South Dakota Public Broadcasting

Educational broadcasting in South Dakota began in 1919 with experimental broadcasts at USD's College of Engineering. USD was granted a full license in 1922, and went on the air that May 29 as WEAJ. It became KUSD in 1925. By 1952, the station settled at 690 AM at 1,000 watts, operating only during daylight hours to protect CBF in Montreal. In 1967, it acquired an FM sister station, KUSD-FM at 89.7. Also in 1967, South Dakota State University in Brookings signed on KESD-FM. The three stations merged in 1982 as South Dakota Public Radio.

On July 5, 1961, KUSD-TV signed on the air as the state's first educational television station. Seven more stations signed on from 1967 to 1975, extending its reach to parts of Minnesota and Iowa.

South Dakota Public Radio merged with the State Board of Directors for Educational Television, which operated the television network, in 1985 to form South Dakota Public Broadcasting under the ownership of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunication. Between 1985 and 1991, five other stations joined the radio network. One of them was KCSD, which signed on in 1985 as part of a partnership between Sioux Falls College (now the University of Sioux Falls) and the ETV Board in an effort to improve the network's reception in South Dakota's largest city. Until 2013, KCSD's license was held by the University of Sioux Falls and operated by the state network under a management agreement.[1] The network bought KCSD outright in 2013.

In 1992, a Chevrolet Suburban was taken on a joyride through the Vermillion Golf Course, where KUSD (AM)'s towers were located. The Suburban crashed into one of the AM station's towers and knocked it down.[2] While a judge ordered the suspect to pay $48,000,[3] the insurance settlement was not large enough to restore full operations, and KUSD (AM) went off the air for good in 1994.

KUSD-TV's signal had long been spotty in parts of Sioux Falls, even though the channel 2 analog signal traveled a very long distance under normal conditions. Some parts of the area didn't get a clear signal from KUSD-TV until cable gained more penetration in the 1980s. To solve this problem, KCSD-TV signed on in 1995, significantly improving coverage in the state's largest city.[4]

As of February 2017, SDPR now broadcasts the main network over the fifth subcarrier of the SDPB Television stations, and classical music (which airs on the radio stations' second HD channel) on the television stations' sixth subcarrier.

South Dakota Public Radio airs a mix of news and talk from NPR, Public Radio International (PRI), American Public Media (APM), the BBC World Service and other sources. Stations in the lineup include:

South Dakota Public Radio also rebroadcasts on the following translator stations:

In March 2007, South Dakota Public Radio started broadcasting on HD Radio.

Television stations included in the state network are:

Although SDPB provides PBS programming, it also produces original programs such as:

• Dakota Life — a magazine show focusing on South Dakota life.
• A Falconer's Memoir (2000)
• Images of the Past — a series about South Dakota's history as documented in photographs, film, and video.
• Kids' Quest — an educational series for students.
• Nature Adventures — a series about wildlife in South Dakota.
• No Cover No Minimum — a series showing live performances of South Dakota music groups and solo acts such as Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Judd Hoos, and Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band.[15]
• On Call Television — a show which discusses medical topics.
• South Dakota Focus — a panel discussion show.
• Statehouse — a show which focuses on the South Dakota State Legislature.

SDPB has also produced educational programs, such as:

• The Badlands: Nature's Time Capsule — a multimedia project about Badlands National Park.
• By The People, For The People — a series about government in South Dakota.
• Dakota Pathways — a series about the history of South Dakota.
• Draw With Me with Diana Tollefson — a South Dakota educational series about art.
• Infinite Variety — a series about the geography and environment of South Dakota.
• Our Statehouse: A Capitol Idea — a multimedia project about the history of the South Dakota Capitol.
• South Dakota Adventure — a series about the history and culture of South Dakota.

SDPB has also syndicated educational programs, such as:

• Once Upon a Time — a children's show produced by Nebraska ETV in the 1980s which focused on children's reading.[16]