KUSU-TV
| Company type | Non-commercial educational television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Fate | Ceased operations and replaced by KUED-TV translator |
| Headquarters | Logan , United States |
| Products | Educational television programming |
| Owner | Utah State University |
KUSU-TV, broadcasting on VHF analog channel 12, was a non-commercial educational television outlet licensed to Logan, Utah, operating from 1964 until 1970. Owned by Utah State University, the station discontinued service in 1970 following a statewide educational television consolidation and was succeeded by a KUED-TV translator transmitting from Salt Lake City.
History
The construction permit for channel 12 was originally awarded in 1958 to Cache Valley Broadcasting Company for a commercial station named KVNU-TV, which was affiliated with KVNU radio (610 AM). However, the FCC revoked this permit later that year due to the company’s failure to build the station, although Cache Valley Broadcasting sought to have it reinstated.
Utah State University had been producing television programming for other broadcasters, including KUED-TV (channel 7, operated by the University of Utah) after 1958. To minimize expenses related to travel and tape shipments, USU established its own television studio in Logan by 1961. The university intended to launch its own station but faced obstacles since KVNU-TV held the only VHF license in Logan. Recognizing the challenges of running an independent commercial outlet, Cache Valley sold the permit to USU in November 1960 for $6,331, covering their costs.
In January 1961, USU designated the call letters KUSU-TV for the new station and renamed KVSC radio as KUSU-FM. Due to FCC rules prohibiting remote operation of VHF stations, USU opted for a campus-based transmitter site rather than a high-altitude location. After obtaining state funding in 1963 along with federal support through the Educational Television Facilities Act—becoming one of its earliest recipients—USU noted that Cache Valley did not receive strong city-grade signals from KUED or Ogden’s educational broadcasters KOET and KWCS-TV. Consequently, a new 260-foot tower—the tallest structure on campus—was constructed.
KUSU-TV commenced operations on March 16, 1964, initially airing pre-recorded programs until a microwave network link to Salt Lake City was installed in January 1969. That same year, the station gained authorization to transmit in color; however, its equipment permitted only live network color broadcasts or color videotapes. The station also featured local instructional content as well as programs produced by the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
The emergence of KUSU-TV coincided with a wave of educational television growth in Utah between 1960 and 1965: Weber County schools launched KWCS-TV; Ogden’s school board acquired KVOG-TV and converted it into KOET for educational purposes; and BYU established KBYU-TV after purchasing KLOR-TV’s license. In 1967, when KOET became available for sale, Utah State sought to acquire it as a semi-satellite station for KUSU-TV. Nevertheless, due to the increasing number of educational stations statewide, the Joint Commission on Educational Television moved toward consolidating operations under KUED. In February 1970, KUSU-TV announced plans to cease broadcasting and instead provide programming to KUED. On November 15, 1970, KUSU-TV was replaced by a KUED translator operating on channel 12 from a different site with reduced power, marking the end of Logan’s full-power noncommercial television service. The full-power antenna was removed from the tower by helicopter on that day.