KAET

KAET, virtual and VHF digital channel 8, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The station is owned by the Arizona State University. KAET's studios are located at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication on the campus of ASU Downtown Phoenix, and its transmitter is located on South Mountain on the south side of Phoenix. Its signal is relayed across Arizona on a network of 13 translator stations.

KAET
Phoenix, Arizona
United States
BrandingArizona PBS
ChannelsDigital: 8 (VHF)
Virtual: 8 (PSIP)
TranslatorsSee below
Affiliations
OwnerArizona State University
LicenseeArizona Board of Regents for Arizona State University
First air dateJanuary 30, 1961 (1961-01-30)
Call sign meaningArizona
Educational
Television
(AET also resembles the pronunciation of eight)
Sister station(s)KBAQ
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 8 (VHF, 1961–2009)
  • Digital:
  • 29 (UHF, 2001–2009)
Former affiliationsNET (1961–1970)
Transmitter power25.1 kW
Height548 m (1,798 ft)
Facility ID2728
Transmitter coordinates33°19′59.2″N 112°3′51.2″W
Licensing authorityFCC
Public license informationProfile
CDBS
Websitewww.azpbs.org

History

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.

Known for years as "Channel 8," the station began using "Arizona PBS" as a secondary brand in 2005. In 2006, the station relaunched as "Eight, Arizona PBS" (stylized as "ei8ht" in logos). When spoken, the moniker was similar to Five in the United Kingdom. This brand was dropped in 2015 in favor of simply "Arizona PBS."

Financial crisis

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 lay off six workers.[2][3] The second round of layoffs came in April 2009, when 13 workers were laid off.[4]

The financial crisis also delayed KAET's move to its new headquarters in downtown Phoenix;[3] they moved there by late 2009.

Programming

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 television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
8.1720p16:9AZ PBSMain KAET programming / PBS
8.2480iLifeArizona PBS Life
8.3WorldWorld
8.4AZ KIDSPBS Kids
8.5KBAQAudio simulcast of KBAQ

Analog-to-digital conversion

KAET's digital signal has been on the air since 2001, originally operating on UHF channel 29, and presently carries four subchannels under the Arizona PBS Digital Broadcasting brand. The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, on April 29, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 29 to VHF channel 8.[5]

Station presentation

Station branding
  • KAET TV-8 (1970s-early 1990s)
  • KAET Channel 8 (mid 1990s-2005)
  • Channel 8, Arizona PBS (2005–2006)
  • Eight, Arizona PBS (2006–2015)
  • Arizona PBS (2015–present)

Station slogans
  • "Arizona's Very Own Public Station" (1970s)
  • "TV Worth Watching" (1980s)
  • "Turn to Us" (early 1990s)
  • "KAET Channel 8, Phoenix: The Station You Support" (until the 2000s)
  • "KAET Channel 8: Programs You Count On – Count On You!" (until 2005)

Translators

KAET's signal is relayed on the following translator stations:

CityCallsignCityCallsign
Bullhead City, ArizonaK03IL-D† Meadview, ArizonaK36FZ-D†
Camp Verde, ArizonaK47IK Parks, etc., ArizonaK20ML-D
Cottonwood, etc.K35MU-D Prescott, etc., ArizonaK23NJ-D†
Flagstaff, ArizonaK14KK-D Snowflake / Show Low, ArizonaK03FB-D
Globe-Miami, ArizonaK31NV-D TopockK27NR-D†
Kingman, ArizonaK33OD-D† Yuma, ArizonaK19CX*
Lake Havasu City, ArizonaK31GZ-D†

† - Digital station; virtual channel 8
* K19CX serves as the default PBS member station for the Yuma market, which does not have a PBS member station of its own.

References
  1. "Eight History". Eight - Arizona State University. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22.
  2. Sneed, Adam (23 October 2008). "Channel 8 feels effects of bad economic times". The State Press. Arizona State University Student Media. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  3. Fenske, Sarah (24 November 2008). "Channel Eight, Arizona's Biggest PBS Station, Needs Money to Relocate — but Have Viewers Already Moved On?". Phoenix New Times. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  4. Stern, Ray (15 April 2009). "PBS Channel 8 (KAET-TV) Slashes 13 Jobs in Latest Media Layoff". Phoenix New Times. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  5. "CDBS Print". FCC. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
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