KBTC-TV

KBTC-TV
Tacoma/Seattle, Washington; United States;
City	Tacoma, Washington
Channels	Digital: 27 (UHF); Virtual: 28;
Branding	KBTC PBS
Programming
Affiliations	28.1: PBS; 28.2: NHK World; 28.3: FNX; 28.4: TVW;
Ownership
Owner	Bates Technical College
History
First air date	September 25, 1961 (63 years ago)
Former call signs	KTPS (1961–1979); KTPS-TV (1979–1980); KTPS (1980–1992)
Former channel number(s)	Analog:; 62 (UHF, 1961–1982); 28 (UHF, 1982–2009);
Former affiliations	NET (1961–1970)
Call sign meaning	Bates Technical College
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	62469
ERP	100 kW; 575 kW (application)
HAAT	220 m (722 ft); 231 m (758 ft) (application)
Transmitter coordinates	47°16′43.4″N 122°30′46.4″W / 47.278722°N 122.512889°W
Translator(s)	28 (UHF) Seattle; K18NJ-D 18 (UHF) Bellingham; K16LV-D 16 (UHF) Grays River;
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Website	www.kbtc.org
Satellite station
	KCKA
Centralia, Washington; United States;
Channels	Digital: 19 (UHF); Virtual: 15;
Programming
Affiliations	15.1: PBS; 15.2: NHK World; 15.3: FNX; 15.4: TVW;
Ownership
Owner	Bates Technical College
History
First air date	October 2, 1982 (42 years ago)
Former channel number(s)	Analog:; 15 (UHF, 1982–2009);
Call sign meaning	Centralia, Kelso and Aberdeen
Technical information
Facility ID	62468
ERP	187 kW; 353 kW (application);
HAAT	347 m (1,138 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	46°33′15″N 123°3′30″W / 46.55417°N 123.05833°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;

KBTC-TV (channel 28) is a television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, serving the Seattle area as a member of PBS. Owned by Bates Technical College. KBTC-TV maintains studios and transmitter facilities separately in Tacoma, with studios on South 19th Street and the transmitter on North 35th Street. KBTC-TV is also broadcast on KCKA (channel 19) in Centralia, serving areas to the south and west of the Tacoma transmitter, and three other translators, one of them in central Seattle.

KBTC-TV is the secondary PBS member for the Seattle–Tacoma market. Through PBS' Program Differentiation Plan, KBTC-TV carries only 25% of the programming broadcast by the network.^[4] The market's primary PBS member, KCTS-TV (channel 9) in Seattle, carries the remaining 75%. In addition to reaching a local over-the-air audience, KBTC-TV is available on Comcast Cable in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, and in many areas of southwestern Washington.

KBTC-TV was established by Tacoma Public Schools as KTPS on UHF channel 62 in 1961. A major facility upgrade in the early 1980s moved the station down the UHF dial to channel 28 and increased its broadcast range by adding a translator station. KTPS became KBTC after Bates Technical College was split from the school system in 1991.

^ "Facility Technical Data for KBTC-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ Anderson, Betty (January 1, 1981). "Plan to end school TV flap due soon—Cross". Tacoma News Tribune. p. A-5. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
^ "Facility Technical Data for KCKA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ PBS Member Station Membership Certification and Agreement (Report). KBTC-TV. June 22, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.

[1] "Facility Technical Data for KBTC-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[2] Anderson, Betty (January 1, 1981). "Plan to end school TV flap due soon—Cross". Tacoma News Tribune. p. A-5. Retrieved August 31, 2021.

[3] "Facility Technical Data for KCKA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[4] PBS Member Station Membership Certification and Agreement (Report). KBTC-TV. June 22, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.

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