KCET

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KCET
city =
station_
station_slogan = Public Television for Southern and Central California
Infinitely More
station_branding = KCET
analog = 28 (UHF)
digital = 59 (UHF, 14.8kW)
subchannels = 28.1 PBS 28.2 KCET Orange 28.3 V-me 28.4 PBS World
other_chs = (see article)
affiliations = PBS
network =
founded =
airdate = September 28, 1964
location = Los Angeles, California
callsign_meaning = Community
Educational
Television
-or-
California
Educational
Television
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Community Television of Southern California
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = NET (1964-1970)
effective_radiated_power = 2450 kW (analog)
190 kW (digital)
HAAT = 926 m (analog)
913 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 13058
coordinates = coord|34|13|25.9|N|118|3|47.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.kcet.org/ www.kcet.org]
:"For the Japanese computer game developer, see Konami Computer Entertainment TokyoKCET is the PBS member-television station in Los Angeles, California. It is one of four PBS member stations serving Southern California, the others being KVCR-TV, KOCE-TV, and KLCS. Broadcasting on channel 28, the studio is located at 4401 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson, one of the highest points in Los Angeles County.

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. Neither KTLA nor KCET intend to leave their locations in Hollywood any time soon.

History

KCET signed on September 28, 1964 as an affiliate of National Educational Television, or NET. 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 November 29, 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.

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 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 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 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. As of 2007, 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 Sagan series "" 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."

As of 2007 productions include its award-winning and signature news and public affairs program "Life & Times" hosted by [http://www.kcet.org/lifeandtimes/about_us.php 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, " [http://www.pbs.org/wiredscience 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.

KCET also airs familiar PBS shows such as "Antiques Roadshow", "Nature", "NOVA", "Frontline", "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," "Masterpiece Theatre," "Soundstage", amongst others.

Award-winning "California Connected" 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-me (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 World 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 [http://www.kcet.org/explore-ca/california-stories/ CA Stories] . There are also video clips, podcasts, television schedule, contact information, and a "Life & Times" [http://kcet.org/blog blog] .

In 2006, KCET established an exclusive media partnership with California State University, Fullerton. 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 [ [http://titancom.fullerton.edu Titan Communications TV] ] and the College of Communications [ [http://communications.fullerton.edu College of Communications] ] is intended to expand Cal State Fullerton's contribution to KCET. KCET Orange is broadcast under digital subchannel 28.2. [Titan TV's " [http://mediaserver.fullerton.edu/cwpgi/PG_AlJerome031507.wmv Announcement with President Gordon & Special Guests] "] .

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)", a game show for cable TV's GSN (Game Show Network).

Rebroadcasters

KCET utilizes several repeaters to extend its coverage:

Logos

References

ee also

*WCET

External links

* [http://www.kcet.org/ KCET Online]
* [http://www.kcetdesertcities.org/ KCET Desert Cities]
* [http://www.kcet.org/explore-ca/california-stories/ CA Stories]
* [http://www.kcet.org/explore-ca/on-demand/podcasts/ KCET Podcasts]
* [http://www.kcet.org/about/station-history/index.php KCET Lot History]
* [http://www.kcet.org/programsa-z/ List of KCET's shows]
* [http://www.kcet.org/blog "Life & Times" community blog]
*TVQ|KCET
*BIA|KCET|TV|TV
*TitanTV|KCET