KBYU-TV keeps PBS affiliation

KBYU-TV will keep its PBS network affiliation after all, but only because the PBS board created a grandfather clause to allow the station to continue broadcasting religious programs.

PBS board members voted Tuesday to enforce the network's rule that bans religious programs the way it prohibits political and commercial broadcasts.

But the board agreed to exempt from the rule the six stations, including KBYU, that were broadcasting Catholic masses or Mormon devotionals. As a result, there should be no changes in KBYU programming or content.

KBYU has been a PBS member station for some 40 years. KBYU's license is granted by the FCC and held by BYU, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"KBYU is pleased with the final recommendations from the PBS Station Services Committee and the vote of the PBS board regarding the local programming autonomy of PBS member stations," said Derek Marquis, BYU Broadcasting managing director.

In issuing its final recommendations, PBS stated, "The committee has taken care to place emphasis on the critical importance of stations serving local communities and to respect and uphold each member station's ultimate control over station programming."

KBYU has appreciated the opportunity to work closely with PBS during the past 18 months as these discussions have been underway, Marquis said.

"The new digital landscape of television has changed the way families and individuals access and use television," he said in a statement. "It is appropriate for organizations such as PBS to continually review their policies and practices to ensure they are in keeping with the mission of the organization as well as supportive of the audiences they serve."

KBYU broadcasts both national PBS content — children's programming and legacy series such as "Nature" and "Nova" — as well as locally produced content reflective of the values and mission of BYU and the LDS Church.

The continued broadcast of BYU devotionals and other religious shows was what had put KBYU's PBS status in jeopardy. The station could have been unable to continue airing such PBS shows such as "Sesame Street," "Barney," "NewsHour" and "This Old House," had the vote gone the other way.

On a typical day, KBYU will show approximately two hours of religious programming — four half-hour segments of past BYU devotionals. The station also airs live and tape-delayed broadcasts of semi-annual LDS Church general conference sessions.

PBS officials voted on a committee's recommendation to enforce the network's 1985 fairness-and-balance policy in which affiliates' programming should be noncommercial, nonpartisan and nonsectarian.

E-MAIL: lynn@desnews.com