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West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is the public television and radio state network serving the state of West Virginia. It is owned by the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Authority, an agency of the West Virginia state government that holds the licenses for all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) member stations licensed in West Virginia. It is headquartered in Charleston with studios in Morgantown and Beckley.

On January 1, 2015, West Virginia PBS and West Virginia Public Radio merged their brands, branding exclusively as "West Virginia Public Broadcasting" across radio and television.[1]

Television

The first public television station in West Virginia signed on July 14, 1969 under the callsign WMUL-TV, broadcasting from Marshall University. In 1981 WMUL-TV changed its call letters to WPBY-TV;[2] two years later, the public station at West Virginia University, WWVU-TV, was renamed WNPB-TV.[3] WPBY-TV and WNPB-TV received their new call letters to underline that the operations were managed by the state educational broadcasting authority, and not the university system. In 1992 the state completed a microwave link that permitted it to convert WNPB and the state's third PBS station, WSWP-TV in Beckley, West Virginia to become repeaters of WPBY-TV in Huntington and form a state network. On January 5, 2015, WPBY-TV changed its call letters to WVPB-TV[2] as part of an effort to unify all of West Virginia Public Broadcasting's services under a single brand; the television network had previously been branded as "West Virginia PBS," a name that was phased out starting on January 1, 2015.[4]

The state network has a total of eight low-powered repeaters serving other areas out of the range of the three full-powered stations, most notably Wheeling and Parkersburg. In the past the network showed some Marshall University and West Virginia University sports content, but has abandoned this practice due to Conference USA/Big 12 exclusivity agreements with commercial and cable outlets.

The current local content consists of a daily recap of the state legislative session, shows produced by the West Virginia University medical school, and student produced news from campus weekly products from Marshall University and West Virginia State University. It also broadcasts original documentaries on West Virginia history and culture, as well as live musical performances of Mountain Stage and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

TV stations

Station City of license
(other cities served) 		Channels First air date Call letters’
meaning 		Former callsigns ERP
kW 		HAAT
m (ft) 		Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
WVPB-TV Huntington
(Charleston) 		34 (UHF)
PSIP 33 		July 14, 1969 West
Virginia
Public
Broadcasting 		WMUL-TV
(1969–1981)
WPBY-TV
(1981–2015) 		60.1 378.3 m (1,241 ft) 71657 38°29′41″N 82°12′3″W / 38.49472°N 82.20083°W / 38.49472; -82.20083 (WVPB-TV)
WSWP-TV Grandview
(Beckley, Bluefield) 		10 (VHF)
PSIP 9 		November 1, 1970 Southern
West Virginia
Public Television 		24 317.9 m (1,043 ft) 71680 37°53′46″N 80°59′21″W / 37.89611°N 80.98917°W / 37.89611; -80.98917 (WSWP-TV)
WNPB-TV Morgantown
(Clarksburg, Weston, Fairmont) 		33 (UHF)
PSIP 24 		February 23, 1969 (Northern)
West Virginia
Public
Broadcasting 		WWVU-TV
(1969–1983) 		108 440.7 m (1,446 ft) 71676 39°41′45″N 79°45′45″W / 39.69583°N 79.76250°W / 39.69583; -79.76250 (WNPB-TV)

Translators

Broadcast translator of WVPB-TV
Station City of license Channel ERP
kW 		HAAT
m (ft) 		Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
W51EG-D Parkersburg 51 (UHF) 15 106 m (348 ft) 167359 39°12′43″N 81°35′31″W / 39.21194°N 81.59194°W / 39.21194; -81.59194 (W51EG-D)
Broadcast translators of WNPB-TV
Station City of license Channel ERP
kW 		HAAT
m (ft) 		Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
W07DN-D Wardensville 7 (VHF) 0.3 511 m (1,677 ft) 167352 39°8′38″N 78°26′9″W / 39.14389°N 78.43583°W / 39.14389; -78.43583 (W07DN-D)
W08EE-D Martinsburg 8 (VHF) 0.3 281 m (922 ft) 167357 39°27′36″N 78°3′45″W / 39.46000°N 78.06250°W / 39.46000; -78.06250 (W08EE-D)
W09CT-D Mathias 9 (VHF) 0.24 198 m (650 ft) 167353 38°49′15″N 78°53′56″W / 38.82083°N 78.89889°W / 38.82083; -78.89889 (W09CT-D)
W23DR-D Romney 23 (UHF) 15 267 m (876 ft) 167358 39°18′34.5″N 78°43′1.3″W / 39.309583°N 78.717028°W / 39.309583; -78.717028 (W23DR-D)
W30CO-D Wheeling 30 (UHF) 4.5 140 m (460 ft) 167354 40°3′41″N 80°45′8″W / 40.06139°N 80.75222°W / 40.06139; -80.75222 (W30CO-D)
W41DK-D Keyser 41 (UHF) 7 402 m (1,319 ft) 167356 39°12′43″N 81°35′31″W / 39.21194°N 81.59194°W / 39.21194; -81.59194 (W41DK-D)

Two translators that repeated WSWP-TV have not yet been converted to digital.[which?]

Digital television

Digital channels

All digital signals are multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[5][6][7]
xx.1 1080i 16:9 WVPBS Main WVPB programming / PBS
xx.2 480i 4:3 WVPBS.2 Create

Analog-to-digital conversion

West Virginia Public Broadcasting's stations shut down their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital channel allocations post-transition are as follows:[8]

  • WPBY-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 33; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34.[9] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 33.
  • WSWP-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9; the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 53, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to VHF channel 10.[10] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 9.
  • WNPB-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 24; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 33.[11] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 24.

Radio

Trey Kay and Deborah George at the 69th Annual Peabody Awards for The Great Textbook War, broadcast on WVPB

WVPB's state radio network includes eleven full-powered stations and seven low-powered translators, all on the FM band. The state network carries programs from NPR, PRI and other distributors, as well as classical and folk music. WVPB produces original weekly programs, including EclecTopia, Inside Appalachia and Sidetracks, plus the nationally distributed Mountain Stage (for NPR and the Voice of America). The network was known as "West Virginia Public Radio" until WVPB's 2015 transition to a single brand.[4]

FM stations

Template:RadioSimulcast

Translators

In addition to five low-powered, separate-frequency translators, two low-powered boosters also extend coverage. Boosters are licensed on the same frequency as the parent station but at a different location. They are given the same callsign as the parent station with a number added to differentiate the transmitter site.

Broadcast translators for WVPW
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W203AE 88.5 FM Elkins 10 364 m (1,194 ft) D
W297AA 107.3 FM Clarksburg 95 146.4 m (480 ft) D
Broadcast translator for WVEP
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
WVEP-FM1 88.9 FM Charles Town 210 63 m (207 ft) D
Broadcast translator for WVNP
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
WVNP-FM1 89.9 FM Wheeling 41 176 m (577 ft) D
Broadcast translators for WVPB
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W218AT 91.5 FM Union 17 387 m (1,270 ft) D
W219BM 91.7 FM Matewan 10 −80 m (−262 ft) D
W220BK 91.9 FM Logan 10 214 m (702 ft) D

Additional television translators

In Moorefield, West Virginia WNPB-TV is rebroadcast on W22CV-D.[12][13] W22CV-D is not owned and operated by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and is owned by Valley TV Cooperative, INC. WNPB-TV also is rebroadcast in Hampshire, West Virginia on W41AO that is owned and operated by the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority.[14] W41AO does not seem like on the FCC data that W41AO is a digital translator.

The West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority has two construction permits for two digital low-powered translators for WSWP-TV of which these digital translators may not be on the air yet.[15][16]

Website and online services

West Virginia Public Broadcasting maintains a website with West Virginia news and free access to original video and audio productions. It also provides its videos through its YouTube page.

WVPB also operates a free website with educational videos and games for teachers, parents and students called West Virginia LearningMedia, part of PBS LearningMedia.

References

  1. ^ "West Virginia Public Broadcasting merges brands". The Montgomery Herald. Montgomery, West Virginia: Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Call Sign History (WVPB-TV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Call Sign History (WNPB-TV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "West Virginia Public Broadcasting merges brands". Montgomery Herald. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  5. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WVPB
  6. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WSWP
  7. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WNPB
  8. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  9. ^ CDBS Print
  10. ^ CDBS Print
  11. ^ CDBS Print
  12. ^ RabbitEars.Info
  13. ^ http://www.bia.com/Research-and-Forecasts/Broadcast-Media-Resources/Station-Search/resources_search_result.asp?calls=W22CV&media=TV
  14. ^ Literature Study Guides - By Popularity - eNotes.com
  15. ^ RabbitEars.Info
  16. ^ RabbitEars.Info
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