Southern Oregon PBS

Southern Oregon PBS, formerly known as Southern Oregon Public Television or SOPTV, is a nonprofit public television network serving communities in southern Oregon. Its broadcast operation consists of KSYS, channel 8, licensed to Medford, and KFTS, channel 22, licensed to Klamath Falls. The stations are owned by Southern Oregon Public Television, Inc., and operate from studios on South Fir Street in downtown Medford. The network serves two geographically challenging markets divided by mountainous terrain and large rural areas. KSYS provides the primary service, while KFTS functions as a full-time satellite for the Klamath Falls area. KFTS generally does not originate a separate schedule; apart from Federal Communications Commission-required hourly identification announcements, it rebroadcasts KSYS programming. A network of translators extends the service to additional communities, including Brookings, Cave Junction, Gold Hill, Grants Pass, Phoenix, Pinehurst, Prospect, Ruch, Shady Cove, and Williams. Southern Oregon PBS distributes a mixture of nationally supplied PBS programs, locally produced material, American Public Television offerings, and programming from other public-media distributors. It also participates in The Oregon Channel, a public-affairs service carrying Oregon legislative sessions and other government-related events. Although the stations are based in Oregon, they are independent of Oregon Public Broadcasting and are the only public television stations in the state that are not OPB affiliates. They sometimes broadcast selected OPB programs. The network emerged from a lengthy effort to establish noncommercial television in a part of Oregon that had previously lacked a full public television station. In the 1960s, Oregon Educational Broadcasting, the predecessor of OPB, encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to move channel 8 from Brookings to Medford. The state initially sought to use the channel as part of its educational television network, but commercial applicants also pursued it. After a contested licensing process, a nonprofit organization eventually acquired the construction permit and launched KSYS in January 1977. Klamath Falls was initially served by a low-power translator. Southern Oregon Educational Company, the organization behind KSYS and the predecessor of Southern Oregon Public Television, later pursued a full-power station for the Klamath Valley. KFTS began broadcasting in January 1989, creating the two-station structure that remains the foundation of the network. The stations completed their transition from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009. KSYS moved its digital transmission from UHF to VHF channel 8 after terrain-related reception problems, while KFTS retained its digital assignment on channel 33 and continued to use virtual channel 22. In 2018, the network adjusted KSYS's physical digital channel as part of the nationwide television spectrum repack. In December 2019, the organization adopted the Southern Oregon PBS identity in line with a broader PBS effort to make member stations' community roles clearer. The organization remains an active regional public broadcaster focused on educational, cultural, public-affairs, and general-interest programming for southern Oregon.

The origins of Southern Oregon PBS lie in a 1960s effort to extend educational television to the southern part of Oregon. At that time, Oregon Educational Broadcasting, the predecessor of Oregon Public Broadcasting, operated stations including KOAC-TV in Corvallis and KOAP-TV in Portland. Southern Oregon was the only major region of the state without public television coverage, so the organization persuaded the Federal Communications Commission to reassign channel 8 from Brookings to Medford. The intention was to make the channel the third station in a statewide educational television network. The Medford channel was not initially reserved for noncommercial use. The Medford Printing Company, owner of the Mail Tribune newspaper and radio station KYCJ, applied for it, as did a partnership between Liberty Television, owner of KEZI in Eugene and several cable systems, and Medford-based Siskiyou Broadcasting. Both commercial applicants proposed an ABC-affiliated station. The Oregon Board of Higher Education also applied, while Southern Oregon Broadcasting Company, owner of KTVM channel 5, objected on the grounds that another commercial station could damage its business. The FCC scheduled the competing applications for a hearing in December 1967. The state withdrew its application in May 1968, and Medford Printing did not respond to the commission's proceedings. In 1969, the FCC awarded the construction permit to Liberty Television and Siskiyou Broadcasting. The permit remained tied up by objections from KOBI, the station formerly known as KTVM. The final petition for reconsideration was not rejected until March 1971. By then, Liberty had become reluctant to construct KSYS, partly because the market was small and the growth of cable television reduced the perceived need for a third commercial outlet. A nonprofit group called Southern Oregon Educational Company eventually acquired the permit from Liberty. Local commercial broadcasters Bill Smullin of KOBI and Ray Johnson of KMED-TV, now KTVL, assisted the nonprofit effort and pledged payments of $50,000 once the station began operating. Financing and equipment procurement nevertheless proved difficult. The organization was reportedly unable to rely on expected federal support because of concerns about the relationship between the nonprofit applicant and commercial broadcasters. With the construction permit approaching expiration, the organization completed enough of the project to launch KSYS on January 17, 1977. Its transmitter was initially located near the Jackson–Josephine county line and operated with a powerful signal for the region. The FCC later redesignated channel 8 for noncommercial use in December 1977 and assigned channel 12 to Medford for a future commercial network station. That commercial allocation ultimately contributed to the creation of KDRV. Meanwhile, Southern Oregon's public television service continued under the nonprofit operator. Southern Oregon Educational Company was later renamed Southern Oregon Public Television, Inc. Klamath Falls was first served through a low-power translator. In 1986, the organization applied for a full-power station to provide more robust coverage of the Klamath Valley. KFTS began broadcasting in January 1989 from a transmitter south of Klamath Falls. It subsequently became a full-time satellite of KSYS, allowing the network to serve both sides of the southern Oregon market without maintaining two fully separate program schedules. The stations carry PBS programs alongside local productions, American Public Television content, and programming from other distributors. They also participate in The Oregon Channel, a public-affairs network whose schedule includes Oregon legislative proceedings and related government events. The stations are independent of Oregon Public Broadcasting, although they occasionally air OPB programs. This makes them distinctive within Oregon's public television landscape. The network completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on February 17, 2009, the original nationwide deadline before the final transition date was postponed. KSYS discontinued its analog VHF channel 8 signal and later returned its digital signal to VHF channel 8 after UHF reception was affected by the region's difficult terrain. KFTS ended analog broadcasting on channel 22 and retained digital operation on channel 33 while using virtual channel 22. In 2018, KSYS changed its physical digital channel as part of the federal spectrum repack, although viewers' on-screen channel metadata generally continued to identify the service as channel 8. In December 2019, Southern Oregon Public Television adopted the Southern Oregon PBS name. The change was part of a national PBS initiative intended to help member stations communicate their local roles more clearly. The Southern Oregon PBS brand now represents KSYS, KFTS, and the associated translator network serving a broad and mountainous portion of the state.

1. 2019Southern Oregon PBS brand launches

   Southern Oregon Public Television adopted Southern Oregon PBS as its public-facing identity in December.

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2. 2018KSYS changes physical digital channel

   KSYS changed its physical digital channel during the federally mandated spectrum repack.

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3. 2009Digital television transition

   KSYS and KFTS ended analog broadcasting and moved to digital transmission as part of the United States television transition.

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4. 1989KFTS begins broadcasting

   KFTS launched as a full-power station serving Klamath Falls and the surrounding valley.

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5. 1986Application for a Klamath Falls station

   The nonprofit operator applied for a full-power station to improve public television coverage in the Klamath Valley.

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6. 1977KSYS signs on

   Southern Oregon Educational Company launched KSYS on January 17, establishing full-power public television service in Medford.

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7. 1971Final challenge to the permit is rejected

   The FCC denied the last petition from KOBI opposing construction of the proposed Medford station.

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8. 1969Commercial applicants receive the construction permit

   The FCC awarded the Medford channel 8 construction permit to Liberty Television and Siskiyou Broadcasting after a contested application process.

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9. 1965Channel 8 is reassigned to Medford

   Oregon Educational Broadcasting persuaded the FCC to move channel 8 from Brookings to Medford as part of an effort to bring public television to southern Oregon.

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A regional nonprofit PBS broadcaster providing educational, cultural, public-affairs, and general-interest television to rural and geographically dispersed communities in southern Oregon.

• KSYSPublic television station1977

  KSYS is Southern Oregon PBS's primary full-power television station, licensed to Medford and serving the broader Rogue Valley and surrounding southern Oregon communities. It originates the schedule that is retransmitted by KFTS and is distributed through a network of digital translators. Its programming combines PBS content with local, public-affairs, educational, and independently distributed programming.

• KFTSPublic television station1989

  KFTS is the network's full-power station serving Klamath Falls and the Klamath Valley. It operates as a full-time satellite of KSYS rather than maintaining an independent program schedule. The station provides Southern Oregon PBS programming to viewers in an area separated from Medford by substantial distance and difficult terrain.

• Translator networkBroadcast retransmission service

  Southern Oregon PBS supplements its full-power stations with translators serving smaller and more geographically isolated communities. Listed translator locations include Brookings, Cave Junction, Gold Hill, Grants Pass, Phoenix, Pinehurst, Prospect, Ruch and Applegate, Shady Cove, and Williams. The network helps extend over-the-air access across mountainous and rural terrain.

• The Oregon ChannelPublic-affairs television service

  The Oregon Channel is a public-affairs network in which Southern Oregon PBS participates. Its programming includes Oregon legislative sessions and other public-affairs events. The service was previously carried on an additional digital subchannel before becoming available exclusively through cable distribution.

• 2019Adopt the Southern Oregon PBS brandStrategy

  PBS encouraged member stations to use clearer community-oriented identities that would explain their local role to audiences.

  What changed. Southern Oregon Public Television began using Southern Oregon PBS as its collective public brand.

  Aftermath. The new identity unified the public presentation of KSYS, KFTS, and the associated regional service footprint.

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• 2018Implement the television spectrum repackStrategy

  A federally mandated repack required television stations to change certain physical digital channel assignments.

  What changed. Southern Oregon PBS moved KSYS's physical digital transmission assignment from channel 42 to channel 34.

  Aftermath. The station continued to be identified to viewers primarily through its virtual channel 8 metadata.

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• 2009Complete the transition to digital broadcastingStrategy

  Federal policy required full-power television stations in the United States to end analog broadcasting and adopt digital transmission.

  What changed. KSYS ended its analog VHF channel 8 service and KFTS ended its analog channel 22 service. KSYS later used VHF channel 8 for digital broadcasting because of reception limitations associated with UHF transmission in the region.

  Aftermath. The two stations continued operating as digital public television services, with KSYS retaining channel 8 as its virtual viewer-facing identity and KFTS using virtual channel 22.

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• 2019Southern Oregon Public Television adopts Southern Oregon PBS identity

  The organization rebranded as Southern Oregon PBS in December as part of a broader PBS station-branding initiative.

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• 1989KFTS launches full-power service in Klamath Falls

  KFTS went on the air as a full-power station serving the Klamath Valley and later operated as a full-time satellite of KSYS.

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• 1977KSYS begins broadcasting in Medford

  KSYS signed on as a nonprofit television station, establishing full-power public television service for southern Oregon.

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1. Southern Oregon PBS