| KOZK: Springfield, Missouri KOZJ: Joplin, Missouri |
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|---|---|
| Branding | Ozarks Public Television |
| Slogan | Public Broadcasting for the Ozarks |
| Channels | Digital: KOZK: 21 (UHF) KOZJ: 26 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 21.1/26.1: PBS 21.2/26.2: PBS-HD 21.3/26.3: Create |
| Affiliations | Public Broadcasting Service |
| Owner | Missouri State University (Board of Governors of Missouri State University) |
| First air date | KOZK: January 1975[1] KOZJ: June 1, 1986 |
| Call letters' meaning | KOZK: OZarKs KOZJ: KOZK Joplin |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: KOZK: 21 (UHF, 1975-2009) KOZJ: 26 (UHF, 1986-2009) |
| Transmitter power | KOZK: 100 kW KOZJ: 55 kW |
| Height | KOZK: 617 m KOZJ: 281 m |
| Facility ID | KOZK: 51102 KOZJ: 51101 |
| Transmitter coordinates |
KOZK: |
| Website | www.optv.org |
KOZK is the PBS member station in Springfield, Missouri. Owned by Missouri State University, it broadcasts on digital channel 21. It operates a full-time satellite, KOZJ, digital channel 26 in Joplin. The two stations are known on-air as Ozarks Public Television. Together, the two stations serve the Ozarks region of southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma.
KOZK's history can be traced to Springfield Community Television, a non-profit group that was formed in 1974 to bring public television to the area. At the time it was standard practice for PBS to offer its programming to commercial outlets in a market without a PBS station of its own. For instance, NBC affiliate KYTV aired Sesame Street at 9 a.m. during the week. After securing a license from the FCC and funding from various groups, KOZK was finally able to sign on the air in January 1975, broadcasting from a former Naval Reserve center located on the campus of Drury University. From there they would go from a station that operated five days a week with seven staffers (augmented by a lot of student volunteerism) to a 24 hour operation with 25 employees. The station borrowed transmitter space from Springfield's CBS affiliate, KOLR.
In 1986 KOZJ signed on as KOZK's sister station in Joplin. Its business offices are located in downtown Joplin, with its broadcasting equipment located at Missouri Southern State University. Prior to 1986, the Joplin/Pittsburg market had been one of the few markets in the country without a PBS station of its own.
In 1990 the station moved to the new Shewmaker Communications Center on the campus of Drury College. In 2001, the board agreed to sell the station to Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University), and later that year the station's headquarters moved to Strong Hall on the MSU campus.
KOZK currently multicasts on its digital channel:
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 21.1 | Main OPT programming / PBS HD |
| 21.2 | OPT-ED (Airs telecourses from MSU as well as miscellaneous PBS programming) |
| 21.3 | Create |
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