Arkansas Educational Television Network
The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) is a public television provider headquartered on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. The current 69,000 square foot AETN studio (called "Network Master Control"), located next door to the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center and the Reynolds Performance Hall, was constructed in 2001.
AETN passes all broadcasts from Conway's R. Lee Reaves Center for Educational Telecommunications by microwave interconnection to five analog and five digital broadcast transmitters. The analog transmitters are scheduled for transition to digital in 2009.
The address of AETN is 350 South Donaghey Avenue in Conway.
FCC Licensed AETN Transmitters
- KAFT (Fayetteville) - Channel 13 - 316 kilowatts of effective radiated power (established in 1976)
- KAFT-DT (Fayetteville) - Channel 9 - 19 kilowatts since (est. 2003)
- KEMV (Mountain View) - Channel 6 - 100 kilowatts since (est. 1980)
- KEMV-DT (Mountain View) - Channel 13 - 20 kilowatts (est. 2003)
- KETG (Arkadelphia) - Channel 9 - 316 kilowatts (est. 1976)
- KETG-DT (Arkadelphia) - Channel 13 - 7.3 kilowatts (est. 2003)
- KETS (Little Rock) - Channel 2 - 100 kilowatts (est. 1966)
- KETS-DT (Little Rock) - Channel 5 - 2.1 kilowatts (est. 2003)
- KTEJ (Jonesboro) - Channel 19 - 1230 kilowatts (est. 1976)
- KTEJ-DT (Jonesboro) - Channel 20 - 50 kilowatts (est. 2003)
AETN also sponsors regular workshops through its Arkansas Technology Institute.
History of AETN
The Arkansas Educational Television Association was established on June 4, 1954. Public television received state support beginning with the passage of Act 198 in 1961. R. Lee Reaves was appointed as the first director of AETN. Under his leadership the first broadcast of the station began at the Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway on December 4, 1966. General program areas today include AETN-HD for all audiences, AETN Kids for children, and AETN Scholar for students.
