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KIXE-TV
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.
The Northern California Educational Television Association was formed in March 1953 to prepare an application for educational television in the far north of the state, including Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties. The association was largely inactive until 1961, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to assign channel 9 to Redding for commercial use. With the backing of the commercial stations in Redding and Chico (KVIP-TV and KHSL-TV), it began the process of compiling an application to use it as an educational station.
Commercial interests also sought the new channel 9. The Redding-Chico Television Company was formed in April 1961 to apply for the new station, It contended that a previous attempt by KVIP-TV and KHSL-TV's owners to move channel 9 to Susanville amounted to a bid to block further competition and claimed a fourth VHF channel could also be assigned, though the educators believed that channel 11 could only cover Redding. In the meantime, the Northern California Educational Television Association formally applied for channel 9 on June 21, 1961.
The FCC rejected the channel 11 proposal in November 1961, but channel 9 remained unadjudicated. When the association threatened to drop the case because it lacked money to pay lawyers in Washington, KVIP and KHSL contributed the funds, a move met with disdain by the Redding-Chico Television group. The case reached comparative hearing at the FCC in January 1963, but shortly after, stockholders in Redding-Chico formed Sacramento Valley Television and moved to buy KVIP-TV, dropping their channel 9 application in the process.
On October 10, 1963, an FCC hearing examiner granted the construction permit, finding that the association had made an adequate showing of their financial resources. The group struggled with fundraising issues and deadlines that were tighter owing to the commercial classification of the channel. The station was assigned the call sign KIXE-TV, consisting of the Roman numeral IX (nine) and an E for education. To get the station on the air, the association opted to cut back most of its plans for the first year and operate the new station as a satellite station of KVIE, the public television station in Sacramento, with no local programming. Later, a deal was reached with Chico State College to house a temporary studio and limited local programming facilities.
With the broadcast of the in-school children's program Let's Figure, KIXE-TV began on October 5, 1964. Using a transmitter borrowed from channel 7 (now KRCR-TV), it provided educational television to nearly 20,000 students in 22 districts in four counties.
KIXE-TV
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.
The Northern California Educational Television Association was formed in March 1953 to prepare an application for educational television in the far north of the state, including Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties. The association was largely inactive until 1961, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to assign channel 9 to Redding for commercial use. With the backing of the commercial stations in Redding and Chico (KVIP-TV and KHSL-TV), it began the process of compiling an application to use it as an educational station.
Commercial interests also sought the new channel 9. The Redding-Chico Television Company was formed in April 1961 to apply for the new station, It contended that a previous attempt by KVIP-TV and KHSL-TV's owners to move channel 9 to Susanville amounted to a bid to block further competition and claimed a fourth VHF channel could also be assigned, though the educators believed that channel 11 could only cover Redding. In the meantime, the Northern California Educational Television Association formally applied for channel 9 on June 21, 1961.
The FCC rejected the channel 11 proposal in November 1961, but channel 9 remained unadjudicated. When the association threatened to drop the case because it lacked money to pay lawyers in Washington, KVIP and KHSL contributed the funds, a move met with disdain by the Redding-Chico Television group. The case reached comparative hearing at the FCC in January 1963, but shortly after, stockholders in Redding-Chico formed Sacramento Valley Television and moved to buy KVIP-TV, dropping their channel 9 application in the process.
On October 10, 1963, an FCC hearing examiner granted the construction permit, finding that the association had made an adequate showing of their financial resources. The group struggled with fundraising issues and deadlines that were tighter owing to the commercial classification of the channel. The station was assigned the call sign KIXE-TV, consisting of the Roman numeral IX (nine) and an E for education. To get the station on the air, the association opted to cut back most of its plans for the first year and operate the new station as a satellite station of KVIE, the public television station in Sacramento, with no local programming. Later, a deal was reached with Chico State College to house a temporary studio and limited local programming facilities.
With the broadcast of the in-school children's program Let's Figure, KIXE-TV began on October 5, 1964. Using a transmitter borrowed from channel 7 (now KRCR-TV), it provided educational television to nearly 20,000 students in 22 districts in four counties.