KIXE-TV

KIXE-TV
CityRedding, California
Channels
BrandingKIXE PBS
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerNorthern California Educational Television Association, Inc.
History
First air date
October 5, 1964 (60 years ago) (1964-10-05)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 9 (VHF, 1964–2008)
  • Digital: 18 (UHF, 2004–2008)
NET (1964–1970)
Call sign meaning
IX (Roman numeral 9) and Education[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID47285
ERP15 kW
HAAT1,091 m (3,579 ft)
Transmitter coordinates40°36′8.5″N 122°39′5″W / 40.602361°N 122.65139°W / 40.602361; -122.65139
Translator(s)see § Translators
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kixe.org

KIXE-TV (channel 9) is a PBS member television station in Redding, California, United States, serving the northern Sacramento Valley. The station is owned by the Northern California Educational Television Association. KIXE's studios are located along North Market Street on the north side of Redding, and its transmitter is located atop Shasta Bally.

Educational broadcasting came to the Redding and Chico area in 1964 with the launch of KIXE-TV, which culminated an 11-year effort by local educators. The station was built in spite of competition for channel 9 from a proposed third commercial station for the region. Originally housed on the campus of Chico State College (now Chico State University), KIXE initially had no local programming capability and served to rebroadcast programs from KVIE in Sacramento. It moved its studios to Redding in 1967. In the 1970s, the station explored and initially approved a return to Chico, which led to infighting among the board of directors and was eventually reversed by members who favored keeping the station in Redding. The present studios on Market Street were completed in 1986, during a boom period in support that ended with declining revenues in the early 1990s.

The station's finances steadied in the 1990s, though drops in federal support still required cutbacks in broadcasting. KIXE transitioned to exclusively digital broadcasting in 2008 and, in response to interference concerns, installed a new translator to serve Chico in 2009; its payroll declined by half as a result of the Great Recession, and in 2013 it struggled to raise necessary funds from its small service area.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Duns640312 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KIXE-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.