KBTC-TV

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KBTC-TV / KCKA
KBTC logo
KBTC: Tacoma, Washington
KCKA: Centralia, Washington
Branding KBTC
Channels Analog:
KBTC: 28 (UHF)
KCKA: 15 (UHF)

Digital:
KBTC: 27 (UHF)
KCKA: 19 (UHF)
Translators K65BU Grays River
Affiliations PBS
Owner Bates Technical College
First air date KBTC: September 25, 1961
KCKA: October 2, 1982
Call letters’ meaning KBTC:
Bates
Technical
College
Former callsigns KBTC:
KTPS-TV (1961-1980)
KTPS (1980-1992)
KCKA: none
Former affiliations NET (1961-1970)
Transmitter Power KBTC:
604 kW (analog)
45 kW (digital)
KCKA:
661 kW (analog)
43.7 kW (digital)
Height KBTC:
219 m (analog)
235 m (digital)
KCKA:
347 m (analog)
334 m (digital)
Facility ID KBTC: 62469
KCKA: 62468
Transmitter Coordinates KBTC:
47°16′43.4″N, 122°30′46.4″W
KCKA:
46°33′17.2″N, 123°3′29.3″W
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 programming
Second Digital Channel Create
Third Digital Channel Annenberg Media
Fourth Digital Channel World View programming

[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.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Broadcast television in the Seattle / Tacoma market  (Nielsen DMA #14)
Local Stations

KOMO 4 (ABC) • KING 5 (NBC, Weather Plus on DT2) • KIRO 7 (CBS, RTN on DT2) • KCTS 9 (PBS, V-me on DT2, Create on DT3, HD on DT5) • KSTW 11 (The CW) • KCPQ 13 (Fox, AccuWeather on DT2) • KONG 16 (Ind) •
KTBW 20 (TBN, Church on DT2, JCTV on DT3, Enlace on DT4, Smile on DT5) • KMYQ 22 (MNTV) •
KBTC 28 (PBS, Create on DT2, Annenberg on DT3, Worldview on DT4) •
KWPX 33 (ION, qubo on DT2, ION Life on DT3, Worship on DT4) •
KHCV 45 (JTV, AZA on DT2, AAT TV on DT3) • KUNS 51 (Univision) •
KUSE 58 (Daystar) • K68DL 68 (3ABN)
Digital-only
channels
Outlying Areas

Bellingham: KVOS 12 (Ind) • K22HH 22 (TBN) • KBCB 24 (ShopNBC) •
KDNB 43 (Daystar) •
Centralia: KCKA 15 (PBS, Create on DT2, Annenberg on DT3, Worldview on DT4) • Wenatchee: KNEE-LP 10 (Ind) • KWCC-LP 47 (FamilyNet)
Canadian stations
available on cable
Cable-only
Defunct stations

Tacoma: KPEC 56 (NET) • Wenatchee: KCWT 27 (TBN)
v • d • e
PBS Member Stations in the state of Washington
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC and Other stations in Washington
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