Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Louisiana state-operated PBS member television network serving most of the state outside Greater New Orleans.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) is a statewide public television network and PBS member service serving Louisiana. Its stations are operated by the Louisiana Educational Television Authority, a public body established within Louisiana's state-government structure. The authority holds the licenses for six of the seven PBS member stations licensed in Louisiana. LPB's principal studios and administrative offices are located on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge. LPB serves most of Louisiana, while the Greater New Orleans market is primarily served by WYES-TV, an independently operated PBS member station that is not part of the LPB network. LPB also has a relationship with WLAE-TV in New Orleans, a noncommercial station partly owned by LPB that carries the state network's news and public-affairs programming, helping extend selected LPB content into the market. The network's roots reach back to an early educational-television experiment. KLSE began broadcasting from Monroe on March 1, 1957, after Louisiana State University professor Lucille Woodward advocated for a statewide educational television system. KLSE later left the air in 1964, leaving Louisiana without a broad state educational-television network for more than a decade. Woodward and other supporters continued pressing the state legislature to revive the concept. In 1971, the newly created Louisiana Educational Television Authority approved funding for a statewide system. WLPB-TV in Baton Rouge launched on September 6, 1975, becoming Louisiana's first PBS member station outside New Orleans. The network expanded progressively through the 1970s and early 1980s. KLTM-TV in Monroe joined in September 1976, KLTS-TV in Shreveport began service in August 1978, KLPB-TV in Lafayette followed, KLTL-TV in Lake Charles launched in May 1981, and KLPA-TV in Alexandria completed the main statewide expansion in July 1983. Together, these stations created a broad public television footprint that also reached portions of neighboring Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. LPB's role extends beyond relaying national PBS programming. Its flagship public-affairs program, Louisiana: The State We're In, began in 1976 and has provided reporting and discussion focused on state government and civic issues. The network has also produced cultural, historical, educational, and culinary programs, including Louisiana Legends, A Taste of Louisiana, and productions associated with chef and broadcaster Justin Wilson. The 2000 production Evangeline received distribution beyond Louisiana, airing on PBS stations across the United States and on educational stations in Canada. LPB also carries programming from PBS, American Public Television, and other distributors. The network has used specialized services to broaden its educational mission. In 2001 it introduced a cable-only service known as LPB Kids & You, which offered children's programming during evening hours and adult or creative programming during the day. After PBS You and PBS Kids ended their separate services in 2005, the channel became LPB Plus and expanded into Lafayette; it was renamed LPB 2 in 2008. In 2016, LPB announced a content partnership with TFO, a French-language public broadcaster owned by Ontario, to provide French-language children's programming for LPB2. The arrangement reflected Louisiana's French cultural heritage and the presence of French-immersion education programs in the state. LPB has also served as an emergency communications resource. During major hurricanes, including Katrina in 2005 and Gustav in 2008, its Baton Rouge facilities provided an inland backup location for New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV. WWL's coverage could be distributed across the LPB network, giving viewers statewide access to information from an established local news organization when New Orleans facilities were threatened or disrupted. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LPB worked with the Louisiana Department of Education on Learning@Home, an initiative intended to help pre-kindergarten through grade-12 students continue learning while schools and families faced stay-at-home conditions. The network has additionally contributed digitized audiovisual records to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting through links to the Louisiana Digital Media Archive. LPB completed the federally mandated transition of its full-power stations from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009, and later adjusted some digital channel assignments following the FCC spectrum auction. The organization remains an active public media network focused on statewide television distribution, educational service, local journalism, cultural programming, and emergency information.
History
Louisiana's public television system developed from a long-running effort to create educational broadcasting under state sponsorship. The first significant experiment was KLSE, which signed on from Monroe on March 1, 1957. Lucille Woodward, a Louisiana State University professor, had encouraged Governor Robert Kennon to establish an educational television commission within the State Department of Education. KLSE was intended to serve as the first unit of a larger statewide system modeled on educational networks emerging elsewhere in the American South. The station ceased broadcasting in 1964, however, and the state did not immediately replace it with a comprehensive network. For the following eleven years, New Orleans was the only Louisiana area with dependable access to a National Educational Television or PBS service. WYES-TV had begun broadcasting shortly after KLSE but was separately owned and operated and did not form part of the state network. Woodward continued advocating for educational television during the 1960s, pressing legislators not to abandon the idea of a publicly supported statewide service. A renewed institutional basis appeared in 1971, when the Louisiana Educational Television Authority approved funds to construct and operate educational television stations. The first resulting station, WLPB-TV in Baton Rouge, signed on September 6, 1975. It became the first PBS member station in Louisiana outside New Orleans and served as the anchor for what would become Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Expansion proceeded in stages. KLTM-TV in Monroe launched in September 1976, followed by KLTS-TV in Shreveport in August 1978. KLPB-TV in Lafayette and KLTL-TV in Lake Charles expanded coverage into southwestern and south-central Louisiana, with KLTL beginning service in May 1981. KLPA-TV in Alexandria joined in July 1983. The resulting group served most of the state and also provided signal coverage in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. Greater New Orleans remained distinct because WYES-TV continued as the market's independent PBS member station. LPB nevertheless developed a connection with WLAE-TV, a noncommercial New Orleans station partly owned by LPB, enabling some LPB news and public-affairs programming to reach the market. LPB's programming identity has combined national public-media distribution with locally produced material. Louisiana: The State We're In premiered in 1976 and became the network's principal news and public-affairs program. For nineteen years, political consultant, writer, and raconteur Gus Weill hosted Louisiana Legends, a program centered on notable people and stories from the state. LPB productions have included the culinary series A Taste of Louisiana, a Justin Wilson cooking series, and Evangeline, which was distributed to PBS stations across the United States and educational stations in Canada in 2000. The network also carries programming supplied by PBS, American Public Television, and other distributors. The organization broadened its service through specialty programming and digital distribution. In 1990 it began broadcasting in stereo. LPB Kids & You launched as a cable-only channel in 2001, carrying children's programming in prime time and adult or creative programming during daytime hours. Following the closure of the PBS You and PBS Kids services in 2005, the channel became LPB Plus and expanded to Lafayette. It was renamed LPB 2 in 2008. In 2016, LPB entered a content partnership with TFO, an Ontario-owned French-language public broadcaster, to supply fourteen hours of French-language children's programming per week for LPB2. The partnership was designed to connect with Louisiana's French heritage and French-immersion schools. LPB has also played a resilience and emergency-information role. Its Baton Rouge facilities served as a backup studio for WWL-TV, the New Orleans CBS affiliate, during major hurricanes. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav in 2008, the arrangement allowed WWL to provide coverage from inland facilities and distribute that reporting across the LPB network if its New Orleans operations were unavailable. The network's educational role became particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. LPB worked with the Louisiana Department of Education on Learning@Home, a service intended to support students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 while conventional schooling was disrupted. Since 2009, LPB has also made digitized audiovisual records available through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting by linking to materials in the Louisiana Digital Media Archive. LPB's stations completed the United States' full-power television transition from analog to digital on June 12, 2009. Their post-transition assignments retained or moved selected digital channels, and later FCC spectrum-auction changes required additional channel adjustments for KLPA-TV and KLTS. Beth Courtney, a Shreveport native and longtime Baton Rouge resident, led the organization as president and CEO from 1985 until her retirement in January 2022. LPB remains an active public broadcasting network centered on statewide access to educational, cultural, journalistic, and public-affairs content.
- 2022
Beth Courtney retires
[1]Courtney stepped down as LPB president and CEO in January after approximately 37 years in the role.
- 2020
Learning@Home responds to school disruption
[1]LPB and the Louisiana Department of Education created an educational initiative for students learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2016
LPB partners with TFO on French-language children's content
[1]The partnership brought fourteen hours per week of French-language children's programming to LPB2.
- 2009
LPB stations complete digital transition
[1]The network's full-power stations ended analog broadcasting on June 12 under the United States digital television transition.
- 2008
Specialty channel becomes LPB2
[1]After operating as LPB Plus, the cable service adopted the LPB2 name.
- 2001
LPB Kids & You launches
[1]LPB introduced a cable-only specialty service combining children's programming with adult and creative content.
- 1990
LPB begins stereo broadcasting
[1]The network upgraded its television audio service to stereo transmission.
- 1985
Beth Courtney becomes president and CEO
[1]Beth Courtney began a leadership tenure that continued until her retirement in January 2022.
- 1983
Main statewide station expansion is completed
[1]KLPA-TV in Alexandria joined the network, following earlier launches in Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, and Lake Charles.
- 1976
Louisiana: The State We're In debuts
[1]LPB launched its long-running flagship news and public-affairs program.
Products and positioning
A statewide public-media service combining PBS programming with Louisiana-focused journalism, education, culture, history, and emergency information.
News and public affairs · 1976
Louisiana: The State We're In
LPB's flagship locally produced news and public-affairs program, launched in 1976. It focuses on Louisiana government, politics, civic affairs, and issues affecting residents across the state.
Cable and specialty television service · 2001
LPB2
LPB's specialty channel developed from the earlier LPB Kids & You and LPB Plus services. It has carried children's, educational, adult, creative, and French-language programming, including content supplied through the TFO partnership.
Cultural television program
Louisiana Legends
A locally focused LPB program hosted for nineteen years by Gus Weill. The series presented stories and personalities connected with Louisiana's political, cultural, and social history.
Culinary television program
A Taste of Louisiana
An LPB-produced culinary series reflecting Louisiana's food traditions and regional culture. It is part of the network's broader portfolio of locally produced lifestyle and cultural programming.
Cultural and historical television production · 2000
Evangeline
An LPB production broadcast in 2000 that reached PBS stations throughout the United States and educational stations in Canada, extending the network's Louisiana-centered storytelling to a wider audience.
Educational media initiative · 2020
Learning@Home
An education-support initiative created with the Louisiana Department of Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was intended to help pre-kindergarten through grade-12 students continue learning while schools and families faced disruption.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Learning@Home
Louisiana
LPB partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education to provide educational support for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 during pandemic-related stay-at-home conditions.
Outcome. The initiative supplied a public-media educational response during school disruption; detailed audience or financial outcomes are not specified in the reference material.
Brand decisions
2020
Creation of Learning@HomeStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional schooling and increased demand for accessible educational resources for students learning at home.
Action taken
LPB collaborated with the Louisiana Department of Education on programming and resources for pre-kindergarten through grade-12 learners.
Aftermath
Learning@Home provided a statewide public-media education response during the pandemic; detailed performance measures are not given in the reference material.
2016
French-language content partnership with TFOStrategyBackground
LPB identified an opportunity to connect its programming with Louisiana's French heritage and French-immersion education programs.
Action taken
The network arranged for TFO, an Ontario public broadcaster, to supply fourteen hours per week of French-language children's programming for LPB2.
Aftermath
The partnership broadened LPB2's educational and multilingual offering. No audience or financial results are specified in the reference material.
2009
Transition from analog to digital televisionGeneration changeBackground
United States full-power television stations were required to complete the federally mandated transition to digital broadcasting.
Action taken
LPB's stations shut down their analog signals at 7:00 a.m. on June 12, 2009, while continuing on assigned digital channels and later adjusting selected assignments after the FCC spectrum auction.
Aftermath
The network continued digital broadcasting and later planned or implemented additional channel changes for KLPA-TV and KLTS.
2001
Launch of LPB Kids & YouProduct launchBackground
LPB sought to provide children's programming beyond the conventional daytime schedule and to offer additional adult and creative programming.
Action taken
The network introduced a cable-only channel in Baton Rouge, placing children's programs in prime time and adult or creative programs during daytime hours.
Aftermath
After the PBS You and PBS Kids services ended in 2005, the channel became LPB Plus, expanded to Lafayette, and was renamed LPB2 in 2008.
Sources2 sources
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