KNME-TV
KNME-TV is a PBS member television station serving Albuquerque and much of New Mexico under the New Mexico PBS brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KNME-TV is a noncommercial educational television station licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and branded primarily as New Mexico PBS or NM PBS. The station is jointly owned by the University of New Mexico and Albuquerque Public Schools, an ownership arrangement that reflects its original educational mission and continuing ties to both higher education and public schools. It operates as a PBS member station and shares facilities and related operations with KNMD-TV, a Santa Fe-licensed station that is also associated with New Mexico PBS. The stations share studios on the University of New Mexico's North Campus in Albuquerque, while KNME-TV's main transmitter is located on Sandia Crest. The station's origins date to 1957, when the University of New Mexico Board of Regents and Albuquerque Public Schools agreed to pursue the educational television allocation on channel 5. Their application was filed with the Federal Communications Commission on July 19, 1957, and approved on October 23 of that year. The partners initially envisioned the service as a way to distribute junior-college instruction to communities outside Albuquerque. A studio was established in a converted sorority house on the University of New Mexico campus, and KNME-TV began broadcasting on May 1, 1958. Edith Buchanan's English class was the first program carried by the new station. During its early years, KNME-TV expanded beyond college instruction into programming for Albuquerque public-school students. By 1960, its educational output included science and Spanish programs. A Ford Foundation grant that year helped the station acquire its first videotape equipment, strengthening its ability to record, repeat, and distribute instructional content. The station also developed a public-affairs role. In 1969, it began live coverage of the New Mexico state legislature, establishing a longstanding connection with state government and civic information. New Mexico PBS combines national PBS programming with locally produced television. Its local portfolio has included the arts series ¡Colores!, the weekly public-affairs magazine New Mexico in Focus, and Public Square, a community-dialogue program. The station has also produced or carried significant reporting and documentary work concerning New Mexico history, Native communities, public institutions, and major events, including coverage related to the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot. Surviving Columbus, a 1992 series about Pueblo Indians, received a Peabody Award and is among the station's most notable productions. Beyond its broadcast channel, the organization has operated distribution and educational services. WestLink has functioned as a satellite-based service sharing programming with other public television stations and commercial clients. Satellite interviews originating from New Mexico PBS facilities have also been used by national news outlets. Programs distributed through WestLink have included Democracy Now! and Creative Living with Sheryl Borden. From 1995 through 2010, KNME operated TALNET, an educational cable service in Albuquerque that carried PBS and Annenberg Media programming together with local school-board meetings. KNME-TV has also been part of the transition from analog broadcasting to digital and multicast public television. It became New Mexico's first station to broadcast a digital signal when KNME-DT signed on in 2001. The analog channel 5 service ended on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated full-power television transition; the station's digital signal used UHF channel 35 while retaining virtual channel 5. Its multiplex has carried services including PBS Kids, First Nations Experience, World Channel, and Create. The station remains an active public-media institution combining PBS network programming, locally focused journalism, cultural production, educational services, and civic engagement for audiences in New Mexico.
History
KNME-TV was created through a partnership between the University of New Mexico and Albuquerque Public Schools. In 1957, the two institutions agreed to jointly seek Albuquerque's educational television allocation on channel 5. Their FCC application was submitted on July 19 and approved on October 23 of that year. The original concept emphasized distance education: the partners planned to use television to deliver junior-college courses to outlying areas. A studio was installed in a converted sorority house on the University of New Mexico campus. The station began broadcasting on May 1, 1958. Its first identified broadcast was Edith Buchanan's English class. KNME-TV soon broadened its role, using television to support Albuquerque public-school instruction as well as university and college education. By 1960, its school-oriented schedule included science and Spanish programming. A Ford Foundation grant provided the station with its first videotape equipment, enabling more flexible production and rebroadcasting. KNME-TV's mission expanded from instructional television to public information and civic coverage. In 1969, the station began live broadcasts of the New Mexico state legislature. It later developed local reporting and documentary projects addressing state politics, public institutions, major events, history, culture, and Native communities. Coverage connected with the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot and the documentary series Surviving Columbus illustrate the station's role in documenting regional affairs. Surviving Columbus, which examined Pueblo Indian history and communities, won a Peabody Award in 1992. The station also built distribution capabilities beyond its terrestrial broadcast signal. WestLink operated as a satellite service for sharing programs with public television stations and commercial clients. New Mexico PBS facilities became a source for satellite interviews used by national news organizations. WestLink-distributed programming included Democracy Now! and Creative Living with Sheryl Borden. From 1995 until 2010, KNME operated TALNET, an Albuquerque educational cable channel carrying PBS and Annenberg Media material alongside local school-board meetings. Technological changes shaped the station's later history. KNME-TV was the first television station in New Mexico to transmit a digital signal, signing on KNME-DT in 2001. It ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, the nationwide deadline for the full-power digital television transition. Its post-transition digital transmission used UHF channel 35, with virtual channel 5 preserved for viewers. New Mexico PBS subsequently used digital multiplexing to offer additional services. First Nations Experience became part of the station's lineup in fall 2016. On January 18, 2017, PBS Kids replaced the Spanish-language V-me service on one multicast channel; V-me had been carried for approximately a decade but had not achieved strong audience acceptance in the station's market. In February 2021, World Channel and Create were added to the KNME multiplex, in part to support the planned conversion of sister station KNMD-TV to ATSC 3.0. KNMD-TV's programming was also arranged to mirror KNME-TV's multiplex. Today, KNME-TV operates under the New Mexico PBS identity as an active PBS member station, maintaining its historic educational purpose while serving as a producer and distributor of local journalism, cultural programming, public-affairs content, and national public television services.
- 2021
World Channel and Create added
[1]World Channel and Create began airing on February 15, with the additions connected to preparation for KNMD-TV's planned ATSC 3.0 conversion.
- 2017
PBS Kids replaces V-me
[1]On January 18, PBS Kids replaced the Spanish-language V-me service on one of KNME-TV's multicast channels.
- 2016
First Nations Experience added
[1]New Mexico PBS began carrying First Nations Experience, a service devoted to Native American programming, during fall 2016.
- 2010
TALNET operation ends
[1]KNME's operation of the Albuquerque educational cable service TALNET ended after a run from 1995.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shut down its analog VHF channel 5 signal on June 12 and continued digitally on UHF channel 35 using virtual channel 5.
- 2001
Digital broadcasting begins
[1]KNME-TV became the first station in New Mexico to broadcast a digital signal through KNME-DT.
- 1995
TALNET launches
[1]KNME began operating TALNET, an educational cable service in Albuquerque carrying instructional programming and local school-board meetings.
- 1992
Surviving Columbus receives Peabody recognition
[1]The station's series Surviving Columbus, focused on Pueblo Indian history and communities, received a Peabody Award.
- 1969
Live state-legislature coverage begins
[1]KNME-TV began broadcasting live coverage of the New Mexico state legislature.
- 1960
School programming expands
[1]KNME-TV expanded its educational schedule to include science and Spanish programming for Albuquerque public-school students.
Products and positioning
A noncommercial public-media service combining PBS programming with New Mexico-focused education, journalism, arts, culture, Native-community coverage, and civic engagement.
Local public-affairs television
New Mexico in Focus
A weekly prime-time news magazine produced for New Mexico PBS. The program examines events, public issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the wider Southwest, extending the station's long-running civic-information mission.
Arts and culture television
¡Colores!
A weekly arts program featuring stories about creative work and the cultural life of New Mexico. It represents the station's role in documenting and presenting regional artists, cultural practices, and creative communities.
Community dialogue program
Public Square
A New Mexico PBS initiative centered on community engagement and structured public conversation. Its format supports discussion of issues affecting local audiences and complements the station's news and public-affairs output.
Documentary television · 1992
Surviving Columbus
A documentary series about Pueblo Indians that became one of New Mexico PBS's best-known productions. The series was associated with a Peabody Award in 1992 and reflects the station's emphasis on New Mexico history, Native communities, and regional cultural storytelling.
Satellite program distribution
WestLink
A satellite-based service operated by KNME for sharing programming with other public television stations and commercial clients. It also supported satellite interviews from New Mexico that were used by national news networks.
Educational cable channel · 1995
TALNET
An Albuquerque cable service operated by KNME from 1995 to 2010. Its schedule combined PBS and Annenberg Media educational material with local school-board meetings.
Brand decisions
2021
Expand the digital multicast lineupStrategyBackground
KNMD-TV was preparing for a planned conversion to ATSC 3.0, creating a need to arrange additional distribution of its public television services.
Action taken
On February 15, KNME added World Channel and Create to channels 5.4 and 5.5. These services also served as simulcasts of KNMD-TV channels before the planned transition.
Aftermath
The expanded multiplex provided additional public television services and supported the relationship between KNME-TV and KNMD-TV during the technology transition.
2017
Replace V-me with PBS KidsOtherBackground
KNME-TV carried the Spanish-language V-me service on a multicast channel for roughly a decade, but the service had not gained strong acceptance among Spanish-speaking audiences in the market.
Action taken
On January 18, KNME replaced V-me with PBS Kids.
Aftermath
The change shifted the multicast offering toward children's educational programming; V-me was moving toward a commercial cable-channel model in 2017.
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