For 60 years, Arkansas TV has served the state, informing, educating, inspiring and entertaining its viewers. Our roots dig into time in 1954 when the Arkansas Educational Television Association (AETA) was incorporated on June 4 as a voluntary organization to provide “non-profit and non-commercial educational television broadcast service to the state of Arkansas.”
In 1959, the General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 359, creating a committee to conduct a feasibility study of educational television for the state. The results led to the establishment of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission (AETC) in 1961, laying the foundation for what would eventually become the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN).
Humble Beginnings
Former State Sen. R. Lee Reaves was appointed as AETN’s first executive director in 1963, guiding the fledgling network from concept to reality. With funding secured for construction, Arkansas’s first educational station, KETS/Channel 2 in Little Rock, officially launched on Dec. 4, 1966, predating PBS by nearly three years. The inaugural broadcast featured remarks from Gov. Orval Faubus, Arkansas Educational Television Commission President Dr. Charles Snow and Reaves. The following day, AETN aired its first locally produced program, “Gateway to Music”
By 1978, AETN began receiving transmissions of PBS programming via satellite, joining the national public television network.
Expansion and Growth
The 1980s and 1990s marked a period of growth and innovation. AETN expanded its reach with new stations such as KEMV Channel 6 in Mountain View, covering over 90% of the state. Local programming flourished with “Arkansas Week,” launched in 1983 and still the state’s longest-running public affairs program. During this time, the network expanded itsd offerings, adding the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl and election debates, cementing its role as a hub for both education and civic engagement. During this period, AETN produced some of its first award-winning content with the network’s first Emmy win in 1995.
The 2000s and 2010s brought further innovation. Partnering with the Arkansas Department of Education, AETN launched ArkansasIDEAS, an online professional development platform for educators. The network also expanded its coverage into AETN Sports and enhanced public access to government through AR-CAN, livestreaming state legislative sessions and hearings. Emmy-winning programming continued to highlight Arkansas history, culture and community, with documentaries on topics ranging from architecture and historic trees to civil rights and local jazz history.
In 2020, AETN officially rebranded as Arkansas PBS. That same year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the network partnered with the Arkansas Department of Education to launch Arkansas AMI (Alternative Method of Instruction), providing televised, standards-aligned lessons for Pre-K through 8th-grade students. Building on this success, Arkansas PBS created Camp AR PBS and “Rise & Shine” to help combat learning loss, ensuring education continued even outside the classroom.
Ongoing Impact
On Dec. 11, 2025, Arkansas PBS rebranded as Arkansas TV, honoring our mission to local storytelling, meaningful community partnerships and more opportunities to celebrate the people and places that make our state extraordinary. Over the past 60 years, its programming has earned more than 50 Emmy awards, across documentaries, educational series, cultural programming and sports. The network has interviewed numerous Arkansas governors and produced shows that aired nationally.
Public engagement initiatives such as AR-CAN give citizens live access to state legislative proceedings and government meetings, while Arkansas LIVE brings events, lectures and performances directly to viewers, featuring speakers such as Condoleezza Rice, Yo-Yo Ma, Hillary Clinton, and David M. Rubenstein. Meanwhile, the network is actively preserving Arkansas history, digitizing decades of archival content for public and educational access.
Thank You!
From its first broadcast in 1966 to statewide instructional programming, Emmy-winning documentaries, and innovative livestreaming initiatives today, Arkansas TV remains a cornerstone of education, culture, and civic life in Arkansas, continuing to inform, educate, inspire and entertain generations of viewers, and we couldn’t do it without you.
STAY IN TOUCH by visiting arkansastv.gov/signup.
HOW TO WATCH – Find local content and subscribe to our YouTube channel.