WBRA-TV

Last updated

WBRA-TV
Blue Ridge PBS logo (2019).png
City Roanoke, Virginia
Channels
BrandingBlue Ridge PBS
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerBlue Ridge Public Television, Inc.
History
First air date
August 1, 1967(56 years ago) (1967-08-01)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 15 (UHF, 1967–2009)
NET (1967–1970)
Call sign meaning
Blue Ridge Educational Television Association [2]
Technical information [3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 5981
ERP
HAAT
  • 614.3 m (2,015 ft)
  • 630.6 m (2,069 ft) (CP) [1]
Transmitter coordinates 37°11′46″N80°9′16″W / 37.19611°N 80.15444°W / 37.19611; -80.15444 (WBRA-TV)
Links
Public license information
Website www.blueridgepbs.org

WBRA-TV (channel 15) is a PBS member television station in Roanoke, Virginia, United States, owned by Blue Ridge Public Television, Inc. The station's studios are located on McNeil Drive in southwest Roanoke, and its transmitter is located on Poor Mountain in unincorporated southwestern Roanoke County.

Contents

History

WBRA-TV signed on for the first time on August 1, 1967. It claims to be the first all-color educational station in the country. It was originally a member of National Educational Television (NET), before that organization was replaced by PBS in 1970.

In the 1980s, WBRA began identifying on-air as Blue Ridge Public Television, due to its location near the Blue Ridge Mountains. On February 19, 2007, it changed its on-air name to Blue Ridge PBS.

WBRA established two satellite transmitters—WSVN-TV (channel 47) in Norton was activated in 1971 and WMSY-TV (channel 52) in Marion began operations in 1981. WSBN brought a city-grade PBS signal to the Tri-Cities for the first time. On March 14, 1983, WSVN-TV changed its call sign to WSBN-TV. This allowed then-NBC affiliate WCKT (channel 7, now a Fox affiliate as WSVN) in Miami, Florida, to change its call sign three months later. Both stations were also carried on the Tri-Cities DirecTV and Dish Network feeds.

In March 2013, Blue Ridge PBS announced that it would close both WSBN-TV and WMSY-TV by June 30, 2013, leaving East Tennessee PBS outlet WETP as the sole source of PBS programming in the Tri-Cities. The move came as a result of budget cuts that followed the elimination of Virginia's funding for public broadcasting stations in 2012. However, station president James Baum told The Roanoke Times that there were no plans to tear down the transmitters, leaving the possibility that WSBN and WMSY could return in the future. [4]

In October 2014, Blue Ridge PBS relaunched WSBN-TV and WMSY-TV as Southwest Virginia Public Television (SWVAPT), which carried a secondary schedule incorporating programming of relevance to the region (such as Song of the Mountains and locally-produced content) and national PBS programs. The service was also carried on WBRA-DT2 and local cable providers. [5] [6] In 2017, the two stations went off the air, and were sold for nearly $5.8 million in the FCC's spectrum incentive auction; station management cited that residents of the Tri-Cities region could receive PBS service from Blue Ridge PBS and other nearby stations such as WETP-TV, KET, PBS North Carolina, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting, although the mountainous terrain of the region makes it difficult to receive over-the-air signals. [7]

In August 2021, Blue Ridge PBS launched ECHO (Education, Community, Health, Opportunity)—a new subchannel and streaming platform featuring locally-produced, "community based" educational programming. [8]

In September 2022, Blue Ridge PBS announced that it would launch a new local PBS service for Southwest Virginia, PBS Appalachia Virginia, which launched in June 2023. Unlike its predecessors, PBS Appalachia Virginia is structured as a digital- and cable-only broadcaster and does not offer an over-the-air service. [9] [10] As part of the launch, SWVAPT was replaced on WBRA-DT2 by "Blue Ridge PBS 2".

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WBRA-TV [11]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
15.1 1080i 16:9 WBRA-HDMain WBRA-TV programming / PBS
15.2SWVAPTVBlue Ridge PBS 2 / PBS (alternate)
15.3BRKIDS PBS Kids
15.4 480i Create Create
15.5ECHOECHO / Educational independent

Former relays

Station City of license Channels
VC / RF
First air dateLast air date ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinatesFormer callsigns
WSBN-TV1 Norton 47
32 (UHF)
March 30, 1971March 27, 2017
(45 years, 362 days)
(license canceled November 3, 2017)
100 kW591 m (1,939 ft)5985 36°53′53″N82°37′21″W / 36.89806°N 82.62250°W / 36.89806; -82.62250 (WSBN-TV) WSVN-TV (1971–1983)
WMSY-TV Marion 52
42 (UHF)
August 1, 1981March 27, 2017
(35 years, 238 days)
(license canceled November 3, 2017)
100 kW448 m (1,470 ft)5982 36°54′7″N81°32′32″W / 36.90194°N 81.54222°W / 36.90194; -81.54222 (WMSY-TV)

Notes:

Analog-to-digital conversion

Blue Ridge PBS' stations shut down their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date on 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: [12]

Related Research Articles

Iowa PBS, formerly Iowa Public Television (IPTV), is a network of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member stations in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is operated by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which holds the licenses for all the PBS member stations in the state. Iowa PBS' headquarters are located at 6450 Corporate Drive in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAKM</span> PBS member station in Anchorage

KAKM, virtual channel 7, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Owned by Alaska Public Media, it is sister to National Public Radio (NPR) member station KSKA. The two outlets share studios at the Elmo Sackett Broadcast Center on the campus of Alaska Pacific University; KAKM's transmitter is located near Knik, Alaska.

KHET, branded as PBS Hawai'i, is a PBS member television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands. Owned by the Hawaii Public Television Foundation, the station maintains studios on Sand Island Access Road in Honolulu, and its main transmitter is located on Palehua Ridge, north of Makakilo.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is the public television and radio state network serving the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is owned by the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Authority, an agency of the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Public Television</span> PBS member network serving North Dakota, United States

Prairie Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by Prairie Public Broadcasting. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the U.S. state of North Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCVE-TV</span> PBS member station in Richmond, Virginia

WCVE-TV is a PBS member television station in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Owned by the VPM Media Corporation, the station maintains studios and a transmitter at 23 Sesame Street in Bon Air, a suburb of Richmond.

WFSU-TV is a PBS member television station in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is owned by Florida State University alongside NPR members WFSU-FM (88.9) and WFSQ. The three stations share studios at the Public Broadcast Center on the Florida State campus; WFSU-TV's transmitter is located near Bloxham, Florida.

WTCI is a PBS member television station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Owned by the Greater Chattanooga Public Television Corporation, the station maintains studios on Bonnyshire Drive in Chattanooga, and its transmitter is located on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated Mile Straight.

WCTE is a PBS member television station in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States, serving the Upper Cumberland region. Owned by the Upper Cumberland Broadcast Council, the station originally had studios on the campus of Tennessee Technological University within the west-side stadium construction of Tucker Stadium; after an extensive relocation effort, the studios are now located on East Broad Street in downtown Cookeville, adjacent to the Putnam County courthouse. Its transmitter is located northwest of Monterey, Tennessee. Although Cookeville is part of the Nashville market, the station also serves the western fringe of the Knoxville market.

WIPB, virtual channel 49, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Muncie, Indiana, United States. Owned by Ball State University, it is a sister station to National Public Radio (NPR) member WBST. The two stations share studios at the E. F. Ball Communication Building on the university's campus in northwestern Muncie; WIPB's transmitter is located on County Road 50 in rural southern Delaware County.

KPXD-TV is a television station licensed to Arlington, Texas, United States, serving as the Ion Television outlet for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has offices on Six Flags Drive in Arlington, and its transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.

WEIU-TV, virtual channel 51, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Charleston, Illinois, United States. Owned by Eastern Illinois University (EIU), it is a sister station to campus radio station WEIU. The two stations share studios on the EIU campus in Charleston; WEIU-TV's transmitter is located near Humboldt, Illinois.

New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS), known as New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) prior to October 1, 2017, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member network serving the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is operated by New Hampshire Public Broadcasting (NHPB), a community-based organization which holds the licenses to all of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. Its studios are located just outside the University of New Hampshire campus in Durham.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television stations serving the U.S. state of Louisiana. The stations are operated by the Louisiana Educational Television Authority, an agency created by the executive department of the Louisiana state government which holds the licenses for six of the seven PBS member stations licensed in the state. Louisiana Public Broadcasting's studio facilities and offices are located on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WQCW</span> CW affiliate in Portsmouth, Ohio

WQCW, branded on air as Tri-State's CW, is a television station licensed to Portsmouth, Ohio, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for the Charleston–Huntington, West Virginia market. It is one of two commercial television stations in the market licensed outside West Virginia. WQCW is owned by Gray Television alongside Huntington-licensed NBC affiliate WSAZ-TV. Both stations share studios on 5th Avenue in Huntington, while WQCW's transmitter is located on Barker Ridge near Milton.

WZBJ is a television station licensed to Danville, Virginia, United States, serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Roanoke-licensed CBS affiliate WDBJ. WZBJ and WDBJ share studios on Hershberger Road in northwest Roanoke; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WDBJ's spectrum from an antenna on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County.

WFWA is a PBS member television station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Owned by Fort Wayne Public Television, Inc., the station maintains studios at the Dr. Rudy and Rhonda Kachmann Teleplex on the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne, and its transmitter is located at its former studio facility on Butler Road in Fort Wayne.

KSYS is a PBS member station in Medford, Oregon, United States, channel owned by Southern Oregon Public Television. The station's studios are located on South Fir Street in downtown Medford and its transmitter is located in King Mountain.

KTPX-TV is a television station licensed to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States, serving as the Ion Television outlet for the Tulsa area. It is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company alongside NBC affiliate KJRH-TV. KTPX-TV's offices are located on East Skelly Drive in Tulsa, and its transmitter is located near Mounds, Oklahoma.

PBS Appalachia Virginia is a PBS member station serving southwestern Virginia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Channel Substitution/Community of License Change". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  2. "History of Blue Ridge PBS". wbra.org.
  3. "Facility Technical Data for WBRA-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. Berrier Jr., Ralph (March 27, 2013). "Blue Ridge PBS to go dark in far Southwest Virginia". The Roanoke Times . Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  5. Berrier Jr., Ralph (October 26, 2014). "Media notes: Blue Ridge PBS launches new channel". Roanoke Times.
  6. "Blue Ridge PBS announces Southwest Virginia Public Television". The Bristol Herald Courier. October 4, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  7. Wyllie, Julian (September 8, 2022). "An all-digital public TV station for Southwest Virginia is slated to launch next year". Current. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  8. Dashiell, Joe (June 10, 2021). "Blue Ridge PBS launches new education channel". WDBJ-TV . Gray Television . Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  9. Wyllie, Julian (September 8, 2022). "An all-digital public TV station for Southwest Virginia is slated to launch next year". Current. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  10. Winslow, George (June 9, 2023). "PBS Appalachia Virginia Launches First All-Digital Public TV Station". TVTechnology. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  11. RabbitEars TV Query for WBRA
  12. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.