KCET is the PBS member-television station in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. It is one of four PBS member stations serving Greater Los Angeles, the others being
KVCR-TVKVCR-DT digital channel 26 is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service, and is owned by the San Bernardino Community College District. The District also operates sister station KVCR-FM. KVCR-TV began broadcasting on September 11, 1962, making it the first successful UHF television channel for...
,
KOCE-TVKOCE-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service with programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with a concentration on human interest and public service stories...
, and
KLCSKLCS digital channel 41 is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service, and is owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District. KLCS is known on the air as "The Education Station for all Generations" and is based in downtown Los Angeles...
.
BroadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
on channel 28, the
studioA television studio is an installation in which television or video productions take place, either for live television, for recording live to tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for postproduction. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments...
is located at 4401 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Its
transmitterA transmitter is an electronic device which, usually with the aid of an antenna, propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications.-Transmitter types:...
is located atop
Mount WilsonMount 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...
, one of the highest points in Los Angeles County.
KCET and
KTLAKTLA, digital channel 31 and virtual channel 5 via PSIP, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. 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.
KCET signed on September 28, 1964 as an
affiliateAn 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 the...
of
National Educational TelevisionNational Educational Television was an American educational television network in the United States from May 16, 1952, to October 4, 1970. It was replaced on October 5, 1970, by the PBS, which continues to the present.-History:...
, or NET.
KCET is the PBS member-television station in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. It is one of four PBS member stations serving Greater Los Angeles, the others being
KVCR-TVKVCR-DT digital channel 26 is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service, and is owned by the San Bernardino Community College District. The District also operates sister station KVCR-FM. KVCR-TV began broadcasting on September 11, 1962, making it the first successful UHF television channel for...
,
KOCE-TVKOCE-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service with programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with a concentration on human interest and public service stories...
, and
KLCSKLCS digital channel 41 is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service, and is owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District. KLCS is known on the air as "The Education Station for all Generations" and is based in downtown Los Angeles...
.
BroadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
on channel 28, the
studioA television studio is an installation in which television or video productions take place, either for live television, for recording live to tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for postproduction. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments...
is located at 4401 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Its
transmitterA transmitter is an electronic device which, usually with the aid of an antenna, propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications.-Transmitter types:...
is located atop
Mount WilsonMount 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...
, one of the highest points in Los Angeles County.
KCET and
KTLAKTLA, digital channel 31 and virtual channel 5 via PSIP, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. 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
affiliateAn 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 the...
of
National Educational TelevisionNational Educational Television was an American educational television network in the United States from May 16, 1952, to October 4, 1970. It was replaced on October 5, 1970, by the PBS, which continues to the present.-History:...
, or NET. It was actually the second attempt at an educational station in the Los Angeles area. KTHE, operated by the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
, had previously broadcast on channel 28, beginning on November 29, 1953. It was the second educational television station in the United States, signing on six months and four days after
KUHTKUHT is a PBS member television station serving Houston and the first public television station in the United States. Under the banner "HoustonPBS," it is owned by the University of Houston System, and licensed to and operated by the University of Houston. It also serves as the default PBS...
in
HoustonHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, 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.
The call letters KCET stand for Community Educational Television, not to be confused with the organization of the same name formed by
Daystar Television NetworkThe Daystar Television Network is a Christian television network headquartered near Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Bedford, Texas. Daystar's founders are Marcus Lamb and his wife, Joni Lamb.-Programming:...
in 2003, which made an unsuccessful bid to purchase
Orange CountyOrange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the second most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and...
public television station KOCE.
KCET is located in a historic area in Hollywood. From 1912 to 1970, it was used as a film and television studio. KCET purchased the property in 1971, assisted financially in part by both the
Ford FoundationThe 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 the Engineering department, New Media department, and the News and Public Affairs Department on the second floor.
In 2000, channel 59 was designated as KCET-DT. , Al Jerome is the president and CEO.
Today, all programs produced by KCET are produced in the 16 x 9 aspect ratio. KCET is also broadcast in 720p HDTV, unlike most PBS stations where they use 1080i.
Programming
KCET produced the acclaimed
Carl SaganCarl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrochemist, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences...
series
Cosmos: A Personal VoyageCosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as global presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers and...
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
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
called
Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State.
productions include its award-winning and signature news and public affairs program
Life & TimesLife & Times was a long-running award-winning local news magazine and public affairs series produced by and broadcast on KCET from 1991 to 2007. Over its 16 years it won more than 25 L.A. Area Emmy awards, numerous Golden Mikes and many other awards...
hosted by
Val Zavala (underwritten by The Whittier Foundation, Jim & Anne Rothenberg, QueensCare, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation,
BoeingThe Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, founded by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Its international headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois, since 2001...
, and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department).
Huell HowserHuell Burnley Howser is an American television personality best known for California's Gold, his travel show for PBS affiliate KCET.-Early career:...
's
California's GoldCalifornia's Gold is a PBS 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 SmileyTavis Smiley is an African American journalist, author, political commentator, talk show host, and businessman.-Early years:...
and the new PBS science show,
Wired Science.
Peabody awardThe George Foster Peabody Awards are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. First awarded in 1941 for programs from the previous year, they are one of the oldest honors in electronic media...
-winning shows
A Place of Our OwnA Place of Our Own is a daily program about child care that airs on PBS, 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 Spanish-language public...
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
BPBP plc is the third largest global energy company, the 5th largest company in the world, the UK's largest company, a multinational oil company with headquarters in St James's, City of Westminster, London...
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 PlaceThe Puzzle Place is a children's television show produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on Monday January 16, 1995, and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on Friday December 4, 1998...
,
Adventures from the Book of VirtuesThe 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 1998. There was a two-year gap in between the second and third seasons...
,
The Charlie Horse Music Pizza, and
Sid the Science KidSid 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 KCET in Los Angeles, California using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, which allows puppeteers to voice digitally animated characters in...
.
KCET also airs familiar PBS shows such as
Antiques RoadshowAntiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom and appraise antiques brought in by local residents. It has been running since 1979...
,
NatureNature is a long-running wildlife television program produced by Thirteen/WNET New York. It has been distributed to United States public television stations by the PBS television service since its debut on October 10, 1982. Some episodes may appear in syndication on many PBS member stations around...
,
NOVANova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
,
Frontline,
The NewsHour with Jim LehrerThe NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on PBS in the United States. Unlike most other evening newscasts in the country, each edition is an hour long. The program also runs longer segments than most other news outlets in the U.S., with in-depth...
, Masterpiece TheatreMasterpiece is an anglophiliac drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly primetime drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
, SoundstageSoundstage is an American live concert television series produced by WTTW Chicago and HD Ready. The original series aired for 13 seasons between 1974 and 1985; a new series of seasons began in 2003, with the latest running through summer 2009, each presented in high definition with surround...
and
Tavis SmileyTavis Smiley is an African American journalist, author, political commentator, talk show host, and businessman.-Early years:...
, amongst others.
Award-winning
California ConnectedCalifornia 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...
ended its run in 2007 after five seasons.
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 has since been replaced with
KCET Orange), as is with most other PBS stations with HDTV capabilities. With the arrival of new programming services from PBS and
V-meV-me pronounced veh-meh, Spanish for “see me." is one of America's largest Spanish TV networks.V-me entertains and informs Latino families in Spanish with primetime drama, music, sports, current affairs and Latin cinema, along with kids, food, lifestyle and nature.The 24-hour network launched in...
(which airs on digital subchannel 28.3) in mid 2007, programming from the main signal has been 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 WorldPBS World is a 24-hour digital channel showing PBS documentaries, primarily science, current affairs, and history programs. It is a joint venture between PBS, Boston's WGBH, and New York City's WNET.-History:...
under digital subchannel 28.4.
World's lineup includes programming related to world culture, news and history.
Other ventures and partnerships
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
California State University, FullertonCalifornia State University, Fullerton, commonly known as CSUF, CSU Fullerton, or Cal State Fullerton, is currently the second largest California State University campus...
. In 2007, KCET and CSUF announced that a new 24/7 digital cable channel,
KCET Orange, will premiere in the fall of that year. Programs like
Life and Times will feature expanded Orange County news coverage, plus additional arts and cultural programming tailored to Orange County. Contributions from students from Titan Communications TV and the College of Communications is intended to expand Cal State Fullerton's contribution to KCET. KCET Orange is broadcast under digital subchannel 28.2. .
KCET also has a digital cable channel,
KCET Desert Cities, which is currently available for Time Warner Cable subscribers in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area. It is carried on Channel 218, and its programming schedule differs from the main Los Angeles signal.
In July 2007, the KCET Studios became the host studios for
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...
, a
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
for cable TV's GSN (Game Show Network). The facilities also served as home to the
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and 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 as well as the California Lottery game shows
The Big SpinThe Big Spin was the California Lottery's first television game show. Originally a Fred Tatashore production, it was later a production of Alexander Media Services for Mark Goodson Productions, and then finally a Jonathan Goodson Production....
and
Make Me a MillionaireMake Me a Millionaire is the television game show of the California Lottery, having replaced The Big Spin on January 17, 2009. The guaranteed minimum is $2,000, while the top prize is a progressive jackpot of at least $1,000,000....
.
Rebroadcasters
KCET utilizes several repeaters to extend its coverage:
Call signIn broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In some countries they are used as names for broadcasting stations, but in many other countries they are not...
|
Analog NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories . is also the name of the U.S. standardization body that developed the broadcast standard...
channel |
DigitalATSC is a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission that replaced much of the analog NTSC television system on June 12, 2009 in the United States and will replace NTSC by August 31, 2011 in Canada and December 31, 2021 in Mexico.The...
channel |
City of License |
Ownership |
Notes |
| K16FC |
16 |
no |
San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. The city, referred to locally as "SLO" or "San Luis", is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State University...
|
KCET |
originally on channel 15 as K15BD, displaced for KSBY-DT |
| K26FT |
26 |
Yes |
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the west coast, between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, and having a Mediterranean climate, it is called California's...
|
KCET |
Now K26FT-D since June 2009 |
| K28GY |
28 |
no |
Santa Barbara, etc. Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the west coast, between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, and having a Mediterranean climate, it is called California's...
|
KCET |
|
| K46II |
46 |
no |
Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California, United States. It is located roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively...
|
KCET |
|
| K47CC |
47 |
no |
Victorville Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County, California, US. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 census, the city has a total population of 64,029...
|
KCET |
|
| K14AT |
14 |
no |
China Lake, etc. China Lake Acres is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2000 census and now its 2,011 in 2008.- Geography :China Lake Acres is located at ....
|
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster |
|
| K31JM-D |
no |
31 (soon) |
China Lake, etc. China Lake Acres is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2000 census and now its 2,011 in 2008.- Geography :China Lake Acres is located at ....
|
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster |
currently holds a construction permit A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding onto 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 was incorporated as a city in 1963. It was formerly known as Crumville. 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. The...
|
Indian Wells Valley TV Booster |
|
| K46HT |
46 |
no |
Daggett, etc. Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California. 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....
|
County of San Bernardino |
|
| K48EM |
48 |
no |
Morongo Valley Morongo Valley is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 1,929 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:Morongo Valley is located at ....
|
County of San Bernardino |
|
External links