LOS ANGELES—PBS SoCal, Southern California's flagship PBS station, has announced a rebranding that will consolidate both the KCET and PBS SoCal local PBS stations under one name: PBS SoCal. 

Starting Tues. Feb. 6, the KCET broadcast channel will be referred to as ‘PBS SoCal Plus’ in order for both PBS flagship broadcast stations in Southern California to be under one unified brand, the public broadcaster said. 

The programming that viewers are currently used to seeing on KCET will not change, the stations said. 

“PBS SoCal and KCET merged in 2018, and since then, we have grown into a strong public media entity serving Southern California that reflects the diversity of our region and provides a full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS programs,” explained PBS SoCal president and CEO Andrew Russell. “While the broadcast channel name may be changing, the programs that viewers love on KCET—Artbound, Lost LA, Father Brown, Must See Movies and more -- will remain available on the channel and across all of our platforms. Our honored tradition, built by KCET, of producing original, thoughtful and inspiring content around the arts, local culture, environment, news and public affairs remains core to our deep commitment of serving our community with high-quality public media.”

The organization said that it had decided to make the change to unify its brand under one name, PBS SoCal, to improve efficiency and create better awareness. 

PBS SoCal has already consolidated the two websites under the PBS SoCal name, making it easier for visitors to discover programming, editorial content and resources, as well as making it more efficient for the organization to manage video assets and content. 

Viewers’ favorite programs will all be available to stream on one website destination pbssocal.org. Both KCET and PBS SoCal’s social media platforms and YouTube content will soon also be consolidated under the PBS SoCal brand.

The organization also said that the brand simplification reflects PBS SoCal's strategy of adapting a digital world and strengthening connections to a community where more audiences are engaging on streaming platforms. 

Currently, a combined seven broadcast channels are managed by PBS SoCal and are available to almost 19 million viewers in ten counties across Southern California through traditional linear broadcast television, as well as on the website, the PBS and PBS KIDS apps, YouTube and with highlighted content on social media platforms.

“While traditional, over-the-air, broadcast programming and scheduling efforts will continue to be as vital as ever to our organization’s success, the new branding effort recognizes the current media landscape and PBS SoCal’s commitment to on-demand and digital-first content for both regional and nationwide audiences,” commented PBS SoCal senior vice president of marketing and communications Dan Ferguson.

Over-the-air, local viewers will continue to be able to watch their favorite KCET (now ‘PBS SoCal Plus’) programming on 28.1 while PBS SoCal viewers will continue on 50.1. Cable and satellite carriers will host PBS SoCal Plus content on the same channels previously carrying KCET. Viewers will still see the broadcast call letters of KCET referenced during FCC mandated station identifier breaks.

SAN FRANCISCO—With the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutting down schools, San Francisco and Southern California PBS stations KQED and KCET (PBS So Cal) have collaborated on broadcast and digital content that will serve as at-home educational resources for children, as well as support for teachers and parents.

KQED will begin broadcasting a California state standards-aligned educational TV schedule, created by PBS So Cal and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The schedule was developed to “bridge the digital divide and provide equitable access to learning” for all students, regardless of internet or computer access, per KQED. The educational programming will run each weekday starting March 16 on KQED Plus.

KQED has also developed collections of free digital learning resources that can be used with the scheduled TV broadcasts or on their own. The resources—which include PBS LearningMedia collections, teacher training webinars and remote learning tools tips—are hosted on PBS LearningMedia.

In addition to KQED Plus TV programming, KQED point parents to PBS KIDS for Parents to access free resources and information created by educators and child development professionals. 

WEYBRIDGE, ENGLAND & BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Pebble Beach Systems and Myers recently deployed a Broadcast Exchange Format (BXF) based integrated system to their shared customer base. One of the customers was KCET, a public television stations serving Central and Southern California.

Gordon Bell

BXF is a SMPTE standard for data exchange that enables Pebble Beach and Myers clients to benefit from automated workflows between traffic and automation, according to the companies’ press release. Specifically, this allowed KCET to add Pebble’s Marina system to create a two-way communication with its previously installed Myers’ ProTrack for data exchange. KCET's Vice President of Engineering, Gordon Bell, said the station implemented BXF during construction of a new facility.

The BXF protocol provides a universal integration environment for the two systems to connect, with the web-based integration enabling a bidirectional exchange of data and an expansion of the total volume of metadata ProTrack and Marina can share. The integration also provides automated notifications and feedback between the two systems; search messaging capabilities between the two systems; real-time, as-run reporting; and heartbeat messages to verify system connectivity.

Interfaces now available to KCET as part of the BXF integration include Play-List, Live As-Run Media Update, Record-List, Ingest/Dub Order, Purge-Confirm, and Purge-List.

WUPPERTAL, GERMANY—Califronia-based public TV station KCET recently acquired Riedel Communication’s Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom system and RockNet real-time audio network to help establish its communication network. According to Riedel, these systems help provide KCET with flexible communications across its production facilities and enables distribution of audio between its studios and control rooms.

KCET uses the Artist system in its Burbank, Calif.-based production facilities to link two control rooms, two production stages, 15 edit bays, tape rooms, master control/on-air operations, transmission and an insert studio. Six Connect Duo telephone hybrids serve as an interface between the Artist intercom system and ISDN and PSTN public telephone networks. The Riedel system is also integrated with KCET’s Telex BTR wireless systems and with its Harris Platinum SDI router via a MADI connection.

With the RockNet system, KCET is able to have a connection between stages and control rooms while facilitating creation of digital audio links throughout the facility. RockNet is integrated with KCET’s Yamaha digital mixing consoles to provide microphone pre-amplification and digital conversion.

Riedel is a German-based provider of video, audio, data and communications networks.