Nebraska Educational Telecommunications

NET (Nebraska Educational Telecommunications)
Statewide Nebraska
Branding	NET
Channels	Analog: (various, see article) Digital: (various, see FCC data in "External Links")
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission
Founded	November 1, 1954
Former affiliations	NET (1954-1970)
Transmitter Power	(see FCC data in "External Links")
Website	netnebraska.org

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) is a statewide public broadcasting network of radio and television stations in the state of Nebraska, based out of Lincoln. The network is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission, which owns the license for all but one station in the network. The license of the network's flagship station, KUON-TV in Lincoln, is owned by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The network is headquartered in the Terry M. Carpenter Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Center in downtown Lincoln, and also operates a studio in Omaha.

History

Television

Nebraska was one of the first states in the nation to begin the groundwork for educational broadcasting. The University of Nebraska successfully applied to have channel 18 in Lincoln allocated for educational use in 1951. However, in 1954, John Fetzer, owner of KOLN-TV, offered to donate his station's old channel location on channel 12 (it had recently moved to channel 10) to NU. This allowed UNL to use more signal at less cost. UNL quickly jumped at this proposal, and KUON-TV went on the air on November 1 from KOLN-TV's studios. It was operated in trust for NU until 1956. In 1960, the Nebraska Council for Educational Television was created by six school districts in Nebraska. By 1961, 5 VHF and 3 UHF channels were allocated for educational use in Nebraska --the largest set ever approved for educational use in a single state. In 1963, the state legislature, per a committee's recommendation, approved plans for a statewide educational television network under the control of the Nebraska Educational Television Commission. A deal was quickly reached in which Lincoln's KUON-TV would remain under the ownership of UNL, but serve as the new network's flagship. In 1965, KLNE-TV in Lexington became the first station in the new network, followed a few months later by KYNE-TV in Omaha. The network grew quickly; six stations signed on from 1966 to 1968 to complete the network. It began a full seven-day schedule in 1969.

1975 NBC logo and the Nebraska ETV logo, circa 1976

In 1975, NBC unveiled a new logo that was identical to the Nebraska ETV logo, but for the blue coloring of the right trapezoid in the NBC logo. The commission sued NBC for trademark infringement, a suit which generated national attention. In an out-of-court settlement, NBC donated a color mobile unit and other equipment totaling over $800,000. NBC paid an additional $55,000 to reimburse the commission for the costs of eliminating the old logo from all advertising. Nebraska ETV's new logo was unveiled in 1976. A CPB study, Study of School use of Television and Video, found Reading Rainbow (a co-production of NET and Buffalo's WNED-TV until 2006) to be the most used and viewed children's television program in America during the 1990-1991 school year.

Radio

The Educational Television Commission had its mission broadened to radio in 1984, but it was 1989 before it could begin the groundwork for building a radio network. That year, Lincoln's NPR member station, KUCV (on the air since 1974), was transferred from Union College to UNL. In 1990, public radio stations opened in Alliance, Lexington, Columbus, Norfolk and Hastings. North Platte, Bassett, Merriman and Chadron followed in 1991. The entire Nebraska Public Radio Network (NPRN) was formally dedicated on October 8 in a special ceremony, broadcasted live on NPRN and NETV.
The Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Facilities Corporation was established to facilitate lease/purchase of the GTE SpaceNet 3 transponder.

Television stations

NET Television logo

There are nine full-power analog broadcast stations in the network:

The network also has 14 low-power repeater signals.

Radio stations

NET Radio logo

NET Radio is governed by the NET Commission and the NET Foundation for Radio Board. It is comprised of all of the NPR member stations in the state except for KIOS in Omaha. There are nine full-power stations in the network:

The network also has five low-power repeater signals.

Digital TV

The digital channels of NET's main stations are multiplexed:

Digital channels

External links

• Nebraska Educational Telecommunications
• NET Television
• NET Television History
• NET Radio
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KUON
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KHNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KLNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KMNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KPNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KRNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KTNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KXNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KYNE