KAKM


KAKM, virtual channel 7, is a Public Broadcasting Service member television station licensed to Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Owned by Alaska Public Media, it is sister to National Public Radio member station KSKA. The two outlets 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, 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.

History

KAKM first started regular transmissions on May 7, 1975. Previously, PBS programming had been offered to Anchorage stations on per-program basis..
KAKM became the flagship station of Alaska Public Television, the successor to AlaskaOne, replacing KUAC-TV in Fairbanks, on July 1, 2012. As a result, KTOO-TV became a full-time satellite of KAKM. The other AlaskaOne station, low-power television station KYUK-LD in Bethel, also rebroadcasts KAKM, but it broadcasts the Alaska Rural Communications Service on its second digital subchannel in place of Create.

Station presentation

Digital television

The stations' digital signals are multiplexed:

KAKM digital channels

KTOO-TV digital channels

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.

Analog-to-digital conversion

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