The station began broadcasting on September 23, 1968, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, as one of the ten charter stations of the KET network. All of the network's satellites were strategically located to serve as much of the state as possible.
Digital television
The station's digital television companion signal, WKMA-DT, along with the digital companions of 13 other KET stations, signed on the air in May 2002. Source:
Analog-to-digital conversion
On April 16, 2009, WKMA-TV shut down its analog signal over UHF channel 35 as part of the mandatory analog-to-digital television transition of 2009. The deadline was moved from February 17 to June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV Delay Act, but all KET stations completed the transition on April 16. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 35.
WKMA-TV currently holds a construction permit to reallocate its digital signal onto UHF channel 31. This is part of the network's participation in the 2016–17 FCC Spectrum incentive auction. The station's former digital frequency, UHF channel 42, is one of the upper-mid UHF band channels to be removed from broadcasting use in order to provide additional bandwidth for wireless services. The station moved to its current allocation on the morning ofOctober 18, 2019.
Coverage area
Over-the-air
WKMA-TV's signal primarily serves the Pennyrile region of west-central Kentucky, and can reach from the northern suburbs of Clarksville, Tennessee, to the southern outskirts of Owensboro, and from Grand Rivers to Russellville. Grade B coverage is available in Owensboro, Russellville, parts of Henderson, Clarksville, and Fort Campbell. The station's over-the-air signal can cover portions of four DMAs, including the southern portion of the Evansville market, portions of the Paducah market's easternmost areas, the Nashville market's southwestern Kentucky counties, and the western half of Butler County in the Bowling Green market. As with most other KET stations, WKMA's over-the-air signal covers some of the same areas as some of KET's other stations, including WKOH/Owensboro, WKGB-TV/Bowling Green, WKPD/Paducah, and WKMU/Murray. Much of Muhlenberg County and Todd County is served by the over-the-air signals of both WKMA and WKGB. McLean County is well-served by both WKMA and WKOH. All of the network's satellites were strategically located to maximize signal coverage in Kentucky to the fullest extent possible. Total over-the-air coverage of all KET stations is subject to change due to the network participating in the 2016 FCC Spectrum auction.
Cable availability
KET's statewide cable coverage in the Pennyrile region includes the localMediacom systems in Hopkins, Caldwell, and Crittenden counties. It is also carried on Charter Spectrum in Webster County, as well on Crystal Broadband and Xfinity systems in Muhlenberg County. While WKMA's terrestrial signal reaches Christian, Todd, and Trigg counties and the Charter Spectrum system lists WKMA on cable in Hopkinsville/Christian County, Mediacom systems in Christian and Trigg counties carry WKMU in Murray. In terms of satellite television carriage, WKMA is not available on DirecTV or Dish Network, as WKOH and WNIN are the only PBS stations uplinked in the Evansville market. KET is not available on satellite in Christian, Todd, Trigg, or Logan counties, as these are considered to be in the Nashville market, where that city's PBS affiliate WNPT, along with WCTE of Cookeville, Tennessee, are the only PBS signals uplinked to satellite television in those areas.
