KRSC-TV is an educational television station in Claremore, Oklahoma, owned and operated by Rogers State University. It broadcasts locally on UHF channel 36 as an independent station. It broadcasts cultural and educational programming 24 hours a day. Over night programming consists of Classic Arts Showcase. The station is also carried on local cable TV systems, and is available on Cox Cable Channel 19 in Claremore and Tulsa. The station is also carried on local satellite systems, and is available on Dish Network and Direct TV Channel 35 in Claremore and Tulsa. It is home to many telecourses and interactive courses, part of RSU's distance learning programs. It also produces in house documentaries, general interest programming and children's shows. It is operated by a paid staff, with assistance from RSU students.
History
The station signed on the air July 1, 1987 as KXON-TV. The call letters were later changed to KRSC, which stands for Rogers State College, an earlier name of the university. It is the only full-powered public station licensed to a public university in the state of Oklahoma.
The station originally broadcast with a power of 5000 watts from a 300-foot (91 m) tower located on the campus of Rogers State. The power was increased to 2.75 million watts in 1991 when the station moved to a new 850-foot (260 m) tower near Lake Oologah.
In the early days the station carried programming from The Learning Channel. It was the only broadcast television station affiliated with TLC. At the time the cable network was more educational in nature. Network commercials were covered with station PSAs and promos.
Trivia
The call letters KRSC-TV were once held by KING-TV in Seattle, Washington. In 1948, Ed Parsons made KRSC-TV the first station ever to be seen on cable television.