Arkansas PBS Transmitters & Coverage Areas

From Network Master Control in Conway, Arkansas PBS distributes a program of educational and general audience offerings that is broadcast on all citizens of Arkansas. The network's broadcast and production center occupies a building of approximately 69,500 square feet, situated on the southeast corner of the University of Central Arkansas campus at Donaghey Avenue and Powell Street in Conway on land leased from the university. Audio and video signals are carried from the R. Lee Reaves Center for Educational Telecommunications in Conway via Arkansas PBS's own microwave interconnection relay system to the six broadcasting transmitters.  Over-the-air viewers as well as nearly all subscribers to cable or satellite services receive the Arkansas PBS signal sent from the broadcast facilities in Conway through twelve microwave interconnection sites to one of these six transmitters.  Only subscribers to Conway Corporation cable and AT&T U-verse in Little Rock currently receive a direct feed from Arkansas PBS .

Arkansas PBS's transmitters are:

• Licensed to Fayetteville by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), KAFT originally signed on the air on analog channel 13 in 1976 to serve Northwest Arkansas and portions of neighboring Oklahoma and Missouri until June 2009 when all analog broadcast was terminated. KAFT Digital (licensed as digital channel 9 but seen as virtual channel 13 and broadcasting with an effective radiated power of 37.9 kilowatts) signed on the air in 2003 to cover the same area. The KAFT antenna, at a height of 1,105 feet above the ground, is located near Winslow atop Sunset Mountain.
• Licensed to Mountain View by the FCC, KEMV originally signed on the air on analog channel 6 in 1980 to serve the state's north central counties and bordering counties of south-central Missouri until June 2009 when all analog broadcast was terminated. KEMV Digital (licensed as digital channel 13 but seen as virtual channel 6 and broadcasting with an effective radiated power of 12.1 kilowatts) signed on the air in 2003 to cover the same area. The antenna is located just east of Fox at approximately 1,085 feet above the ground.
• Licensed to Arkadelphia by the FCC, KETG originally signed on the air on analog channel 9 in 1976 to serve southwest Arkansas until June 2009 when all analog broadcast was terminated. KETG Digital (licensed as digital channel 13 but seen as virtual channel 9 and broadcasting with an effective radiated power of 13.85 kilowatts) signed on the air in 2003 to cover the same area. Designed radial coverage from the antenna located at Gurdon at 1,066 feet above the ground is approximately 60 miles.

• Licensed to Little Rock by the FCC, KETS originally signed on the air on analog channel 2 in 1966 as the nation's 124th educational television station to serve central Arkansas. Its analog antenna, at a height of 1,800 feet above average terrain, was the tallest ETV antenna in the world when first installed until that tower fell in early 2008 and all was destroyed. KETS analog broadcast was terminated a year later in January 2009 as part of the digital transition. Signing on the air in 2003 until February 2009 for technical changes and then resuming broadcast in June 2009, KETS Digital (licensed as digital channel 7 but seen as virtual channel 2) broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 26.73 kilowatts with its antenna at 1,895 feel above the ground. The KETS digital antenna is located at Redfield on a tower owned by commercial television station KASN, Channel 38. Serving central Arkansas, the KETS digital signal covers an area within an 85-mile radius of the transmitter.
• Licensed to El Dorado by the FCC, KETZ Digital (licensed as digital channel 10 but seen as virtual channel 12) signed on the air as a digital-only station in 2004 to serve south and southeast Arkansas and part of north-central Louisiana. KETZ broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 16.2 kilowatts. The transmitter is located at Huttig, and the antenna is 1,730 feet above sea level.
• Licensed to Jonesboro by the FCC, KTEJ originally signed on the air on analog channel 19 in 1976 to serve northeast Arkansas and part of Missouri's boot-heel region until February 2009 as part of the digital transition. KTEJ Digital (licensed as digital channel 20 but seen as virtual channel 19 and initially broadcasting at an effective radiated power of 50 kilowatts) signed on the air in 2003 to serve most of the same area. The network's only ultra high frequency (UHF) transmitter is located at Bono, and the antenna is 1,100 feet above sea level. KTEJ covers an area of approximately 60 radius miles. After a power maximization project was completed in 2011, KTEJ broadcasts to its original broadcast coverage area at an effective radiated power of 323.0 kilowatts.

All transmitters broadcast stereo audio. Arkansas PBS's primary program signal (ARPBS-1) provides Descriptive Video on selected programs for those who are blind and visually-impaired. ARPBS-4 (audio-only) delivers the Arkansas Information Reading Service for the Blind (AIRSB) with the reading of local and national newspapers, magazines and books for those who are blind or are visually-impaired. Virtually all programs broadcast on Arkansas PBS are also closed captioned for the deaf or hearing impaired. ARPBS-1 is broadcast in 720p, 16x9 HD format while ARPBS-2 and ARPBS-3 are seen in 4x3 SD format.