| Phoenix, Arizona | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Eight, Arizona PBS |
| Channels | Digital: 8 (VHF) |
| Subchannels | See below |
| Translators | See below |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Arizona State University (Arizona Board of Regents) |
| First air date | January 30, 1961 |
| Call letters' meaning | Arizona Educational Television (AET also resembles the pronunciation of eight) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 8 (VHF, 1961-2009) Digital: 29 (UHF, 2001-2009) |
| Former affiliations | NET (1961-1970) |
| Transmitter power | 25.1 kW |
| Height | 549 m |
| Facility ID | 2728 |
| Website | www.azpbs.org |
KAET is a full-service television station in Phoenix, Arizona, owned by the Arizona Board of Regents and operated by Arizona State University (ASU) as a PBS member station. It broadcasts in digital on VHF channel 8 in the Phoenix metropolitan area from its transmitter on South Mountain. KAET can be viewed by approximately 80% of the households across the state through a network of over fifteen translators, or through cable and home satellite delivery systems. The station's headquarters is located at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication building at ASU Downtown Phoenix.
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KAET was launched on January 30, 1961, as an affiliate for National Educational Television.[1] Its programming originally consisted of educational programming directed at students attending ASU but its focus eventually widened along with that of PBS. In the mid-1990s, when the Phoenix market was undergoing a significant realignment of network affiliations,KAET was one of two major English-language stations (the other being KPNX) that did not change. In June 1999, KAET was issued a permit to construct digital television facilities on UHF channel 29. KAET-DT went on the air in April 2001 and was licensed on June 12, 2001, becoming the fifth licensed digital television station in Arizona.
In 2006, the station underwent a major rebranding campaign, which saw the end of the long-used "Channel 8" on-air identity. The station is now known at Eight/KAET and Eight, Arizona PBS, with the word eight rendered as "ei8ht" in logos.
Due to the effects from the late-2000s recession, fundraising efforts at KAET have consistently fallen behind projections, resulting in two major rounds of layoffs. The first round came in late October 2008, when the station, having missed its fundraising targets by hundreds of thousands of dollars, had to layoff six workers.[2][3] The second round of layoffs came in April 2009, when 13 workers were laid off.[4]
The financial crisis has also delayed KAET's move to its new headquarters in Downtown Phoenix.[3]
KAET produces several of its programs in-house, such as its current events program, Horizon, its Hispanic-focused current events counterpart, Horizonte, and its Arizona Collection documentaries about the people, places and history of the state. The Emmy Award-winning Over Arizona, produced in 1995 with KCTS Seattle, is an aerial adventure over Arizona's diverse landscapes and was the first high-definition television program produced by an Arizona broadcast entity.
Digital channels
| Channel | Format | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 720p | Main KAET programming / PBS |
| 8.2 | 480i | Eight Life |
| 8.3 | PBS World | |
| 8.4 | KBAQ radio |
KAET's digital signal has been on-air since 2001 on channel 29 and carries four subchannels, under the Eight Digital Broadcasting brand. On April 29, 2009 KAET completed the analog television shutdown and digital conversion and moved its digital broadcast to channel 8.[5]
KAET is rebroadcast on a network of more than fifteen translator stations:
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