Kentucky Educational Television

From Freepedia

The Kentucky Educational Television network is Kentucky's statewide public television network. It delivers the PBS national schedule plus a wide range of local programming, adult education and college credit courses. The network, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, is operated by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television. It is the largest PBS network in the nation, operating all of the PBS affiliates licensed to Kentucky except WKYU-TV in Bowling Green

KET was the brainchild of O. Leonard Press, a public relations employee at the University of Kentucky. In the mid-1950s, he taped a popular anthropology course, and the response was enough for him and two of his colleagues to consider founding an educational television station at UK. When they couldn't get the money, they decided to try for a statewide educational television network.

The idea gained little momentum until 1959, when Press addressed the local Rotary Club in the state capital, Frankfort, and a story about it appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal. After landing support from UK officials, what was supposed to be a short meeting with Governor Bert T. Combs turned into a proposal to start the network. The Kentucky Authority for Educational Television was created in 1962, with Press as executive director (a position he held until 1991). However, the project made little progress until 1965, when a donation from Ashland Oil founder Paul Blazer allowed the authority to acquire its first 13 transmitters. KET finally took to the air in September 1968.

KET is best known for its video courses in basic skills and workplace education. It also began expanding its programming well before the digital television era, when its acquisition of Louisville PBS station WKPC-TV allowed it to start a second service on the Louisville station it already owned.

Stations

KET's television service consists of four channels. Its original service, KET1, is its largest, consisting of 16 transmitters and 3 translators covering all of Kentucky and large portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

• WKAS 25 Ashland (also serves Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia
• WKGB 53 Bowling Green
• WCVN 54 Covington (also serves Cincinnati)
• WKZT 23 Elizabethtown
• WKHA 35 Hazard
• WKLE 46 Lexington (flagship station)
• WKPC 15 Louisville
• WKMA 35 Madisonville
• WKMR 38 Morehead
• WKMU 21 Murray
• WKOH 31 Owensboro-Henderson (also serves Evansville, Indiana)
• WKON 52 Owenton
• WKPD 29 Paducah
• WKPI 22 Pikeville, Kentucky
• WKSO 29 Somerset, Kentucky
• Translators at Augusta, Falmouth and Louisa

KET2, based on KET's original Louisville station, WKMJ channel 68, airs the national PBS schedule, local programming including shows focused on the Louisville area, children's shows, how-to series, documentaries and public affairs programs. It is available as channel 2 on KET's digital stations.

KET3 is the statewide instructional television service and is also available as channel 3 on KET's digital stations.

KET4 offers the PBSHD service on prime time (airing 24/7 in Louisville) and the Annenberg/CPB Channel at other times. It is available as channel 4 on KET's digital stations.

KET5 and KET6 feature live coverage of the Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. They are available as channels 5 and 6 on KET's digital stations.

External links

• KET official Web site

Broadcast television in the Cincinnati market
WLWT 5 (NBC) - WCPO 9 (ABC) - WKRC 12 (CBS) - WPTO 14 (PBS) - WXIX 19 (Fox) - WOTH 25 (UATV/A1) - WBQC 38 (UPN) - WKOI 43 (TBN) - WCET 48 (PBS) - WCVN 54 (PBS) - WSTR 64 (The WB)

Broadcast television in the Lexington market
WLEX 18 (NBC) - WKYT 27 (CBS) - WKSO 29 (PBS) - WKHA 35 (PBS) - WTVQ 36 (ABC) - WKMR 38 (PBS) - W39CK 39 - WKLE 46 (PBS) - WDKY 56 (Fox) - WYMT 57 (CBS) - WBLU 62 - WLJC 65 (TBN) - WUPX 67 (i)

Broadcast television in Huntington-Charleston market
WSAZ 3/16 (NBC) - WCHS 8 (ABC) - WVAH 11 (Fox) - WOWK 13 (CBS) - WOUB 20 (PBS) - WKPI 22/WKAS 25 (PBS) - WLPX 29 (i) - WHCP 30/53/69 (WB/UPN) - WPBY 33 (PBS) - WPBO 42 (PBS) </div>

Broadcast television in the Paducah market
WSIL 3 (ABC) - WPSD 6 (NBC) - WSIU 8 (PBS) - KFVS 12 (CBS) - WPXS 13 (i) - KPOB 15 (ABC) - WKMU 21/WKPD 29 (PBS) - KBSI 23 (Fox) - WQTV 24 (UPN) - WTCT 27 (TBN) - WDKA 49 (WB)