KAET
KAET is an Arizona State University-owned PBS member television station serving Phoenix and much of Arizona.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
KAET is a public television station licensed to Phoenix, Arizona, and owned by Arizona State University. It is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service and is widely presented to viewers under the Arizona PBS brand. The station broadcasts from facilities associated with ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus, where its operations share a building with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Its transmission system includes a primary transmitter on South Mountain and a network of translator stations that extends coverage into central, northern, and southwestern parts of the state. The station grew out of Arizona's developing educational-television system. In 1959, Phoenix commercial broadcaster KVAR offered ASU its former South Mountain transmitter for substantially less than its stated value. That offer helped make an educational station financially and technically feasible, and the Arizona Board of Regents authorized spending on transmission equipment in early 1960. The Federal Communications Commission granted ASU a construction permit on November 8, 1960. Because the proposed call sign KASU was already in use elsewhere, the station adopted KAET, derived from “Arizona Educational Television.” It began broadcasting on January 30, 1961, initially carrying telecourses and programming from National Educational Television. Its first locally produced program was a Spanish-language instructional course. During its early decades, KAET expanded both its technical capacity and its public-service role. By 1966 it was broadcasting roughly 50 hours of programming each week. It introduced color broadcasting during the late 1960s after obtaining support for a color broadcast chain, and it moved from its original engineering facilities to Stauffer Hall on ASU's Tempe campus in 1973. Statewide reach increased during the 1980s through translator installations on several Arizona mountains. The station also developed locally focused public-affairs and documentary programming, including Arizona Horizon, Horizonte, Arizona Collection, and the aerial documentary Over Arizona. KAET has used its position as a university-affiliated broadcaster to connect television production, journalism education, civic information, and cultural programming. It carried extensive coverage of the 1988 impeachment hearings involving Governor Evan Mecham, broadcast what was described as the world's first televised open-heart surgery in 1983, and later aired Cronkite News, a student-produced newscast from ASU's journalism school. The station also became involved in national public-media journalism through the western bureau of PBS NewsHour, which operated from the Cronkite School beginning in 2019 and supplied western updates and digital coverage. The station's brand identity has changed over time. “Channel 8” remained a familiar informal designation, while “Arizona PBS” began appearing as a secondary identity in 2005. KAET adopted the more prominent “Eight, Arizona PBS” brand in 2006, using a stylized “ei8ht” mark, before simplifying the public-facing identity to Arizona PBS in 2015. These names describe the same broadcast operation rather than separate commercial products. KAET launched digital television service in 2001, initially using UHF channel 29, and later moved its digital transmission to VHF channel 8 after the nationwide analog shutdown. The analog service ended on April 29, 2009. The station now operates multiple digital subchannels and supplements its main Phoenix signal with translators serving communities including Flagstaff, Prescott, Show Low, Yuma, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City, Globe-Miami, and other Arizona areas. KAET experienced financial pressure during the late-2000s recession. Fundraising fell below projections, leading to layoffs in October 2008 and April 2009, while financial constraints delayed the move from Tempe to the station's Downtown Phoenix headquarters. Organizational responsibility also evolved: Arizona PBS operations moved from ASU's public-affairs office to the Cronkite School in 2014, the leadership roles of Cronkite dean and Arizona PBS president were separated in 2020, and Arizona PBS was moved out of the Cronkite School and into ASU Media Enterprise in 2022. In 2023, Cronkite News moved to a secondary KAET channel. Following the 2025 rescission of federal public-broadcasting funds, ASU did not renew its arrangement for PBS NewsHour West, ending that service while the station itself remained active.
History
KAET was created as Arizona State University's educational television station during the expansion of noncommercial broadcasting in the United States. In late 1959, Phoenix commercial station KVAR offered ASU its former South Mountain transmitter for $30,000, although the equipment had been valued at $150,000. The offer encouraged ASU and the Arizona Board of Regents to move forward with a Phoenix educational station. The FCC issued a construction permit on November 8, 1960. The call letters KAET were selected after KASU was found to be unavailable, with the letters referring to Arizona Educational Television. The station signed on January 30, 1961. Its early schedule emphasized telecourses and National Educational Television programs, and its first locally produced program was a Spanish 101 course. KAET increased its weekly schedule to approximately 50 hours by 1966. It began converting to color in the late 1960s, aided by a grant that funded a color broadcast chain. In 1973, it moved from the ASU Engineering Center to Stauffer Hall, a communications facility on the Tempe campus. During the 1980s, KAET developed a broader statewide role. Translator stations were activated on Mount Francis and Mingus Mountain in 1980 and on Mount Elden in 1981. The station launched the public-affairs program Arizona Horizon in 1981, televised an open-heart surgery procedure in 1983, and provided extensive coverage of the 1988 impeachment hearings involving Governor Evan Mecham. Its public-service portfolio later included Horizonte, a Hispanic-focused current-affairs program, Arizona Collection documentaries, and Over Arizona, an Emmy Award-winning aerial program produced with Seattle public station KCTS. Over Arizona was described as the first high-definition television program produced by an Arizona broadcast entity. KAET entered digital television in the early 2000s. It received a permit for digital facilities on UHF channel 29 in 1999, began digital broadcasts in April 2001, and received its license in June of that year. The analog VHF channel 8 signal ended on April 29, 2009, while the digital service ultimately moved to VHF channel 8. The station's digital operation includes several subchannels and a large translator network serving communities throughout Arizona. Branding developed alongside the technical expansion. The station used “Channel 8” for many years, added Arizona PBS as a secondary brand in 2005, and adopted “Eight, Arizona PBS” in 2006. In 2015, it dropped that identity in favor of Arizona PBS. The names represent successive public-facing brands for the same KAET service. The late-2000s recession exposed the station's dependence on fundraising. After missing fundraising projections by hundreds of thousands of dollars, KAET laid off six employees in October 2008 and 13 more in April 2009. Financial conditions also delayed its planned relocation, which was completed at the end of 2009 when the station moved from Tempe to Downtown Phoenix. KAET's relationship with ASU's journalism school became more prominent in the 2010s. In 2014, operation of Arizona PBS moved to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The station carried Cronkite News, a student-produced newscast, and the Cronkite School hosted a PBS NewsHour western bureau from 2019. In 2020, the positions of Cronkite dean and Arizona PBS president were separated. Arizona PBS was removed from the Cronkite School's structure in 2022 and placed under ASU Media Enterprise. Cronkite News moved to KAET's 8.2 channel in 2023. After federal public-broadcasting funding was rescinded in 2025, ASU did not renew the PBS NewsHour West contract. The station itself continues as an ASU-owned PBS member station.
- 2023
Cronkite News moves to channel 8.2
[1]The student-produced newscast shifted to a KAET secondary digital channel.
- 2022
Arizona PBS moves under ASU Media Enterprise
[1]The service was separated from the Cronkite School and placed within ASU Media Enterprise.
- 2019
PBS NewsHour western bureau established
[1]The Cronkite School became home to a western bureau supporting PBS NewsHour coverage.
- 2015
Station simplifies brand to Arizona PBS
[1]The Eight, Arizona PBS identity was replaced by the simpler Arizona PBS brand.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends and Phoenix relocation is completed
[1]The analog channel ended in April, and the station completed its move to Downtown Phoenix later that year.
- 2006
Eight, Arizona PBS branding introduced
[1]KAET relaunched its public-facing identity as Eight, Arizona PBS.
- 2005
Arizona PBS becomes a secondary brand
[1]The station began using Arizona PBS alongside the established Channel 8 identity.
- 2001
Digital service launches
[1]KAET-DT began broadcasting in April and received its digital license in June.
- 1999
Digital construction permit issued
[1]KAET received authorization to construct digital facilities on UHF channel 29.
- 1988
Impeachment hearings receive wall-to-wall coverage
[1]KAET provided extensive coverage of the Evan Mecham impeachment hearings.
Products and positioning
A university-affiliated public media service focused on educational television, Arizona-oriented journalism, documentaries, civic information, and PBS programming.
Public affairs television · 1981
Arizona Horizon
KAET's long-running Arizona-focused current-affairs program, established in 1981. It is part of the station's civic-information role and provides discussion and reporting centered on state issues, public policy, and Arizona communities.
Hispanic-focused current affairs
Horizonte
A public-affairs counterpart to Arizona Horizon that focuses on issues and perspectives relevant to Arizona's Hispanic communities. It forms part of KAET's locally produced news and civic programming.
Documentary programming
Arizona Collection
A documentary strand examining Arizona's people, places, history, and culture. The series reflects KAET's role as a regional public archive and storyteller rather than simply a distributor of national PBS programs.
Documentary · 1995
Over Arizona
An aerial exploration of Arizona's varied landscapes produced with Seattle public station KCTS. The Emmy Award-winning program was identified as the first high-definition television production made by an Arizona broadcast entity.
Student-produced news
Cronkite News
A newscast produced through ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. KAET carried the program as part of its university and journalism-education mission; in 2023, its broadcast placement moved to the station's 8.2 digital subchannel.
Digital television service · 2001
Arizona PBS digital broadcasting
KAET's multiplexed digital television operation, consisting of the main service and additional subchannels. The service is supported by a translator network reaching communities across central, northern, and southwestern Arizona.
Brand decisions
2025
Non-renewal of PBS NewsHour West arrangementOtherBackground
Federal funding for public broadcasting was rescinded, affecting the financial and institutional environment for the western PBS NewsHour service.
Action taken
ASU opted not to renew its contract for PBS NewsHour West.
Aftermath
The western service was discontinued. Accounts affiliated with ASU said PBS ended the program during the school year rather than continuing it through June 2026.
2023
Cronkite News shifted to a secondary digital channelGeneration changeBackground
KAET continued adjusting its digital channel lineup and the placement of university-produced programming.
Action taken
Cronkite News was moved from the main service to KAET's 8.2 subchannel.
Aftermath
The program remained part of the station's digital offering but no longer occupied the principal KAET channel.
2022
Arizona PBS moved under ASU Media EnterpriseStrategyBackground
ASU had separated the dean and Arizona PBS president roles in 2020 and subsequently revised the service's institutional structure.
Action taken
Arizona PBS was separated from the Cronkite School and moved under ASU Media Enterprise.
Aftermath
The change reduced the station's direct organizational integration with the Cronkite School while preserving its university ownership.
2014
Operational transfer to the Cronkite SchoolStrategyBackground
ASU was deepening the relationship between its public television service and its journalism and mass-communication programs.
Action taken
Operation of Arizona PBS was transferred from the university's public-affairs office to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Aftermath
The station carried Cronkite News and later became associated with the Cronkite School's PBS NewsHour western bureau before the service was reorganized again.
2006
Adoption of Eight, Arizona PBS brandingStrategyBackground
KAET sought to develop a more distinctive public-facing identity beyond the familiar Channel 8 designation.
Action taken
The station relaunched under the Eight, Arizona PBS name and used a stylized ei8ht mark.
Aftermath
The identity remained in use until 2015, when the station adopted the simpler Arizona PBS brand.
Recent events
- 2025
PBS NewsHour West service ends after funding changes[1]
Regulation · Other
Following the rescission of federal public-broadcasting funding, ASU chose not to renew its contract for PBS NewsHour West. ASU-affiliated accounts characterized the discontinuation as a PBS decision made during the school year rather than a planned continuation through June 2026.
- 2023
Cronkite News moves to a KAET secondary channel[1]
Product generation
The student-produced Cronkite News broadcast was moved from the station's principal service to its 8.2 digital subchannel.
- 2022
Arizona PBS is separated from the Cronkite School[1]
Leadership change
After earlier changes to leadership responsibilities, Arizona PBS was moved out of the Cronkite School and placed under ASU Media Enterprise.
- 2019
PBS NewsHour western bureau opens at the Cronkite School[1]
Other
The Cronkite School became the home of a PBS NewsHour western bureau, linking student journalists with NewsHour personnel for regional updates and digital coverage.
- 2014
Arizona PBS operations move to the Cronkite School[1]
Other
Operational responsibility for Arizona PBS was transferred from ASU's public-affairs office to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- 2009
Second round of layoffs follows fundraising shortfall[1]
Other
KAET dismissed 13 additional employees in April amid continuing financial pressure and delayed its relocation to Downtown Phoenix.
- 2009
KAET completes move to Downtown Phoenix[1]
Other
The station completed its move from its longtime Tempe location to facilities associated with ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus.
- 2008
Recession-related layoffs affect KAET[1]
Other
After fundraising missed its targets, KAET eliminated six positions in October as the late-2000s recession placed pressure on station finances.
- 1980
KAET expands its translator network across Arizona[1]
Other
The station began extending its statewide reach through translator facilities in mountain communities, with additional transmitters added during the following years.
- 1961
KAET begins educational television service in Phoenix[1]
Other
Arizona State University's new educational station began broadcasting with telecourses, National Educational Television content, and locally produced instructional programming.
Sources4 sources
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