KBTC-TV

KBTC-TV and KCKA
KBTC-TV: Tacoma–Seattle, Washington; KCKA: Centralia, Washington; ; United States;
Channels for KBTC-TV	Digital: 27 (UHF); Virtual: 28;
Channels for KCKA	Digital: 19 (UHF); Virtual: 15;
Branding	KBTC PBS
Programming
Affiliations	28.1/15.1: PBS; for others, see § Subchannels;
Ownership
Owner	Bates Technical College
History
First air date	KBTC-TV: September 25, 1961; KCKA: October 2, 1982;
Former call signs	KBTC-TV: KTPS (1961–1979); KTPS-TV (1979–1980); KTPS (1980–1992); ;
Former channel number	KBTC-TV: Analog: 62 (UHF, 1961–1982), 28 (UHF, 1982–2009); KCKA: Analog: 15 (UHF, 1982–2009);
Former affiliations	NET (1961–1970)
Call sign meaning	KBTC-TV: Bates Technical College; KCKA: Centralia, Kelso and Aberdeen;
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	KBTC-TV: 62469; KCKA: 62468;
ERP	KBTC-TV: 100 kW; 575 kW (CP); ; KCKA: 187 kW; 353 kW (CP); ;
HAAT	KBTC-TV: 220 m (722 ft); 231 m (758 ft) (CP); ; KCKA: 347 m (1,138 ft);
Transmitter coordinates	KBTC-TV: 47°16′43.4″N 122°30′46.4″W / 47.278722°N 122.512889°W; KCKA: 46°33′15″N 123°3′30″W / 46.55417°N 123.05833°W;
Translator	see § Translators
Links
Public license information	KBTC-TV: Public file; LMS; ; KCKA: Public file; LMS; ;
Website	www.kbtc.org

KBTC-TV (channel 28) is a television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, serving the Seattle area as a member of PBS. Owned by Bates Technical College, KBTC-TV maintains studios and transmitter facilities separately in Tacoma, with studios at the Advanced Technology Center (Building B) on the Central/Mohler campus of Bates Technical College on South 19th Street on the city's south side and the transmitter on North 35th Street on the northwest side of the city. KBTC-TV is also broadcast on KCKA (channel 19) in Centralia, serving areas to the south and west of the Tacoma transmitter, and three other translators, one of them in central Seattle.

KBTC-TV is the secondary PBS member for the Seattle–Tacoma market, with Seattle-based KCTS-TV (channel 9) acting as the primary member. Through PBS' Program Differentiation Plan, a policy which addresses multi-station markets, KBTC-TV carries only 25% of the programming broadcast by the network. In addition to reaching a local over-the-air audience, KBTC-TV is available on Comcast Cable in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, and in many areas of southwestern Washington.

KBTC-TV was established by Tacoma Public Schools as KTPS on UHF channel 62 in 1961. A major facility upgrade in the early 1980s moved the station down the UHF dial to channel 28 and increased its broadcast range by adding a translator station. KTPS became KBTC after Bates Technical College was split from the school system in 1991.