WKYU-TV (channel 24) is a secondary PBS member television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. Owned by Western Kentucky University as an arm of its Information Technology department, it is a sister station to NPR member network WKU Public Radio and its flagship station WKYU-FM. The two outlets share studios on College Heights Boulevard on the WKU campus; WKYU-TV's transmitter is located north of Bowling Green along KY 185, on a tower shared with ABC/Fox/CW+ affiliate WBKO (channel 13) and Telemundo affiliate WBGS-LD (channel 34).
WKYU-TV is a member of PBS' Program Differentiation Plan (PDP), previously known as the "Beta" group; as the Bowling Green market's secondary PBS station, it only airs 25% of the network's schedule.
History
The Broadcasting and Mass Media Department of Western Kentucky University was granted a construction permit by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 28, 1986, to build a public television station under the chosen callsign WKYU-TV to match that of its pre-existing NPR member outlet WKYU-FM. Plans for the opening of the television station dated back to about ten years prior. Under the director of Dr. Chuck Anderson, the station was established as an addition to the university's extensive broadcast program that already established a network of four NPR member stations in the state. Transmission equipment for the station was pre-installed at ABC affiliate WBKO's tower site in 1988 to keep the start-up costs to a minimum.
WKYU-TV would not only compete against locally based Kentucky Educational Television (KET) station WKGB-TV (channel 53), but also be a source for locally produced public affairs programming focusing solely on the south-central Kentucky area. The station signed on the air for the first time on January 17, 1989. Upon its inception, it became the second PBS member station within Kentucky that was separate from statewide PBS-member network KET, but then became the only one remaining in Kentucky when KET acquired Louisville's WKPC-TV in 1997.
The station's digital signal was activated over UHF digital channel 18 on May 1, 2003.
After years of branding as "WKYU-TV" or WKYU PBS for most of its history, the station rebranded as WKU PBS in 2013, using the university's logo along with the PBS icon.
WKYU-DT2 and DT3
In 2010, WKYU-TV began airing the Create TV channel that is syndicated by American Public Television on their second digital subchannel, replacing the audio-only simulcast of WKU Public Radio. The Create TV channel features how-to programs and some cooking and travel shows, as well as PBS NewsHour, which is broadcast on the DT2 subchannel in order to make room for local programming on the main channel.
Around the same time, WKYU-DT3 began featuring the National Weather Service Fort Campbell weather radar on the screen, and simulcasting NOAA Weather Radio station KIH-45, which operates on 162.400 MHz on the weather band radio dial. It was also previously simulcast on a fourth digital subchannel before the fourth subchannel was discontinued in late 2010. In 2017, the radar display was upgraded to use GRLevel3 software, discontinuing use of the web image.
Programming
WKYU-TV's program schedule consists mainly of a handful of PBS programs, including a few PBS Kids programs, as well as programs syndicated by American Public Television. Its program schedule for the day was previously posted on "Community Calendar" slides shown with audio of WKU Public Radio during that station's daily downtime from 3 to 7 a.m. CT (11 p.m. to 7 a.m. before 2012). This practice ended in 2016, when WKYU-TV began to broadcast actual programming 24 hours a day.
Notable local programming
WKYU-TV's local programming includes public affairs programs such as: MainStreet – a look at happenings around the region Outlook – interview show Coach's Corner – magazine-style program involving WKU athletics (seasonal) Lost River Sessions – Emmy award-winning concert-style show.