KCTS-TV

KCTS-TV
CitySeattle, Washington
Channels
BrandingCascade PBS
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerCascade Public Media
History
First air date
December 7, 1954 (69 years ago) (1954-12-07)
Former call signs
  • KUOW-TV (CP, 1953–1954)[1]
  • KCTS (1954–1959)[1]
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 9 (VHF, 1954–2009)
  • Digital: 41 (UHF, 1999–2009)
NET (1954–1970)
Call sign meaning
Community Television Service[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID33749
ERP21.7 kW
HAAT249 m (817 ft)
Transmitter coordinates47°36′57″N 122°18′32″W / 47.61583°N 122.30889°W / 47.61583; -122.30889
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kcts9.org

KCTS-TV (channel 9) is a PBS member television station in Seattle, Washington, United States, owned by Cascade Public Media. The station's studios are located at Broadway and Boren Avenue in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, and its transmitter is located at 18th Avenue and E. Madison Street on the city's Capitol Hill.[4][5][6]

KCTS-TV is the primary PBS member station for the Seattle–Tacoma market alongside Tacoma-licensed KBTC-TV (channel 28), owned by Bates Technical College. Through PBS's Program Differentiation Plan (PDP), KCTS-TV carries the majority (75%) of the network's programs, with KBTC-TV carrying the remaining 25%.[7][better source needed]

Originally owned and operated by the University of Washington, KCTS-TV became a community licensee in 1987. In 2015, it was announced that the station would merge with Crosscut.com to form Cascade Public Media.[8][9][10][11]

KYVE (channel 47) in Yakima operates as a semi-satellite of KCTS-TV, serving as the PBS member station for the western portion of the Yakima–Tri-Cities market. KYVE's transmitter is located on Ahtanum Ridge.

  1. ^ a b "FCC History Cards for KCTS-TV" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Birth of a Television Station: KCTS". Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCTS-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ Blankinship, Donna Gordon. "Crosscut and Cascade PBS say bye Seattle Center, hello First Hill | Crosscut". Crosscut. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Birth of a Television Station: KCTS". UW Showcase: University of Washington. 1997. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  7. ^ "PBS Membership Station: Membership Certification and Agreement: FY 2023 (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023)". KBTC. June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Hanscom, Greg; Power-Drutis, Tamara (December 2, 2015). "An Exciting New Chapter for Northwest Public Media". Crosscut.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  9. ^ Cullen, Hilda (December 2, 2015). "News Website Crosscut Merging into KCTS 9" (PDF) (Press release). KCTS-TV. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. ^ Tu, Janet I. (December 2, 2015). "KCTS-TV to absorb Crosscut and another local website". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  11. ^ Connelly, Joel (December 2, 2015). "KCTS-TV will merge with Crosscut". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 2, 2015.