Kentucky Channel
Type | Non-commercial KET3 /KET Star Channel 703 (2002-07) |
---|
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 (with some programming relevant to surrounding states such as Tennessee, Indiana or Virginia), as well as coverage of Kentucky General Assembly when it is in session.
It is carried on the third
History
KET Star Channels
KET's Star Channels, the network's interactive distance learning services that were launched in 1988, predated the advent of digital over-the-air television broadcasting of any kind by eleven years, and they were only available to schools, colleges, universities, and libraries throughout the state through satellite technology.[3] Public schools were outfitted with satellite dishes and keypads, provided by NTN Communications, to provide two-way communications between the instructors at the KET studios in Lexington and students throughout the state; all public schools in Kentucky were outfitted with the technology by the end of 1989. This interactive service was inspired by a football player predictor game at a local sports bar in Lexington.[4] The services were so successful in education centers, that the network earned the Innovations Award from the Ford Foundation for the star channels in 1991.[5]
KET ITV satellite service
Shortly after the successful launch of the interactive Star Channels, in January 1989, KET expanded its instructional programming schedule, which had aired during school hours on the over-the-air KET network since its 1968 inception,
Star Channel 703 provided PK-12 educational programming exclusively to public schools[10][11][12] and libraries throughout the state, plus several other states. Star Channel 704 provided Annenberg/CPB Project programming, including college-credit telecourses and professional development series.[7]
As KET3
In early 2002, the statewide relaunch of KET2 through the facilities of
Beginning in August 2002, KET3 and KET4 were repurposed to become over-the-air digital relaunches of Star Channels 703 and 704 as both the then-new third and fourth subchannels began simulcasting the two respective channels, making them available to tens of thousands of homes via the digital over-the-air signals and on
Temporary KET-ED simulcast
From August until the end of December 2007, the network's subchannels went through a major realignment phase. Beginning in August 2007, the KET3 and KET4 services were merged to create the Education Channel, KET ED. KET ED and the PBS HD programming block were simulcast on both the DT3 and DT4 subchannels of all 15 of the network's primary transmitters for the remainder of that year.[20][21]
Birth of The Kentucky Channel
On January 1, 2008, the third subchannel of KET's 15 transmitters began airing a new programming format: a then-new channel devoted to programming about Kentucky people, places, and/or events, in a schedule format similar to that of Twin Cities PBS’s Minnesota Channel.[20] Beginning on January 1, 2008, KET3 was re-branded as the Kentucky Channel,[21] or as identified by the network's voiceover announcer, The Kentucky Channel from KET.
Beginning with the debut of the then-new Kentucky Channel, about 20 hours of Kentucky-related programming was broadcast on the service. Outside of the 20 hours, the service aired the KET HD evening programming service (national
As a full-time service
Beginning with the 2009-10 television season, the Kentucky Channel expanded to a 24-hour programming schedule after all HD programming schedules began to be handled by the network, and moved onto the flagship service, the main channel of the fifteen principal satellite stations. An increase of fees for the usage of the national PBSHD channel feed caused the network to program PBS HD programming by itself on the main channel. After the KET ED linear service permanently signed off the DT4 subchannels of KET's principal signals and WKMJ-DT3, some of its former programming aired overnights on the Kentucky Channel from 1 to 6 a.m. Eastern (12 midnight to 5 a.m. Central) until that block was discontinued in 2012, making the Kentucky Channel truly full-time. KET ED still existed as an on-demand video service available on the network's website, offering a limited selection of the service's former programming as late as the mid-2010s.[26]
Also in 2009, the Kentucky Channel began broadcasting over WKMJ-DT2/Louisville; it would move to that station's third subchannel upon WKMJ's conversion to the ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) format in 2022.
Programming
Since the inception of the Kentucky Channel, it has been broadcasting an extensive programming schedule involving dozens of programs and documentaries about Kentucky-related issues, heritage, history, people and culture from KET's vast library of original programming. The channel's programming schedule also includes encore presentations of most of the current lineup of popular local programs, including the most recent episodes of the network's most watched programs, including several reruns of Kentucky Life, including the most recent episodes, along with that program's ever-popular telethon specials that aired from 1998 through the early- and mid-2000s during the network's annual telethons. The channel also airs any PBS program that has any relevancy to Kentucky as well. Original programming from KET's archives broadcast on the Kentucky Channel include several in-house productions of documentaries, including those hosted by several Kentucky authors and media personalities. The channel also airs select archived episodes of original series such as Bywords, Distinguished Kentuckian, Run That By Me Again, and From The Ground Up, among others.
The channel also features programs and films produced by locally based independent production companies and film makers. Some of Kentucky's commercial television stations also produced some programs that would later air on the Kentucky Channel. For instance, in late Spring, and around the 4th of July holiday season, the channel airs some Thunder Over Louisville coverage from that city's local stations such as Fox affiliate WDRB, with the KET rebroadcast of the coverage presented commercial-free. Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT-TV even produced a documentary about former University of Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp that is seldom rebroadcast on the channel as well.
Outside of KET's archives and independent production companies, some documentaries and short programs on the channel are also produced by the mass media divisions of some Kentucky colleges and universities. Following a similar format of
Availability
The Kentucky Channel is broadcast over the third digital subchannel of all of KET's fifteen (15) principal
Affiliates
Current
City of license | Callsign[28]
|
Virtual channel
|
---|---|---|
Ashland (Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia) |
WKAS
|
25.3 |
Augusta | W16EB-D
|
38.3 |
Bowling Green | WKGB-TV
|
53.3 |
Cincinnati, Ohio )
|
WCVN-TV
|
54.3 |
Elizabethtown | WKZT-TV
|
23.3 |
Falmouth | W23DM-D
|
52.3 |
Hazard | WKHA
|
35.3 |
Lexington | WKLE
|
46.3 |
Louisa | W32FD-D
|
25.3 |
Louisville | WKMJ-TV | 68.3 |
WKPC-TV | 15.3 | |
Madisonville (Hopkinsville) | WKMA-TV
|
35.3 |
Morehead | WKMR
|
38.3 |
Murray (Mayfield, KY/Martin, TN) | WKMU
|
21.3 |
Owensboro (Henderson, KY/Evansville, IN) | WKOH
|
31.3 |
Owenton (Frankfort) | WKON
|
52.3 |
Paducah | WKPD | 29.3 |
Pikeville | WKPI-TV
|
24.3 |
Somerset | WKSO-TV
|
29.3 |
Former
City of license | Callsign
|
Virtual channel
|
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Louisville | WKMJ-TV | 68.2 | Moved to WKMJ's DT3 subchannel following the station's conversion to ATSC 3.0 in 2022 |
See also
References
- ^ a b "TV Channels < KET". Kentucky Educational Television. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ RabbitEars.info TV query on Kentucky Channel
- ^ Howell, Rick (August 9, 1994). "Guyn heads statewide board of volunteers for KET". Harlan Daily Enterprise. pp. 1, 2 – via Google Books.
- ^ Teltsch, Kathleen (October 30, 1991). "To Teach Distant Pupils, Educators in Kentucky Turn On Interactive TV". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ “KET Milestones (1990-1993)” Archived from the original May 6, 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- ^ Glenn, Roy (June 11, 1977). "Potpourri". Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville, Kentucky. p. 4 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "Television Services". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on February 4, 2006. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ McCormack, Patricia (March 8, 1980). "Wave of the Future: Instructional TV Satellite Dishes". United Press International. Norwalk, Connecticut: The Hour. p. 33 – via Google Books.
- ^ "A stronger KET would help state, director says". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. March 3, 1986. pp. B3, B5.
- ^ "Storer Cable to address KET change". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. January 8, 1993. p. 2 – via Google Books.
- ^ August 18, 2000 District Newsletter. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: Kentucky New Era. August 18, 2000. p. 4 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ Howell, Rick (August 9, 1994). "Officials discuss educational network with local citizens at town meeting". Harlan Daily Enterprise. pp. 1, 2.
- ^ "KET introduces digital transmitter". Park City Daily News. February 23, 2002. p. 5A – via Google Books.
- ^ “KET Digital Television Channels”. Archived from the original June 16, 2002. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "671". OldTVGuides.com. Archived from the original November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ "KET Channels-KET3". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on September 28, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ a b "KET-Digital Television-Stations and Services". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on June 29, 2003. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Adams, Rachael (December 15, 2005). "Insight adding to services, prices". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. pp. 1A, 6A.
- ^ "KET P-12 Services: ITV on KET3". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "KET P-12 Services - KET ED". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Programming Services". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ "KET launches The Kentucky Channel". The Harrodsburg Herald. January 31, 2008. p. 5C – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "KET-The Kentucky Channel: KET KY". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ "KET Channels-KET4". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original on September 28, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ Frankfort Plant Board Preferred Cable Lineup
- ^ Education < KET
- ^ "KET - Cable and Satellite Company Channel Listings". Kentucky Educational Television. Archived from the original November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ “Rabbitears.Info”.