KAKM

KAKM
Channels
BrandingAlaska Public Media
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KSKA
History
First air date
May 7, 1975 (49 years ago) (1975-05-07)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 7 (VHF, 1975–2009)
Call sign meaning
Anchorage, Kenai, Matanuska
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID804
ERP50 kW
HAAT240 m (787 ft)
Transmitter coordinates61°25′19.8″N 149°52′27.8″W / 61.422167°N 149.874389°W / 61.422167; -149.874389 (KAKM)
Translator(s)see § KAKM translators
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.alaskapublic.org
KTOO-TV
Satellite of KAKM
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerCapital Community Broadcasting, Inc.
OperatorAlaska Public Media
KTOO, KNLL, KRNN
History
First air date
October 1, 1978 (46 years ago) (1978-10-01)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 3 (VHF, 1978–2009)
Call sign meaning
The word "Too"
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID8651
ERP1 kW
HAAT−363.7 m (−1,193 ft)
Transmitter coordinates58°18′4.8″N 134°25′13.6″W / 58.301333°N 134.420444°W / 58.301333; -134.420444 (KTOO-TV)
Links
Public license information
KYUK-LD
Translator of KAKM
Channels
BrandingKYUK-TV 15
Programming
Affiliations
  • 15.1: PBS
  • 15.2: ARCS
  • 15.3: 360 North
Ownership
OwnerBethel Broadcasting, Incorporated
OperatorAlaska Public Media
KYUK-FM
History
First air date
September 18, 1981 (43 years ago) (1981-09-18)
Former call signs
  • K02KU (1981–1985)
  • K15AV (1985–2012)
  • K15AV-D (2012)
Call sign meaning
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID62614
ClassLD
ERP100 W
HAAT46.51 m (153 ft)
Transmitter coordinates60°47′30.3″N 161°46′30.3″W / 60.791750°N 161.775083°W / 60.791750; -161.775083
Links
Public license information
LMS
Websitekyuk.org

KAKM (channel 7) is a PBS member television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Owned by Alaska Public Media, it is sister to NPR member KSKA (91.1 FM). The two stations share studios at the Elmo Sackett Broadcast Center on the campus of Alaska Pacific University; KAKM's transmitter is located near Knik, Alaska.

KAKM was the only PBS station in Alaska that was not part of AlaskaOne during its existence. The call letters were chosen to represent the three major geographic areas served by the station: Anchorage, Kenai, and Matanuska.

KAKM operates a full-time satellite station, KTOO-TV (channel 3), licensed to the capital city of Juneau. This station is owned by Capital Community Broadcasting as a sister to non-commercial FM radio stations KTOO, KNLL, and KRNN, but is operated by Alaska Public Media. KTOO's transmitter is located in downtown Juneau. KTOO was formerly part of AlaskaOne, until its dissolution in 2012.

KAKM is also relayed on low-power station KYUK-LD (channel 15) in Bethel, owned by Bethel Broadcasting, Incorporated as sister to radio stations KYUK (AM) and KYUK-FM.

History

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KAKM first started regular transmissions on May 7, 1975, at 7:07 p.m. Previously, PBS programming had been offered to Anchorage stations on a per-program basis: for example, Sesame Street was carried on KTVA (channel 11), Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on KIMO (channel 13, now KYUR) and The Electric Company on KENI-TV (channel 2, now KTUU-TV).

KAKM became the flagship station of Alaska Public Television, the successor to AlaskaOne, replacing KUAC-TV in Fairbanks, on July 1, 2012 (which became a standalone station again).[4] As a result, KTOO-TV became a full-time satellite of KAKM. KYUK-LD also rebroadcasts KAKM, but it carries the Alaska Rural Communications Service on its second digital subchannel in place of Create.

Station presentation

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Technical information

[edit]

The stations' signals are multiplexed:

KAKM subchannels

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Subchannels of KAKM[5]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
7.1 1080i 16:9 KAKM-HD PBS
7.2 480i Create Create
7.3 4:3 KAKM7.3 360 North
7.4 1080i 16:9 24_7HD PBS Kids

KTOO-TV subchannels

[edit]
Subchannels of KTOO-TV[6]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
3.1 1080i 16:9 AK PBS PBS
3.2 480i Create Create
3.3 360Nort 360 North

KYUK-LD subchannels

[edit]
Subchannels of KYUK-LD[7]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
15.1 480i 4:3 AK PBS PBS
15.2 ARCS Alaska Rural Communications Service
15.3 360Nort 360North

360 North provides statewide coverage of Alaska public affairs, documentaries, historical programs, and Native topics. Originating at KTOO-TV, 360 North replaced Gavel to Gavel Alaska, which televised the Alaska Legislature.[8]

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

KAKM and KTOO shut down their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate:[9]

  • KAKM shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 8, using virtual channel 7.
  • KTOO shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 3; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 10, using virtual channel 3.

Translators

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KAKM and KTOO extend their over-the-air coverage through a network of translator stations.

KAKM translators

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KAKM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KTOO-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KYUK-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ "Split in Alaska public TV consortium". Television Business Report. December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KAKM". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KTOO-TV". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KYUK-LD". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
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