LoCO Staff / Today @ 2:22 p.m. / Media NO MORE PBS KIDS: KEET-TV Whittles Itself Down to One Single Broadcast Channel in Effort to Stay Alive
The KEET studios atop Humboldt Hill. Photo: Andrew Goff.
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CLARIFICATION! Our friends at KEET wish to make it clear that there will still be PBS Kids programming available on the main channel in the future — it’s just that the 24/7 PBS Kids Channelthat’s going away, along with the other channels mentioned.
“KEET PBS will still be airing PBS Kids programming from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. - 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, on KEET-HD,” they write.
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Press release from KEET-TV:
KEET PBS, the PBS station serving California’s Redwood Coast,announced today that it will consolidate its broadcast operations to a single channel beginningOctober 1, 2025. The move comes in response to unprecedented federal funding cuts andurgent equipment needs, as KEET works to preserve its most essential services for thecommunity.
Over the summer, KEET experienced a series of technical difficulties—including an extendedbroadcast outage and ongoing disruptions to its PBS KIDS channel—due to failures in agingtransmission equipment and critical servers. While immediate repairs have restored the mainsignal, station leadership determined that a more sustainable, long-term solution was needed.“As a small station with limited resources, we face a stark reality,” says David Gordon, executivedirector of KEET. “With the loss of 50% of our federal grant funding and escalating costs tomaintain and replace technical infrastructure, we had to make difficult choices to safeguard ourmission.”
Beginning October 1, KEET will broadcast exclusively on KEET HD (Channel 13.1). Theadditional channels—PBS KIDS, Create, FNX, and WORLD—will no longer be available. Thisdecision follows months of careful review by KEET’s board and management, with the goal ofpreserving uninterrupted access to PBS’s trusted news, educational programming, and culturalcontent.
The transition includes the installation of a new automated master control system, designed toenhance reliability and streamline operations. Viewers may notice some temporary disruptionsduring this upgrade, but KEET engineers are committed to minimizing impact and keeping thepublic informed.
“These changes, while difficult, ensure that KEET can remain a vital part of the RedwoodCoast’s media landscape,” says Gordon. “We remain dedicated to providing high-qualityprogramming, lifelong learning resources, and public service to all our viewers.”KEET invites the community to stay engaged and informed by visiting www.keet.org.
