PBS aired Mister Rogers' Neighborhood during its final run from 1979 to 2001. The program originally reached a national audience through National Educational Television (NET), beginning on February 19, 1968. When PBS replaced NET in 1970, the series became part of PBS's public-television schedule.
Production paused after 1976, when Fred Rogers reduced the show's demanding output of new episodes. The program returned with a second long run on August 27, 1979, and continued until August 31, 2001. That date marked the final original broadcast, although PBS stations continued showing selected reruns afterward.
A common mix-up is assuming PBS carried the entire history of the show. NET handled the earliest national broadcasts, while PBS carried the later episodes and became the network most closely associated with Mister Rogers. The series was produced in Pittsburgh, but its national distribution came through educational television networks.