KAKM

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

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).<ref name=tvbr-kuacnoalaska1>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> 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

• KAKM 1 Blue.jpg

  KAKM's former "Line 7" logo, in blue

• KAKM 1.png

  KAKM's former "Line 7" logo, in mauve

• KAKM 2.png

  KAKM's former "Line 7" logo, with sister station KSKA

Technical information

The stations' signals are multiplexed:

KAKM subchannels

<section begin=kakmsubs />

citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref> and KTVA<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Channel		Res.	Aspect	Short name	Programming
Template:Small	Template:Small
7.1	11.1	1080i	16:9	KAKM-HD	PBS
7.2	11.2	480i		Create	Create
7.3	11.3			KTOO360	360 North
7.4	11.4	1080i		24_7HD	PBS Kids

<section end=kakmsubs />

KTOO-TV subchannels

citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>	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

citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>	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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Analog-to-digital conversion

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:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 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

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

KAKM translators

• Girdwood: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility
• Homer: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility
• Kasilof: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility
• Kenai: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility
• Ninilchik: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility
• Sitka: Template:FCC-LMS-Facility

External links

• Template:Official website