Wikipedia
KBTC-TV is an American public television station in Tacoma, Washington. It is the secondary Public Broadcasting Service member station in the Seattle-Tacoma market. It broadcasts on digital channel 27 (remapping to its analog channel number, 28, using PSIP), and Comcast cable channel 12. Its offices and broadcasting center are located on the campus of owner Bates Technical College. The property was purchased from KSTW when that station moved to Renton in 2001.
Bates Technical College also owns full-time satellite KCKA (digital 19, virtual 15) in Centralia. KBTC's programming is also repeated on low-powered signals K41KT-D channel 41 Grays River (serving the inland areas of Wahkiakum and Pacific Counties, as well as northern Clatsop County, Oregon) and K24IC-D channel 24 Bellingham (serving the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands regions, as well as Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia, from Mount Constitution). Both repeaters remap to PSIP channel 28.
In addition to reaching a local over-the-air audience, KBTC is transmitted to Comcast Cable viewers in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, and many areas of southwest Washington.
The station originally signed on the air September 25, 1961 as KTPS-TV, owned by the Tacoma Public Schools (licensed under the district's official name, "Tacoma School District No. 10"). Previous to that time, KTPS had operated on Channel 62. Bates took over in 1992 and changed the calls to KBTC on October 12, 1992.
KBTC's scheduled programming is digital-only, effective June 12, 2009. However KBTC-TV continued its analog signal as part of the FCC's "Nightlight" program, running a DTV transition guide.
On November 1, 2009, KBTC began broadcasting in 1080i HD on 28.1, with MHz Worldview appearing on subchannel 28.2. A documentary channel was broadcast on 28.3 and Create on 28.4, but were soon removed due to the increased bandwidth required for the HD broadcast on 28.1.
On May 15, 2010, K24IC-D began broadcasting in 1080i HD from Mount Constitution.
On December 6, 2010, KBTC added TVW on subchannel 28.3.
On June 19, 2012, KBTC added a low power, 1 kW, transmitter on channel 16 to serve Seattle.
On January 28, 2016, KBTC added NHK World on subchannel 28.2. MHz Worldview was shifted to 28.3, and TVW moved to 28.4.