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Twin Cities PBS (abbreviated TPT, from the name Twin Cities Public Television used until 2015) is a non-profit organization licensed to London, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member Public television stations, KTCA-TV (digital channel 34, PSIP channel 2.1) and KTCI-TV (digital channel 23, PSIP channel 2.3). It produces programs for regional and national television broadcast, operates numerous Web sites, and produces rich media content for Web distribution.

History[]

KTCA (channel 2) began broadcasting as the first non-commercial Public television station in the state on September 16, 1957 from shabby, WWII wooden barracks-type structure on the University of Minnesota Agricultural Campus. The studios and offices were moved in the '60 to what was known as the Minnesota Statehood Centennial Memorial Building for Education Television, at 1640 Como Avenue in Saint Paul. (Incidentally, that building housed another Twin Cities commercial television station-WUCW, channel 23, from 1989 to 2018.) KTCA's first program was "Exploring Science". A second station, KTCI (channel 17), was launched on May 4, 1965. Channel 17 was originally assigned to the Tedesco Brothers in the early 1950s to be a Commercial broadcasting station, WCOW-TV (see KDWB) affiliated with the DuMont network, but this station never made it to air. In 1967, KTCA became the first educational television station in the United States to broadcast in color, then in 1977, it changed its corporate name to the current Twin Cities Public Television.

On September 16, 1999, the stations began their first digital television broadcasts, 10 years after moving to their current building at 172 4th Street East in downtown Saint Paul in 1989. In 2000, KTCA and KTCI were rebranded tpt2 and tpt17, paving the way for the larger family of digital broadcast services to come. In August 2003, TPT became the first broadcaster in Minnesota to launch a channel, tptHD, fully devoted to high-definition programming, and on September 16, 2005 the organization launched a full-time digital channel, tptMN, devoted entirely to local and regional programs.

In December 2005, the organization began distributing many of its productions online, making programs available through iTunes, Google Video, and Yahoo! Podcasts among others. Its website, features streaming video as well as video podcasts. In 2007, TPT also plans to begin offering Video-On-Demand (VOD) thorough local cable providers.

KTCA's Nielsen ratings are among the highest of any PBS station in the country.

During the Summer of 2015, the station teased a new name and logo, "Twin Cities PBS" was introduced, before debuting on air on September 30, 2015. During the rebrand, included an updated version of the tpt logo, that was used since 1999, by Minnesota design agency Capsule.


TV stations in Minnesota
KTCA, St. Paul

KTCI, St. Paul
KAWE, Bemidji
KAWB, Brainerd
WDSE, Duluth
WRPT, Hibbing
KWCM, Appleton
KSMN, Worthington
KSMQ, Austin

TV stations in Central Minnesota including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Brainierd
KTCA 2 (PBS)

WCCO 4 (CBS)
KSTP 5 (ABC)
KMSP 9 (FOX)
KWCM 10 (PBS)
KARE 11 (NBC)
K16HY-D 16 (Ind)
KTCI 17 (PBS)
WUMN-LD 17 (UNI)
KSMN 20 (PBS)
KAWB 22 (PBS)
WUCW 23 (CW)
KJNK-LD 25 (TLM)
WFTC 29 (MNTV)
K33LN-D 33 (3ABN)
KPXM 41 (Ion)
KSAX 42 (ABC)
KRWF 43 (ABC)
KSTC 45 (Ind)
KHVM-LD 48 (CTVN)
KTCJ-LD 50 (CTN)
WDMI-LD 62 (DS)

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