KUHT

KUHT (channel 8) is a PBS member television station in Houston, Texas, United States. It is owned by the University of Houston System and works closely with NPR member station KUHF (88.7 FM). Both stations share studios in the LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting on the University of Houston campus.

From August 2017 to February 2019, KUHT let KHOU, a CBS affiliate owned by Tegna, use some of its studio space. This happened because Hurricane Harvey damaged KHOU's original studios.

KUHT is important because it was the first public television station in the United States. It also serves nearby areas like Beaumont–Port Arthur and Victoria, which do not have their own PBS stations. The station can be seen on cable and satellite in these regions.

History

The station was started by two professors at the University of Houston and first aired on May 25, 1953. It was the first station in the United States to broadcast under an educational non-profit license. It was also one of the earliest stations to join National Educational Television, which later became PBS. It shared its early home with an FM station, KUHF, in a building on the university campus.

In 1970, PBS began, bringing popular shows like Sesame Street, NOVA, and Masterpiece Theatre. KUHT was the first in Houston to add closed captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in 1981. Later, it added special audio services for people who are blind or have low vision. In 2000, KUHT moved to its current home in the LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, where it shares space with KUHF. In 2014, the station changed its name to Houston Public Media.

Film library

KUHT has a big collection of old films and videos. Some of these films are more than 50 years old, and many videos are older than 30 years. Some of the films are beginning to break down.

In September 2010, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission gave the University of Houston $25,000 to help save these films. This money will be used to make digital copies of 25 films, especially ones about Texas.

Original productions

KUHT has made many special shows for PBS. Some of these shows are Cucina Sicilia, InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse, Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop, Space Station, The Story of Jesse H. Jones, and Weeknight Edition. These shows show the station's creativity and storytelling.

Technical information

Subchannels

KUHT shares its signal with other stations.

Analog-to-digital conversion

KUHT began its digital signal on channel 9 on May 12, 2001. The station stopped its old analog signal on channel 8 on June 12, 2009, as part of a switch to digital television nationwide. After this change, KUHT moved its digital signal from channel 9 to channel 8.

In 2009, KUHT planned to build special transmitters in Beaumont and Victoria to bring PBS service to those cities, but these plans stopped when the permits expired.