussion shows that focus on debate as a means of discussing topics, the program follows a path of moderation and discussion...
and Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
.
Two notable long-running series on KUAT are produced in-house: Arizona Illustrated, a nightly newsmagazine which has provided in-depth coverage and analysis on local public affairs issues since 1980, and The Desert Speaks, an Emmy Award-winning natural history and travel series. University students handle most of the production of Arizona Illustrated, providing them with valuable hands-on experience. The Desert Speaks is produced in high-definition, has been distributed nationally to PBS member stations and has been picked up by the high-definition television channel, HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
. KUAT also produces Reflexiones Domingo, a Spanish-language newsmagazine that airs on Sunday mornings.
In addition to its primary programming, KUAT operates two digital subchannels on channel 6, 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...
and Create and two subchannels on channel 27, KUAT Kids and 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...
. V-me is a Spanish-language public television network offering programming focused on the Latino culture, while Create focuses on home improvement, do-it-yourself, arts and crafts, cooking and travel. KUAT Kids, formerly known as PBS Kids
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
, offers youth-focused educational and entertainment programming, while World features non-fictional programming.
Arizona Public Media also operates The UA Channel, which is only available on Cox
Cox
- People :*Cox , for information on the origins of the family name and a list of people with the name- Places :* Cox, Alicante, Spain* Cox, Florida, United States* Cox, Haute-Garonne, France* Cox Island, Nunavut, Canada...
and Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
cable systems in the Tucson area. The UA Channel offers programming of specific interest to the University of Arizona community and includes many locally-produced programs.
Digital television
KUAT-TV:| Channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 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... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main KUAT programming / PBS |
| 6.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | V-Me |
| 6.3 | Create |
KUAS-TV:
| Channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27.1 | 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... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
KUAS programming, repeating KUAT 6.1 |
| 27.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | KUAT Kids |
| 27.3 | 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... |