KVIE


KVIE, virtual channel 6, is a Public Broadcasting Service member television station licensed to Sacramento, California, United States. The station is owned by KVIE, Inc., a community-based non-profit organization that is governed by a volunteer board of directors. KVIE's studios are located on West El Camino Avenue in the Natomas district of Sacramento, and its transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.

History

The station was incorporated in 1955 as Central California Educational Television and first signed on the air on February 23, 1959. The letters "VI" in the KVIE call letters represent the Roman numerals for the station's then-channel number, "6", and the "E" stands for "education". During its early years, it only ran daily programming during the afternoon and evening hours and nearly all day on weekends. By the end of the 1970s, KVIE expanded its programming throughout the daytime hours, and in the mid-1980s moved to a 24-hour daily schedule. KVIE served as the default PBS member station via cable television for northwestern Nevada before KNPB signed on in 1983.
In addition to PBS programming, KVIE produces in-house programs for distribution locally, regionally and nationwide. Among its current and past series include Studio Sacramento, America's Heartland, ViewFinder, Central Valley Chronicles, California Heartland, Rob on the Road, New Valley, California Connected, and Arts Showcase.
As with all public media entities, KVIE raises funds with occasional pledge drives, along with an annual televised art auction every September. Previously, a summer auction from various venues was also used for fundraising.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
ChannelVideoAspectPSIP Short NameProgramming
6.11080iKVIE-HDMain KVIE programming / PBS
6.2480iKVIE2KVIE 2
6.3480iKVIEWLDWorld
6.4480iKVIEKIDPBS Kids

On June 17, 2011, KVIE became the first broadcaster in the Sacramento–Stockton–Modesto television market to launch a Mobile DTV channel with the launch of KVIE-GO.

Analog-to-digital conversion

KVIE shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 6, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 53, which was among the high band UHF channels that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to VHF channel 9, using PSIP to display KVIE's virtual channel as 6 on digital television receivers. Prior to the transition, the audio feed of KVIE was audible at 87.7 FM in Sacramento and surrounding areas.