WOSU-TV
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WOSU-TV (digital channel 38) is an American television station located in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service. The station's signal covers most of central Ohio. It is owned by Ohio State University, and operates full-time satellite WPBO-TV in Portsmouth, Ohio. WPBO-TV broadcasts on digital 43, serving extreme southern Ohio and the western edge of the Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia market area.
WOSU-TV first broadcast on February 20, 1956. In 1959, a grant from the Ford Foundation allowed the station to purchase the first video tape recorder in Ohio. WOSU-TV began broadcasting in color in 1968, telecasting the football game between Ohio State and Michigan. The color telecast helped to popularize the UHF band in Columbus, an otherwise all-VHF market at the time.
In 1972, the station moved from its old studios at 2470 North Star Road in Upper Arlington to a new facility, the Fawcett Center for Tomorrow, on the banks of the Olentangy River near (now on) the campus of OSU. WPBO-TV began broadcasting as a full-powered relay station in October 1973. Both stations began broadcasting in stereo in 1986; WOSU-TV was the first in Columbus to do so. In September 2006, WOSU opened a digital media center in partnership with the COSI Columbus science museum; the WOSU@COSI project is considered a national model for public broadcast partnerships. The production facility includes broadcast studios, edit suites, a conference suite, offices, the WOSU mediaLab and digital exhibits. WOSU raised $5.6 million to build and equip the all-digital facility. The Fawcett Center continues to house WOSU's primary radio complex, business and administration offices, and television master control. WOSU also possesses an extensive archive of films and public programming video materials.
WOSU's broadcasts have been digital-only since March 31, 2009.[1]
Digital television
WOSU Digital transmits multiple programs and services. Offered are:
WOSU.HD — High-definition or digital widescreen programming featuring arts, culture, and nature.
WOSU.Ohio — Programming from The Ohio Channel, produced by the Ohio Public Broadcasting stations.
WOSU.PLUS — Programming of primetime PBS programming and daytime children’s programs on a one-day delay, airing from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
Along with WBNS-TV, the HD feed for WOSU is not available on Dish Network presumably due to contract negotiations. WCMH-TV, WSYX, and WTTE became available effective April 1, 2009.
Repeaters
In addition to WPBO, the station has two repeaters: W31AA in Newark, and W47AB in Mansfield.
W47AB, located within the Cleveland DMA, serves north central Ohio.
W31AA broadcasts on a frequency previously used by WGSF (TV); the repeater signed on July 1, 1976, the day after WGSF closed down.
Fundraising
Throughout most of the 1980s and the 1990s, WOSU had three different titles for its triannual pledge drives: Festival (held every March), Summer Celebration (held every July), and Explore 34 (held every December).
WOSU also had its own televised auction special, "Auction 34!", later renamed to "GO Auction!" around 2005. It was usually held every Tuesday-Saturday of the last week of April and the first week of May. Usually, the highest "Big Board" item sold was a Honda motorcycle.