K29HW-D channel 29, known on-air as TSTV (or Texas Student Television, formerly KVR-TV) is the Student television station of The University of Texas at Austin, operated by Texas Student Media. Founded in 1995 as K09VR channel 9, it is one of only a handful of FCC-licensed television stations in the country that are entirely run by students.
The station operates with a low-power license, serving central Austin, Texas and also can be seen over campus and on cable 15 or 51 on cable systems serving the University. The Austin Community Access Center, (Public-access television) on Time Warner Cable cable TV channel 16 offers a weeknightly block of TSTV from 9PM to 10PM. TSTV also airs 24 hours on digital channel 29.1 in the Austin metropolitan area.
The station features such long time shows such as "KVR News 9," "Sneak Peek," "College Crossfire," "TNN", "Combo Breakers", "Local Live," and "Videogame Hour Live." One show, "Campus Loop", was nationally syndicated on the College Broadcast network. It aired from 1999 until 2001.
Notable Hollywood personalities have appeared on several of the station's shows or segments, including Pauly Shore, Mark Cuban, Dennis Quaid and Robert Rodriguez.
Writer, producer and director Wes Anderson was briefly affiliated with the station as a student at the University. Here he met future collaborator Owen Wilson.
Digital television
In January 2010, TSTV began broadcasting a digital signal K29HW-D on UHF channel 29. Fund-raising efforts were held to raise the $85,000 needed for the digital station. As a low-power station, K09VR did not have to meet the June 12, 2009 deadline which applied to full-power US TV stations. In 2010, TSTV ended broadcasts on analog channel 9 signal and now broadcasts exclusively in digital on channel 29. Its license for channel 9 (K09VR) was also cancelled.