KETC

Last updated

KETC
Nine PBS Logo.png
Channels
BrandingNine PBS
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerSt. Louis Regional Public Media, Inc.
History
First air date
September 20, 1954(69 years ago) (1954-09-20)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 9 (VHF, 1954–2009)
  • Digital: 39 (UHF, 2002–2018)
NET (1954–1970)
Call sign meaning
St. Louis Educational Television Commission (former name for St. Louis Regional Public Media)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 62182
ERP 300 kW
HAAT 331 m (1,086 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 38°28′56″N90°23′53″W / 38.48222°N 90.39806°W / 38.48222; -90.39806
Links
Public license information
Website www.ninepbs.org

KETC (channel 9) is a PBS member television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, owned by St. Louis Regional Public Media. The station's studios are located at the Dana Brown Communications Center on Olive Street in St. Louis' Grand Center neighborhood, and its transmitter is located in South St. Louis County.

Contents

History

KETC building. Ketc.jpg
KETC building.

The station first signed on the air on September 20, 1954. [2] It was the first community-licensed educational television station in the United States. The station's first general manager was Charles Guggenheim, who hired the technical staff and first group of producer/director/writers, five in all. While waiting for the broadcasting tower to be completed, a number of programs were recorded using kinescope recording technology (the same as used for The Honeymooners ). Once on the air, there were a number of award-winning programs produced by Mayo Simon, Bill Hartzell, Ran Lincoln and Guggenheim. They included the first live broadcast of the St. Louis City Council. Another featured the St. Louis Post-Dispatch nature columnist Leonard Hall of Possum Trot Farm. Among the taped program series was a pioneering science program intended for sixth graders to see in their classrooms, Science in Sight, produced by Martin L. Schneider. Film making was encouraged, and with Len Hall's collaboration a documentary film about the rare beauty of the relatively unprotected Current River was produced. It was later used by the National Audubon Society in the successful effort to make Current River the first National Scenic River under the protection of the National Park Service.

Soon after the station went live, its emphasis on current affairs and local politics, fostered by Guggenheim, rattled the political leaders. Following a public controversy, covered by the Post-Dispatch, and under the influence of the well-connected local public relations firm Fleishman and Hillard (now FleishmanHillard), Guggenheim was replaced by Martin Quigley, who had no experience in broadcasting. A few months later, Shelby Storck was hired. An experienced broadcaster recommended by Guggenheim, he emceed the station's first evening of broadcasting.

KETC originally broadcast from temporary studios in McMillan Hall on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, with transmitting facilities atop the former Boatmen's Bank Building (now the Marquette Building) in downtown St. Louis. In 1955, it moved to the Julius and Freda Baer Memorial Building, also on the Washington University campus. [3] It was the first facility specifically built for an educational television station. It activated its current tower in South County in 1970, allowing it to begin color broadcasts a year later. In 1998, the station moved its studios from the Washington University campus to the Dana Brown Communications Center in the Grand Center district. [4]

During the 2004 elections, KETC partnered with area NBC affiliate KSDK (channel 5) to provide St. Louisans with comprehensive and up-to-date local and national election results. This partnership was first utilized to simulcast a gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt and Democratic candidate State Auditor Claire McCaskill. On election night (November 2), KSDK aired NBC's prime time election coverage with Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert as well as segments of local results. KETC, meanwhile, ran three hours of local election results hosted by KSDK anchors Mike Bush and Karen Foss. Viewers could also watch election results online on the websites of both stations.

The successful KETC/KSDK partnership was used again in September 2005 when, along with radio partners KYKY (98.1 FM) and KEZK-FM (102.5 FM), a telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief was simulcast that raised more than $5 million. The telethon featured an appearance by Affton native John Goodman, who now calls New Orleans home and whose family went missing for a time during the storm's peak. Kennett native Sheryl Crow and her then fiancé Lance Armstrong urged viewers to call when they were interviewed by phone from the region.

In May 2008, E! contracted with KETC to film two episodes of the cable network's weekly pop culture series The Soup at the KETC studios to accommodate host Joel McHale's filming of The Informant! in the St. Louis area. [5] After being known for most of its history as "KETC 9," the station rebranded itself as "The Nine Network" in 2010. On October 13, 2010, the station partnered with the St. Louis Beacon , an online-only, non-profit news publication, to form the Public Insight Network, a citizen journalism initiative created in conjunction with American Public Media. On January 10, 2021, the station rebranded as Nine PBS, adopting the current PBS corporate logo. [6]

Programming

KETC is known among viewers in St. Louis for preempting PBS programs to air library program content or less controversial pledge drive programs[ citation needed ], such as WQED-produced doo-wop specials, using the default network feed in late night to premiere those PBS programs instead, though St. Louis has traditionally had stations, commercial and non-commercial, preempt programming from their networks due to content. KETC has given some leeway as far as some preemptions, such as a case where St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Eric Mink wrote an editorial[ when? ] complaining about the station's scheduling of a pledge drive ice skating show instead of a PBS documentary on the September 11 attacks; KETC announced the next day that it would instead air the 9/11 documentary as nationally scheduled.[ citation needed ]

Some of the programs produced by KETC for national distribution include selected episodes of Inside/Out . The station also produced The Letter People , an instructional program about reading, which was seen on many PBS and educational television stations in the mid-1970s, as well as A Time for Champions , an hour-long documentary chronicling the Saint Louis University soccer dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s; and Homeland, a miniseries examining the topic of immigration in the United States.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KETC [7]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
9.1 1080i 16:9 KETC-HDMain KETC programming / PBS
9.2 720p KIDS Nine Kids
9.3 480i WORLD Nine World
9.4CREATE Nine Create

Analog-to-digital conversion

KETC shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 39, [8] using virtual channel 9.

Related Research Articles

KCET is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV. The two stations share studios at The Pointe in Burbank; KCET's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBH-TV</span> PBS member station in Boston

WGBH-TV, branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDNL-TV</span> ABC-affiliated TV station in St. Louis, Missouri

KDNL-TV is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios at the University Tower in the suburb of Richmond Heights and a transmitter in Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama Public Television</span> PBS member network serving Alabama, United States

Alabama Public Television (APT) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is operated by the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC), an agency of the Alabama state government which holds the licenses for all of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. The broadcast signals of the nine stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. The network produces public affairs, cultural, natural history, and documentary programming; broadcast and online education programs for classroom use and teacher professional development; and electronic field trips serving K-12 students.

KTVI is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station KPLR-TV. The two stations share studios on Ball Drive in Maryland Heights; KTVI's transmitter is located in Sappington, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMOV</span> CBS affiliate in St. Louis

KMOV is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power station KDTL-LD. The two stations share studios on Progress Parkway in suburban Maryland Heights; KMOV's transmitter is located in Lemay, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSDK</span> NBC affiliate in St. Louis

KSDK is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Downtown St. Louis, and its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Missouri.

WRBU is a television station licensed to East St. Louis, Illinois, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the St. Louis, Missouri area. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has offices on Richardson Road in Arnold, Missouri, and its transmitter is located near Missouri Route 21 and East Four Ridge Road in House Springs.

Rocky Mountain PBS is a network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Colorado. Headquartered in Denver, it is operated by Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc., a non-profit organization which holds the licenses for most of the PBS member stations licensed in the state, with the exception of KBDI-TV in Broomfield, which serves as the Denver market's secondary PBS station through the network's Program Differentiation Plan. The network comprises five full-power stations—flagship station KRMA-TV in Denver and satellites KTSC in Pueblo, KRMJ in Grand Junction, KRMU in Durango and KRMZ in Steamboat Springs. The broadcast signals of the five full-power stations and 60 translators cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WETA-TV</span> PBS member station in Washington, D.C.

WETA-TV is the primary PBS member television station in Washington, D.C. Owned by the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, it is a sister station to NPR member WETA. The two outlets share studios in nearby Arlington, Virginia; WETA-TV's transmitter is located in the Tenleytown neighborhood in Northwest Washington.

WNVT is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, United States, serving the Richmond metropolitan area. The station's transmitter is located in the Richmond suburb of Bon Air in Chesterfield County. WNVT is operated in a pair with Culpeper-licensed WNVC, which serves the Charlottesville area from a transmitter atop Carters Mountain. The two stations are owned by Richmond-based VPM Media Corporation, and broadcast programming from World Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTIU</span> PBS member station in Bloomington, Indiana

WTIU, virtual channel 30, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station serving Indianapolis, Indiana, United States that is licensed to Bloomington. Owned by Indiana University, it is a sister station to National Public Radio (NPR) member WFIU. The two stations share studios on the Indiana University campus on East 7th Street in Bloomington; WTIU's transmitter is located on Sare Road on the city's southeast side.

PBS Wisconsin is a network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the state outside of Milwaukee.

WVUT, branded on-air as Vincennes PBS, is a PBS member television station in Vincennes, Indiana, United States. Owned by Vincennes University, it is sister to campus radio station WVUB. WVUT's studios are located on North 2nd Street and Rosedale Avenue in Vincennes, and its transmitter is located southeast of the city off SR 61.

WOSU-TV is a PBS member television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Owned by Ohio State University as part of WOSU Public Media, it is sister to public radio stations WOSU-FM (89.7) and WOSA. The three stations share studios on North Pearl Street near the OSU campus; WOSU-TV's transmitter is located on Highland Lakes Avenue in Westerville, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLAE-TV</span> Educational independent TV station in New Orleans

WLAE-TV is an educational independent television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The station is owned by the Educational Broadcasting Foundation, a partnership between the Willwoods Community and the Louisiana Educational Television Authority. WLAE's studios are located on Howard Avenue in New Orleans, and its transmitter is located on Paris Road/Highway 47.

Shelby William Storck was an American newscaster, actor, writer, journalist, public relations specialist, and motion picture and television producer-director. He was a radio actor on The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen and other programs, and appeared in the feature films The Delinquents and The Cool and the Crazy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYKY</span> Radio station in St. Louis, Missouri

KYKY is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the Greater St. Louis region of Missouri and Illinois. KYKY airs a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. KYKY operates from offices and studios located on Olive Street in Downtown St. Louis. Its transmitter is on a TV/FM radio tower off Mackenzie Road in Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PBS</span> American public television network

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programs to public television stations in the United States, distributing shows such as Frontline, Nova, PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, Sesame Street, and This Old House.

The Kentucky Channel, also known by its Program and System Information Protocol short name and on-screen logo bug as KET KY, is a full-time 24/7 statewide digital television programming service originating from PBS member state-network Kentucky Educational Television. The channel features programming related to the U.S. state of Kentucky, as well as coverage of Kentucky General Assembly when it is in session.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KETC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Educational TV Programs Start Tonight On KETC". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . September 20, 1954. p. 1A. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Studio Dedication". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 29, 1955. p. 5G. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ Pennington, Gail (January 4, 1998). "New digs for Channel 9". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. D1, D8 . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ "SATC's Kim Cattrall Gets a Big Love Reality Check". July 28, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Introducing a New Look and Name for Nine PBS". Nine PBS. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KETC
  8. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.