KSKC-TV is a public television station owned and operated by Salish Kootenai College.  We operate 4 transmitters:  Channel 25 covers Ronan and Pablo, channel 20 covers Elmo and Polson, channel 28 covers St. Ignatius and Charlo, and Channel 48 covers Arlee.  KSKC began in 1988 with two transmitters in St. Ignatius and Ronan.

KSKC receives no operational support from state or federal sources.  Individual contributions, underwriting and program production are our sole sources of funding in addition to Salish Kootenai College in-kind services.  Recently, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes approved funding to assist in the continued operation of the station.

The 2 person staff has nearly 60 years in program experience and engineering knowledge and has won numerous awards for programs.  For example, the Sacred Salmon series has garnered 4 national and two international awards.  Frank Tyro has been with SKC since 1984 and is the general manager and chief engineer.  Roy Bigcrane is program director and has worked with the station since its inception in 1987.  Roy is an international award winning producer for The Place of the Falling Waters.

KSKC provides the only local public television in the area.  We provide over 3 hours of local programs per week.  Our message board provides information about meetings, school and local events that are not available anywhere else.  Please e-mail announcements to us at roy_bigcrane@skc.edu or fax to 275-4801 attention KSKC.

KSKC-TV has received two grants totaling over $525,000 that will assure the transition of the station to the new digital transmission format mandated by the U.S. Congress.  The grants will allow KSKC to rebuild our 20-year-old infrastructure and begin producing local programs in high definition in 2008.  The local match amounts needed to access the federal monies came from local businesses, viewers, SKC employees and the SKC Foundation.  The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also contributed to the continued operation of the local public station that serves residents of the Flathead Reservation with free over-the-air broadcast service.  The Program schedule includes cultural, local issue, language and music as well as news, documentary and children’s educational programs.

The SKC Media Center recently completed the video Finding Common Ground: Guiding Growth on the Flathead Indian Reservation in cooperation with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CS&KT) Planning Office. Janet Camel of CS&KT was the principal writer.  The program has been selected by the CS&KT Education Department to be distributed by the Office of Public Instruction as a resource in the Indian Education for all Curriculums.

If you are not currently receiving KSKC, please refer to How to get KSKC or call Frank Tyro at 275-4878 for advice.