Oregon Public Broadcasting

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Oregon Public Broadcasting
statewide Oregon
Branding	OPB
Channels	Analog: see table below Digital: see table below
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Oregon Public Broadcasting
First air date	January 23, 1923 (radio) October 7, 1957 (television)
Call letters’ meaning	see table below
Former affiliations	NET (1957-1970)
Transmitter Power	see table below
Height	see table below
Facility ID	see table below
Transmitter Coordinates	see table below
Website	www.opb.org

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary public broadcasting network for most of Oregon as well as southern Washington, with (as of 2006) over one million viewers throughout that region and an average of over 380,000 radio listeners each week. OPB is a major producer of television programming for national distribution.

OPB consists of six television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF translators, and over 20 radio stations and frequencies. Broadcasts include local programming as well as programs from PBS, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and the BBC World Service.

OPB has a reputation for relying solely on listener and viewer donations with no government support from Oregon tax funds. While OPB does have a strong membership program, the State of Oregon provided 9 percent of OPB's operational budget in the 2003-2005 biennium, according to the Bend Bulletin.^{[page # needed]} For 2007, Governor Ted Kulongoski has asked the Oregon Legislature for $3.75 million, which includes $1 million for operations.^[1] The final appropriation is likely to be smaller, with the most recent budget proposal allocating $500,000 to OPB.^[2]

[edit] History

OPB traces its roots to October 7, 1922 when KFDJ-AM signed on from the Corvallis campus of Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University. It became KOAC-AM on December 11, 1925.In 1932, KOAC became a service of the Oregon State System of Higher Education's General Extension Division^[3]

• KOAC - Corvallis

KOAC-TV began operation October 7, 1957. KOAC-AM-TV soon became the flagship for a large network of radio and television stations, which became known as the Oregon Educational and Public Broadcasting Service (OEPBS) in 1971. In 1981, OEPBS was spun off from the Oregon State System of Higher Education and renamed Oregon Public Broadcasting. KOAC's former Portland satellites, KOAP-FM-TV, became the flagship of the new organization.^[3]

• KOPB - Portland

Main article: KOPB-TV

KOAP-TV Portland signed on the air February 6, 1961; it became the flagship of OPB in 1981 and changed its calls to KOPB-TV on February 15, 1989.

• KTVR - La Grande

KTVR-TV went on the air December 6, 1964 as a commercial station, an NBC primary affiliate that also carried selected ABC network programs.^{[citation needed]} KTVR was a satellite of Boise, Idaho station KTVB, but had a La Grande studio at 1605 Adams Ave., producing a nightly newscast and other local programming. However, by 1967, the La Grande studio and office had been closed and KTVR was a total satellite of KTVB. KTVR was unique in the Pacific time zone because as a repeater of a Mountain time zone station, its "prime-time" schedule was broadcast from 6 to 9 p.m. OEPBS bought KTVR on August 31, 1976 and converted it to PBS programming on February 1, 1977. At first, KTVR rebroadcast programming from KWSU-TV in Pullman, Washington and KSPS in Spokane, Washington until OEPBS completed a TV link to La Grande. On September 1, 1977 OEPBS took KTVR off the air for transmitter repairs, due to increasing technical problems. KTVR returned to the air on January 1, 1978, carrying OEPBS programming for the first time.

• KOAB - Bend

KOAB-TV began broadcasting on February 24, 1970 as KVDO-TV, an independent station licensed to Salem.^{[citation needed]} Channel 3 struggled to compete with Portland's established independent, KPTV, and by the mid 1970s the station was bought out by Liberty Communications, then-owners of Eugene's ABC affiliate KEZI. KVDO then became a full-power satellite of KEZI. KATU, Portland's ABC affiliate, responded by taking legal action, forcing KEZI to black out any ABC programming on KVDO in order to protect KATU. OEPBS purchased the station on February 19, 1976, and turned the station into a PBS affiliate, rebroadcasting OEPBS programming that was already available from KOAC and KOAP (now KOPB). A few days later on February 28, 1976 a disgruntled viewer protesting KVDO's sale to OEPBS cut guy wires, toppling the channel 3 TV tower.^{[citation needed]} On September 20, 1976 KVDO signed back on the air with a new tower. On August 6, 1983, after many complaints about duplication of service to Salem-area viewers (see above), KVDO was shut down. OEPBS petitioned the FCC to move Channel 3's license and channel allocation to Bend, where they had no PBS coverage; the FCC honored their request. On December 22, 1983 channel 3 signed back on the air as KOAB. Call letters changed to KOAB-TV when KOAB-FM signed on the air January 23, 1986.

• KEPB - Eugene

KEPB-TV began operation on February 27, 1990 as Eugene's first public television station, reboadcasting OPB programming clearer than KOAC's rimshot signal from Corvallis.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Television stations

Notes:

• 1. KOPB-TV used the callsign KOAP-TV from its 1961 sign-on until 1989.
• 2. KOAB-TV used the callsign KVDO-TV from its 1970 sign-on until 1983. It was a commercial independent station until OEPBS bought the station in 1976. It was licensed to Salem until 1983.
• 3. KTVR was a commercial station relaying KTVB from Boise, Idaho until 1977.

The OPB network digital channels are multiplexed:

In 2009, OPB stations in Corvallis, La Grande and Portland will returned to their original analog channels. Stations in Bend and Eugene will remain on their current digital channels.^[4]

The Oregon Channel is a public affairs network. Programing consist of Oregon legislative sessions and other public affairs events. Some additional programing is now being shown on this digital sub channel during the day.

Southwestern Oregon is served by SOPTV stations KSYS in Medford and KFTS in Klamath Falls, which offers some OPB programming in their schedules.

[edit] Repeaters

There are also many low-powered repeaters statewide that rebroadcast OPB programming. A few repeaters are not owned by OPB.

There are also two repeaters in Washington: K59BX (Moving to Ch. 31) in Grays River, and K44HM in Longview.

[edit] Radio stations

[edit] HD radio stations

Currently only KOPB-FM carries HD Radio programing.

The OPB HD radio channels:

Southwestern Oregon is served by Jefferson Public Radio, which offers some OPB programming in their schedules.

[edit] Other radio frequencies

• Baker City, 91.5 FM
• Burns 91.7 FM
• Goldendale, Washington 91.5 FM
• Halfway 91.3 FM
• Hood River 94.3 FM
• Manzanita 106.1 FM
• Mount Vernon 90.7 FM
• Ontario 107.5 FM - (Only OPB Radio translator in the Mountain Time Zone)
• Richland 91.9 FM
• Silver Lake (Lake County) 91.7 FM
• The Dalles 91.5 FM
• Valley Falls (Lake County) 91.1 FM
• Wagontire (Harney County) 90.3 FM

[edit] See also

• Barry Serafin - Early OPB news reporter
• High-Five Challenge - A high school quizbowl competition in Oregon and Washington

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• OPB's main website
• OPB News
• opbmusic, OPB's music service

FCC Information for OPB's television repeaters:

BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on OPB's television stations:

• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KOPB-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KOAC-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KEPB-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KOAB-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KTVR-TV