KBTC-TV

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KBTC-TV
Tacoma, Washington
Branding	KBTC
Slogan	Better Television
Channels	28 Tacoma/15 Centralia analog, 27 Tacoma/19 Centralia digital
Translators	K65BU ch. 65 (UHF) Grays River
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Bates Technical College
Founded	September 25, 1961
Call letters meaning	K Bates Technical College
Former callsigns	KTPS-TV (1961-92)
Former affiliations	none
Transmitter Power	ch.28 604 kw ch.15 661 kw ch.27 47.2 kw ch.19 43.7 kw ch.65 0.891 kw
Height	ch.28 219.0 m ch.15 347.0 m ch.27 224.0 m ch.19 334.0 m ch.65 922.0 m
Website	www.kbtc.org

KBTC-TV is a public television station in Tacoma, Washington, affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It broadcasts on analog channel 28 and digital channel 27, and Comcast cable channel 12. Its offices and broadcasting center are located on the campus of owner Bates Technical College. The property was purchased from KSTW when that station moved to Renton in 2001.

Bates Technical College also owns KCKA analog channel 15 which signed on the air October 2, 1982 and digital channel 19 in Centralia, where it repeats KBTC's programming, and owned public radio station KBTC-FM 91.7 until 2004, when it was sold to Public Radio Capital and became KXOT.

In addition to reaching a local over-the-air audience, KBTC is transmitted to Comcast Cable viewers in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, and many areas of southwest Washington.

The station originally signed on the air September 25, 1961 as KTPS-TV and licensed to Tacoma School District No. 10, owned by the Tacoma Public Schools. Previous to that time, KTPS had operated on Channel 62. Bates took over in 1992 and changed the calls to KBTC on October 12, 1992.

There had been plans for KCPQ to produce a newscast oriented at Tacoma and south Puget Sound for air on KBTC. However, as of June 2005, those plans appear to have been abandoned.

[edit] Digital Television

KBTC/KCKA digital channels is multiplexed:

Channel	Programming
First Digital Channel	KBTC/KCKA SD programing
Second Digital Channel	Create
Third Digital Channel	Annenberg Media
Fourth Digital Channel	World V programing

[edit] Local Production

KBTC's local production Full Focus is a half hour documentary style show that looks at some of the people, places, and historical events that have helped shape western Washington. The show has profiled the artist Trimpin, baseball legend Fred Hutchinson, the Pacific Rim bonsai collection and has featured many other stories, including a 2006 interview with Sesame Street's Bob McGrath.

Executive Producer - Jennifer Strachan; Writer / Producer - Daniel Kopec; Videographer / Editor - Brian Liepe.

[edit] External links

• http://www.kbtc.org/
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KBTC-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KCKA
• Query the FCC's TV station database for K65BU