KBTC-TV

KBTC-TV / KCKA

KBTC: Tacoma, Washington KCKA: Centralia, Washington
Branding	KBTC
Channels	Digital: KBTC: 27 (UHF) KCKA: 19 (UHF) K24IC-D: 24 (UHF) K41KT-D: 41 (UHF)
Subchannels	.1 KBTC/KCKA-HD .2 MHz Worldview .3 TVW
Translators	K24IC-D Bellingham K41KT-D Grays River
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Bates Technical College
First air date	KBTC: September 25, 1961 KCKA: October 2, 1982 K24IC-D: May 15, 2010
Call letters' meaning	KBTC: Bates Technical College
Former callsigns	KBTC: KTPS-TV (1961-1980) KTPS (1980-1992) KCKA: none
Former channel number(s)	Analog: KBTC: 62 (UHF, 1961-1980s) 28 (UHF, 1980s-2009) KCKA: 15 (UHF, 1982-2009)
Former affiliations	NET (1961-1970)
Transmitter power	KBTC: 100 kW KCKA: 187 kW K24IC-D: 15 kW K41KT-D: 0.5 kW
Height	KBTC: 235 m KCKA: 334 m K24IC-D: 760 m K41KT-D: 765 m
Facility ID	KBTC: 62469 KCKA: 62468 K24IC-D: 167292 K41KT-D: 62387
Transmitter coordinates	KBTC: 47°16′44″N 122°30′42″W KCKA: 46°33′16″N 123°3′26″W K24IC-D: 48°40′46″N 122°50′31″W K41KT-D: 46°27′40″N 123°32′58″W
Website	www.kbtc.org

KBTC-TV is an American public television station in Tacoma, Washington, affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It broadcasts on 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.

KBTC's scheduled programming is digital-only, effective June 12, 2009. However KBTC-TV has continued its analog signal as part of the FCC's "Nightlight" program, running a DTV transition guide.

On November 1, 2009, KBTC began broadcasting in 1080i HD on 28.1. MHZ Worldview appears on subchannel 28.2. Due to the increased bandwidth required for the HD broadcast, 28.3 Docs and 28.4 Create are no longer being broadcast.

On May 15, 2010, KBTC began broadcasting in 1080i HD from an additional transmitter location on channel 24 (remapping to channel 28) from Mount Constitution to the Bellingham, Vancouver, BC, and Victoria areas.

On December 6, 2010, KBTC added TVW as a subchannel.

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, and the Pacific Rim bonsai collection, and has featured many other stories, including a 2006 interview with Sesame Street's Bob McGrath.

External links

• KBTC/KCKA Television
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KBTC-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KCKA
• Query the FCC's TV station database for K41KT
• Query the FCC's TV station database for K24IC
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for KBTC
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for KCKA
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KBTC-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KCKA-TV