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 leased some of its studio space to KHOU, a CBS affiliate owned by Tegna, 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 and was 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, and later 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 large collection of old films and videos. Some of these films are over 50 years old, and many videos are more than 30 years old. Some of the films are starting 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 turn 25 films into digital copies, with a focus on films about Texas.

Original productions

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

Technical information

Subchannels

KUHT’s signal is shared with other stations:

Broadcast on behalf of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

KUHT started 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 change to digital television across the country. After this change, KUHT moved its digital signal from channel 9 to channel 8.

In 2009, KUHT asked to build special transmitters in Beaumont and Victoria to bring PBS service to those cities, but these plans were not continued after the permits expired.