WKGB-TV

WKGB-TV, virtual channel 53 (UHF digital channel 29), is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. Owned by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, the station is operated as part of the statewide Kentucky Educational Television (KET) network. WKGB-TV's transmitter is located near Hadley.

WKGB-TV
Satellite of WKLE, Lexington, Kentucky
CityBowling Green, Kentucky
ChannelsDigital: 29 (UHF)
Virtual: 53 (PSIP)
BrandingKET PBS (general)
KET: The Kentucky Network (secondary)
SloganWhere Learning Comes to Life
Programming
Affiliations53.1: KET/PBS
53.2: KET2
53.3: KY Channel
53.4: KET PBS Kids
Ownership
OwnerKentucky Authority for Educational Television
History
First air date
September 23, 1968 (1968-09-23)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
53 (UHF, 1968–2009)
Digital:
48 (UHF, 2002–2019)
NET (1968–1970)
Call sign meaning
W Kentucky green bowling
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID34177
ERP32.4 kW
HAAT248.3 m (814.6 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°5′23″N 86°38′5″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
Websitewww.ket.org

History

In 1962, the Kentucky Board of Education had ten construction permits to create an educational television network via a flagship station in Lexington, plus several satellite stations throughout the state. WKGB, along with nine other charter stations of the Kentucky Educational Television (KET) network, began broadcasting on September 23, 1968.[1] Before this, the only educational television station serving Bowling Green was WDCN-TV (now WNPT) in Nashville, Tennessee. (Bowling Green had been part of the Nashville designated market area until Arbitron divided the market in 1978.).= WKGB was the Bowling Green area's first non-commercial station and first UHF station, and the second television station in the area (following ABC affiliate WLTV [now WBKO]).

Despite the existence of KET, competitor WNPT (a.k.a. Nashville Public Television) remained on community-access and cable television systems in the Bowling Green area until around 2002. As of 2017, WNPT is still available to cable subscribers of Glasgow-based South Central Rural Telephone Cooperative, and the Glasgow Electric Plant Board.[2][3] WNPT's over-the-air signal can still be picked up at least in southern areas of Warren County and several Kentucky counties along the Tennessee state line.

Digital television

The station's digital television companion signal, WKGB-DT, began broadcasting in May 2002, as with other KET stations.[4] WKGB was the second television station in the market to start broadcasting in digital after WBKO's digital signal began broadcasting in 2000.

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
53.1720p16:9KETMain KET programming / PBS
53.2480i4:3KET2KET2
53.3KET KYKentucky Channel
53.4KETKIDSPBS Kids

[5]

Analog-to-digital conversion

On April 16, 2009, the full-power KET stations shut down their analog signals as part of the mandatory analog-to-digital television transition of 2009. WKGB-TV stopped broadcasting over UHF channel 53[6] and retained its digital signal on its pre-transition UHF channel 48. Digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 53, which was among the high-band UHF frequencies (channels 52–69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.

Spectrum incentive auction results

In summer 2017, due to the network's participation in the FCC's 2016–17 Spectrum auction, WKGB filed for a construction permit for its digital subchannel to relocate to UHF channel 29. The transition period for this move took place between September 7 and October 18, 2019, and also lowered the station's effective radiated power from 54.8 kW to 32.4 kW.[7][8] The move was completed on October 18, 2019. Its current allocation on UHF channel 48 is among the upper-mid UHF band frequencies (channels 38–51) to be reverted for use of wireless service.

Availability

Over-the-air signal

As of 2009, WKGB-TV's signal penetrates much of the Bowling Green market, with the exception of Metcalfe County, where the signal falls short.[9] WKGB reaches some north-central portions of the Nashville market, including counties along the state line such as Todd, Logan, Simpson, and Allen counties, in areas from Allensville to Holland. In northern Middle Tennessee, WKGB's signal reaches into the northern half of both Robertson and Sumner counties, along with rural sections of northwestern Macon County.[10] Out-of-market coverage of WKGB also includes nearby sections of the Louisville (Grayson County) and Evansville (Ohio and Muhlenberg counties) media markets.

WKGB-TV's over-the-air coverage overlaps that of some other KET stations, including WKMA-TV Madisonville, WKOH Owensboro, and WKZT-TV Elizabethtown, Kentucky.[11] Much of Muhlenberg and Todd Counties is served by both WKMA and WKGB.[12] Hart County is served entirely by WKZT, but the WKGB signal does make it to at least the Munfordville area. Much of Grayson County is also well-served by both signals.[13] All of the network's satellites were strategically located to maximize signal coverage in the state of Kentucky to the fullest extent possible. Signal coverage is subject to change due to the 2016 FCC Spectrum auction.

Cable and satellite availability

All cable systems in Kentucky carry at least the flagship KET service. The network's statewide coverage in southern Kentucky includes Charter Spectrum systems in Bowling Green, Mediacom cable systems in much of the remainder of the market, Suddenlink systems in Logan County, the Russellville Electric Plant Board, as well as the Glasgow Electric Plant Board and the South Central Rural Telephone Cooperative.[14] Comcast Xfinity systems in Franklin and Horse Cave also carries at least the main channel. In addition to cable coverage in Kentucky, WKGB's feed of KET is carried on cable in Macon, northeastern Sumner, and far-western Clay counties in Tennessee, including Lafayette. This is due in part to the fact that the Lafayette area's cable system, the North Central Telephone Cooperative, also serves Allen County on the Kentucky side of the state line with the same system.[15]

As part of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, since June 3, 2010, WKGB's main channel is also carried on satellite television on Dish Network channel 53. Both WKGB and WKYU are uplinked on Dish Network's Bowling Green feed. DirecTV currently does not provide any local Bowling Green stations. KET is not available on satellite in Logan, Simpson, Allen, or Monroe Counties, which are considered to be part of the Nashville market, where WNPT, along with Cookeville, Tennessee's WCTE, is uplinked on satellite television.

See also

References

  1. “Historical marker unveiled for KET’s 50th anniversary” Archived 2018-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. WKYT-TV. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  2. Barren, Hart, Metcalfe, and Adair County Channel Lineup Archived 2015-03-15 at the Wayback Machine”. SCRTC. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  3. "Glasgow EPB Cable Lineup" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  4. ”Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada”. Broadcasting Yearbook 2003-2004. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 2003-04.pp. B37-B39.
  5. "Digital TV Market Listing for WKGB". Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  6. "Calls come after KET, WKYT digital TV transition". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 17, 2009. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Post Incentive Auction Television Data Files". Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  9. Signal coverage maps of all full-power stations -- Lexington, Kentucky Archived 2010-05-28 at the Wayback Machine. (Federal Communications Commission, 2009)
  10. Signal coverage maps of all full-power stations -- Bowling Green, Kentucky Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. (Federal Communications Commission, 2009)
  11. Signal coverage maps of all full-power stations in Bowling Green, Kentucky Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. (Federal Communications Commission, 2009)
  12. Maps of the coverage areas of all Full-power stations in the Evansville, Indiana market Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. Federal Communications Commission (2009).
  13. Maps of the coverage areas of all Full-power stations in the Louisville, KY market Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. Federal Communications Commission (2009).
  14. "KET Cable and Satellite Company Channel Listings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  15. "KET Cable and Satellite Company Channel Listings" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
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