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| City | Dallas, Texas |
| Channels | |
| Branding | KERA |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc. |
| Radio:KERA,KKXT,WRR | |
| History | |
First air date | September 11, 1960 (64 years ago) (1960-09-11) |
Former channel number(s) |
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| NET (1960–1970) | |
Call sign meaning | A new "ERA" in broadcasting |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 49324 |
| ERP | 975kW |
| HAAT | 514.4 m (1,688 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°32′36″N96°57′33″W / 32.54333°N 96.95917°W /32.54333; -96.95917 |
| Translator(s) | K26NK-DWichita Falls |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KERA-TV (channel 13) is aPBS membertelevision station licensed toDallas, Texas, United States, serving theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Owned by North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc., it issister toNPR member stationKERA (90.1 FM),adult album alternative stationKKXT (91.7 FM), andclassical music stationWRR (101.1 FM, which is operated under amanagement services agreement with theCity of Dallas). The stations share studios on Harry Hines Boulevard; KERA-TV's transmitter is located inCedar Hill, Texas.
TheVHF channel 13 allocation in the Dallas–Fort Worth market—which theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) reserved fornon-commercial educational use in its list of frequencies assigned for broadcast television transmissions—was originally applied for use bySouthern Methodist University in the late 1950s; however, the university had trouble raising enough funds for its planned educational station's start-up, programming and operational costs.
In 1958, theDallas Independent School District (DISD) partnered with localnonprofit corporation Area Education Television Foundation, Inc. (which later evolved into North Texas Public Broadcasting) to apply for the allocation.[2] In October of that year, W. T. White, then-superintendent of the DISD, announced that the station was slated to sign on the air by the beginning of the 1959–60 school year; programming on channel 13 was scheduled to includeSpanish-language instructional programming for area elementary school students.[2] The foundation had difficulty in meeting its fundraising goals to obtain start-up costs for the commencement of operations and broadcasts of its educational station; by May 1959, the foundation was said to be $265,000 short of its $890,000 target to cover the proposed station's first two years of broadcasting.[3]
The originallicense application filed by the organization-school district partnership had obtained permission from the FCC to operate the station from broadcast facilities located inFair Park (on land donated to the Area Educational Television Foundation and the DISD by the Dallas city government). However, in January 1960, the partnership applied for permission to broadcast from studios on Harry Hines Boulevard[4] that were set to be vacated byABC affiliateWFAA-TV (channel 8), which had been used by that station since its sign-on (asDuMont-Paramount affiliate KBTV) in September 1949.A. H. Belo Corporation was in the process of building new studio facilities at Young and Houston Streets to accommodate the operations of local newspaperThe Dallas Morning News, WFAA television, and its companion radio stations (570 AM, nowKLIF and 97.9 FM, nowKBFB; the latter of which ironically once held the KERA-FM call letters now used by KERA-TV's sister radio station on 90.1 FM).[5] The Dallas Independent School District purchased the building on Harry Hines for $400,000.
KERA-TV (the call letters are said to represent a "newera in broadcasting") signed on the air on September 11, 1960, originally serving as a member station ofNational Educational Television (NET).[6] It originally operated from temporary studio facilities at the Davis Building—located behind the original WFAA studios—in downtown Dallas, in two portable buildings that were made to resemble aschoolhouse. It also used the original transmission tower used by WFAA-TV from 1960 to 1971, before moving its transmitter to a tower inCedar Hill owned by then-independent stationKTVT (channel 11, now aCBSowned-and-operated station) until 2009, when KTVT moved its transmitter to a different tower site a short distance away. However, KERA's transmitter only produced a medium-power signal that covered Dallas and surrounding suburbs inDallas,Collin,Hunt,Rockwall,Ellis andKaufman counties. The station would migrate its operations to the Harry Hines Boulevard facility in April 1961.
During its first years of operation, KERA benefitted frequently through help from commercial broadcast stations in the Metroplex. The Dallas Independent School District also paid the station to carryinstructional telecourses that it would produce for broadcast on channel 13. The issues concerning channel 13's limited signal range would be resolved on August 31, 1970, when a new transmitter was installed that expanded KERA's signal coverage intoFort Worth and surrounding communities inTarrant,Denton,Wise,Parker,Hood andJohnson counties. That same year, KERA became a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which was launched as an independent entity to supersede NET and took over many of the functions of its predecessor network.
In 1974, KERA gained a sister station on radio, whenNational Public Radio stationKERA signed on the air on 90.1 FM; over time, KERA radio would expand its reach throughout North Texas through the launch of translators inWichita Falls,Tyler andSherman. That year, channel 13 became the first television station in the United States to broadcast episodes ofMonty Python's Flying Circus; the station is often credited with introducing theBritish comedy series to American audiences, which eventually gaveFlying Circus a cult following.[7]
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On September 1, 1988, North Texas Public Broadcasting signed onKDTN (channel 2) inDenton to serve as the market's secondary PBS member station, a project which the organization had been working on since May 1977, when it filed an FCC application for a construction permit to build an educational station on VHF channel 2 (North Texas Public Broadcasting would reach an agreement with its lone remaining competitor for the permit in 1984 to obtain the permit).[8] The organization primarily used KDTN to run educational and instructional programs that had previously filled much of KERA's daytime schedule, along with carrying some programs produced by theUniversity of North Texas (the KDTN studio facility was based on the university's campus). At that time, KERA shifted its schedule to offering primarily entertainment programming from PBS and other public television program distributors such asAmerican Public Television; channel 13 also identified Denton as part of the station's service area instation identifications during the period it operated KDTN.
After making the decision to divest the secondary outlet on the basis that its funding was no longer sufficient to continue operating two television stations in the Metroplex, North Texas Public Broadcasting sold KDTN to religious broadcasterDaystar—which bought the station in a $20 million deal in order to get a better signal in the market to replace its original flagship,KMPX (channel 29, now anEstrella TV affiliate), which it sold in turn—on August 12, 2003; the acquisition was finalized on January 13, 2004.[9][10][11][12]
Through a special arrangement, KERA announced plans to continue carrying programming sourced from the station over KDTN's digital signal, in order to free up bandwidth on KERA's main digital signal to allow the station to begin transmittinghigh-definition content on digital channel 13.1. This has never been utilized as improvements inmultiplexing technology have allowed a high-definition channel to exist with standard-definition channels, and KERA has had no need to use KDTN's bandwidth.
As a PBS member station, much of KERA's programming consists of educational and entertainment programming distributed by PBS to its member stations, which includeNOVA, thePBS NewsHour,Antiques Roadshow,Arthur,Frontline,Masterpiece,Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,Nature andSesame Street. While there is cross-promotion between KERA-TV and the KERA, KKXT and WRR radio stations, the radio properties conductpledge drives independent of those conducted by channel 13.
KERA airs children's programming from PBS and American Public Television on its main feed each Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as 24 hours a day on its PBS Kids-affiliated subchannel on digital channel 13.2.[13] KERA has the second-largest audience average for children's programming among public television stations in the United States, with its programs reaching over 350,000 children each week.[13][14][15]
KERA has long contributed original programming for distribution to the nationwide PBS system and individual member stations, including documentaries such asJFK: Breaking the News andMatisse and Picasso, the latter of which earned the station anEmmy Award nomination. The station also produced the PBS documentary seriesThe U.S.–Mexican War, which aired between 1995 and 2006.
Other programs from KERA's production department that have been distributed to public television stations throughout Texas and nationwide have includedThe Texas Debates,CEO (a monthly interview series hosted by Lee Cullum, airing on KERA television and radio, which features interviews withchief executives from the corporate and non-profit sectors in North Texas that inquires about how companies try to attain or maintain success in the current global marketplace, as well as leadership style and ethics) andThe Van Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold. It also producesFrame of Mind, a series co-produced by KERA's Art&Seek unit and the Video Association of Dallas, which showcasesindependent films,documentaries andvideo shorts from Texas-based filmmakers.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: the history of KERA-TV's news operation. You can help byadding to it.(May 2014) |
KERA-TV became one of the earliest educational television stations in the U.S. to establish a news department on February 16, 1970, when it premieredNewsroom, a half-hour 6 p.m. newscast that aired Monday through Friday evenings, and was based on a similar program that aired onSan Francisco PBS member stationKQED. In October 1976, the program was relaunched as a half-hour prime time newscast under the titleThe 9 O'Clock Report, predating the move of then-independent station KTVT's late evening newscast to the 9 p.m. timeslot in August 1990. Within months of the change, channel 13 moved its evening newscast two hours earlier to 7 p.m. on January 31, 1977 (with the move, the program was briefly retitled asThe 7 O'Clock Report, before becoming13 Report the following month). KERA shut down its news department on September 21, 1977.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Programming service | Short name | Res. | Aspect | Programming description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.1 |  KERA HD | KERA-HD | 1080i | 16:9 | Main programming schedule inhigh definition; downconverted at the provider level for an equivalentstandard definition channel. |
| 13.2 |  KERA Kids | KIDS | 480i | PBS Kids Channel programming; formerly carriedWorld from 2009 until the PBS Kids Channel launched on January 16, 2017. | |
| 13.3 |  KERA Create | Create | Programming from the how-to and lifestyle network. Launched January 14, 2016. | ||
| 13.4 |  KERA World | World | Programming fromWorld. Launched July 1, 2021. |
KERA began broadcasting and transmitting adigital television signal onUHF channel 14 on December 14, 2000.[17] The station shut down its analog signal, overVHF channel 13, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 14, usingvirtual channel 13.[18]
Prior to the sign-on of the station's Wichita Falls translator, KERA had maintained a unique arrangement to distribute its programming to northwest Texas and southwestern Oklahoma, which was one of the few areas of the United States that did not have a PBS member station of its own. Wichita Falls Educational Translator, Inc., a group headed by longtimeState Representative Ray Farabee, launchedKIDZ-TV on UHF channel 24 on November 13, 1973;[19] the station maintained a full-power license, but operated at aneffective radiated power of only 2.82 kilowatts, producing a signal that had limited coverage propagation from the transmitter equivalent to that of many low-power stations.[20] Before the expansion of cable television into the area, the goals were simple; among them, to make the popular children's programSesame Street available to viewers in Wichita Falls (at the time, it was standard for PBS to offer programs to commercial stations in areas that did not have public television service; but none of the three commercial stations in the Wichita Falls-Lawton market—NBC affiliateKFDX-TV (channel 3),CBS affiliateKAUZ-TV (channel 6) or ABC affiliateKSWO-TV (channel 7)—were interested). The local group had planned to apply for and build a translator to extend the KIDZ signal into the area. At the time, translators were only allowed to use signals picked up off the air, and KERA's signal was marginal at best in that part of North Texas.
KIDZ-TV shared tower space with KAUZ-TV, with the transmitter rebroadcasting KERA-TV's programming during the hours that KAUZ when was broadcasting, roughly between 6 a.m. and midnight. This meant that some specials that KERA aired on weekend evenings were interrupted before their conclusion when the KAUZ engineers (who tended channel 24 as a public service) switched off the transmitters for the night and went home.
By the late 1970s, the FCC updated its broadcast translator regulations to allow a microwave relay to be used to feed programming transmissions to the translator station. KERA was therefore able to build its own translator in Wichita Falls, also on channel 24, asK24AD. The translator provided a better signal quality and could operate throughout KERA's designated broadcast hours. The repeater moved to UHF channel 44 in 2005, at which point it changed its call sign toK44GS. In September 2009, the FCC granted a construction permit to North Texas Public Broadcasting to convert K44GS to digital transmissions; the permit remained valid until September 2012 (the current occupant of channel 24, K24HH-D, is unrelated to K24AD or the earlier KIDZ-TV).[21] In summer of 2018, the callsign changed toK26NK-D.
On December 18, 2020, two transmission towers that housed the transmitter facilities of K26NK-D and Fox affiliateKJTL (channel 18) were vandalized when an unidentified suspect cut guy wires attached to both facilities; the tower belonging to K26NK-D as well as localNOAA Weather Radio station WXK31 later collapsed due to a lack of wire support to buffer it from winds gusting to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) in the area. (The KJTL tower was able to remain standing in the strong winds, as the vandal had cut only two wires on that facility.) The translator remained off the air until May 6, 2021, when KERA restored service to K26NK-D on a separate tower north of Seymour Highway (near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line) in southwestern Wichita Falls.[22]
In October 2009, North Texas Public Broadcasting filed an application with the FCC for a license to operate a KERA translator in Tyler. The license application requested for the translator to operate on UHF channel 25.[23] The application was dismissed in March 2011.[24] Two additional applications are still pending for repeaters on UHF channels 35 and 44, but no apparent actions have been taken on these applications to date.[25][26]
KERA-TV serves as the default PBS member station for several markets inNorth andWest Texas that do not have a locally based PBS member station, includingAbilene,San Angelo and theTyler–Longview–Lufkin–Nacogdoches DMA, as well as the Texas side of theSherman–Ada market. KERA is also available oncable inHillsboro,Waco andTexarkana.[citation needed]
KERA Passport is a localized version of the PBS Passportvideo-on-demand service that offers expansive access to video content for KERA member donors who contribute $60 or more annually or at least $5 in ongoing monthly donations to KERA-TV and KERA radio.[27] Introduced in 2016,[28] KERA Passport allows members to save shows available for streaming on the platform to a watchlist, view archived programs (such asDownton Abbey,NOVA,Call the Midwife,Austin City Limits,Frontline andAmerican Masters), and watch favorited programs online and through the PBS Passport app.
Tellyspotting is a blog operated by KERA that provides news aboutBritish television series (many of which – specifically those aired as part of the PBSwheel seriesMasterpiece, such asVictoria andSherlock – are carried by KERA-TV, or its traditional block ofBritcoms), detailing new and upcoming programs, and news and articles about British-originated programs aggregated from around the Internet.
KERA maintains several digital resources available for use by local schools and organizations serving children and families across North Texas. "Ready for Life" is a multimedia initiative that provides resources for parents, teachers and caregivers to prepare school-age children to live healthy and socially enriched lives, offering training modules on temperament, attachment and socialization, early literacy and nutrition and fitness; a 60-minute documentary; books; and Spanish-language materials.[29]
The "Summer Learning Challenge" is an annual initiative targeted at families and organized with participating North Texas nonprofits. Participants are required to complete a series of online PBS-related activities and challenges, while families are encouraged to read books, prepare recipes and take part in KERA-recommended summer activities together.[14]
In March–April 2016, KERA held the Dallas-Fort Worth iteration of theCyberchase Step It Up! program, in partnership with theBoys & Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth and the Blue Zones Project, which was designed to inspire kids and educators to find opportunities to work more steps in their regular day while learning about math.[14] In June 2016, KERA hosted and sponsored an event at theTrinity River Audubon Center (TRAC) for 120 children from lower-income and immigrant families, in which participants engaged in educational activities centered around theTrinity River.[14]
KERA also hosts various screenings related to television programs and focused on community engagement. In the fall of 2016, KERA hosted two screenings of the documentaryWillie Velásquez: Your Vote is Your Voice. In March 2016, KERA partnered with theTexas Rangers Baseball Foundation to present two screenings of theKen Burns documentaryJackie Robinson, which chronicled the life and contributions of the first African American to play inMajor League Baseball.[14] In April 2017, KERA hosted a screening for Burns' multi-part documentary film,The Vietnam War.
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