WFWA

Last updated

WFWA
PBS Fort Wayne logo.png
Channels
BrandingPBS Fort Wayne
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerFort Wayne Public Television, Inc.
History
FoundedFebruary 2, 1975 (establishment of W39AA)
First air date
December 5, 1986(37 years ago) (1986-12-05)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 39 (UHF, 1986–2009)
  • Digital: 40 (UHF, 2003–2018)
Call sign meaning
"Fort Wayne"
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 22108
ERP 350 kW
HAAT 219.1 m (719 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 41°6′13″N85°11′28″W / 41.10361°N 85.19111°W / 41.10361; -85.19111
Links
Public license information
Website www.pbsfortwayne.org

WFWA (channel 39) 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.

Contents

History

On February 2, 1975, [2] W39AA, a translator of WBGU-TV in Bowling Green, Ohio, signed on the air on channel 39; the coverage of W39AA was generally restricted to the immediate Fort Wayne area, as its coverage was not powerful enough to cover the entire market. This low-power repeater station was merely a placeholder, as channel 39 was allocated as a full-power educational channel in Fort Wayne. In December 1985, the station became a translator of Indianapolis PBS station WFYI, [2] after the translator was allowed to originate programming. [3]

In October 1984, Fort Wayne Public Television applied to build a full-power station on channel 39. The FCC approved on January 29, 1985; WFWA signed on the air on December 5, 1986, bringing northeast Indiana its own PBS station for the first time ever. [2] However, it was not until October 1, 1989, that WFWA was programmed separately from WFYI. [4]

In 2003, WFWA became the first television station in the Fort Wayne market to broadcast a digital signal, originally carrying the national PBS HDTV feed on a separate subchannel from its regular programming; funding issues would later cause the national HD feed to be pulled, leaving all programming in standard definition for several years. It was announced that WFWA's main channel 39.1 would broadcast in high-definition full-time at some point during summer 2010. [5] During a summer 2010 pledge break, general manager Bruce Haines announced that the change would occur on July 4, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Due to advancements in video compression, the station was able to upgrade its main channel to HD without sacrificing the video quality of its other three SD subchannels.

In May 2013, the station announced a fundraising drive to upgrade its infrastructure over the next three years, including a signal boost, the purchase of remote production equipment, and improvements to the station's master control.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WFWA [6]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
39.1 1080i 16:9 PBS FW PBS
39.2 480i PBSKIDS PBS Kids
39.3Create Create
39.4EXPLORE
39.5 1080i PBS WXPBS Fort Wayne WX

Previously, WFWA had shown the national PBS Kids feed (also seen nationally on digital cable/satellite) on channel 39.2. The service ended on September 26, 2005, but WFWA continued the channel by self-programming it locally until 2017, when the national 24/7 PBS Kids Channel launched.

Channel 39.3 was originally a 24-hour delayed feed from PBS ("PBS Encore"), but it was replaced by the national Create TV channel on July 1, 2006. [7]

WFWA aired the Annenberg/CPB Channel on 39.4 until October 1, 2008. The satellite feed for Annenberg was discontinued at that time. [8] WFWA now programs the subchannel locally with news and information programming and other documentaries supplied by PBS and various public media distributors. It was originally branded as "39-4you" (using a similar logo to PBS YOU, though it had no affliation with that retired service), and later became known as "Explore" in 2014.

Analog-to-digital conversion

WFWA discontinued programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 39, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 40, [9] using virtual channel 39.

As part of the SAFER Act, [10] WFWA kept its analog signal on the air for 2+ weeks to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.

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.

Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two PBS member television stations, KTCA-TV and KTCI-TV, both licensed to Saint Paul. It produces programs for local, regional and national television broadcast, operates numerous websites, and produces rich media content for Web distribution.

KHET, branded 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.

Rocky Mountain PBS is a network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Colorado. Headquartered in Denver, it is operated by Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc., a non-profit organization which holds the licenses for most of the PBS member stations licensed in the state, with the exception of KBDI-TV in Broomfield, which serves as the Denver market's secondary PBS station through the network's Program Differentiation Plan. The network comprises five full-power stations—flagship station KRMA-TV in Denver and satellites KTSC in Pueblo, KRMJ in Grand Junction, KRMU in Durango and KRMZ in Steamboat Springs. The broadcast signals of the five full-power stations and 60 translators cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.

WFTC is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KMSP-TV. Both stations share studios on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie, while WFTC's transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota.

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

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

WTVI is a PBS member television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, owned by Central Piedmont Community College. The station's studios are located in the Chantilly-Commonwealth section of east Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in the unincorporated area of Newell in northeastern Mecklenburg County. It is the only public television station in North Carolina that is not operated by PBS North Carolina, and is one of three PBS member stations serving the Charlotte metropolitan area, along with PBS North Carolina's WUNG-TV in Concord and South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV)'s WNSC-TV in Rock Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTIU</span> PBS member station in Bloomington, Indiana

WTIU, virtual channel 30, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station serving Indianapolis, Indiana, United States that is licensed to Bloomington. Owned by Indiana University, it is a sister station to National Public Radio (NPR) member WFIU. The two stations share studios on the Indiana University campus on East 7th Street in Bloomington; WTIU's transmitter is located on Sare Road on the city's southeast side.

WBGU-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. Owned by Bowling Green State University, it is sister to radio station WBGU. The two stations share studios at the Tucker Center for Telecommunications on the BGSU campus; WBGU-TV's transmitter is located near Belmore, Ohio. Unlike the radio station, WBGU-TV is not primarily operated by students at the university; however, the station does offer many different student positions that allow students to gain experience.

PBS Wisconsin is a network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the state outside of Milwaukee.

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.

Arkansas PBS is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is operated by the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, a statutory non-cabinet agency of the Arkansas government operated through the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which holds the licenses for all of the public television stations based in the state. The commission is managed by an independent board of university and education officials, and gubernatorial appointees representing each of Arkansas's four congressional districts. Along with offering television programs supplied by PBS and various independent distributors, the network produces public affairs, cultural and documentary programming as well as sports events sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYTU-LD</span> Telemundo affiliate in Milwaukee

WYTU-LD is a low-power television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned by Weigel Broadcasting, it is sister to CBS affiliate WDJT-TV, Class A MeTV owned-and-operated station WBME-CD and Racine-licensed independent station WMLW-TV. The stations share studios in the Renaissance Center office complex on South 60th Street in West Allis ; WYTU-LD's transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.

WCNY-TV is a PBS member television station in Syracuse, New York, United States. Owned by The Public Broadcasting Council of Central New York, Inc. it is sister to classical music radio station WCNY-FM (91.3). The two stations share studios on West Fayette Street in Syracuse's Near Westside neighborhood and transmitter facilities in Pompey, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHBS</span> ABC/CW affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas

KHBS is a television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW Plus. It is simulcast full-time over satellite station KHOG-TV in Fayetteville. Owned by Hearst Television and jointly branded as "40/29", the two stations maintain studios on Ajax Avenue in Rogers, with a secondary studio and news bureau on North Albert Pike Avenue/North 42nd Street in Fort Smith. KHBS' transmitter is located on Cavanal Hill in northwestern Le Flore County, Oklahoma, while KHOG-TV's transmitter is based near Ed Edwards Road in rural northeastern Washington County, Arkansas, just southeast of the Fayetteville city limits.

WINM is a religious television station licensed to Angola, Indiana, United States, serving the Fort Wayne area as owned-and-operated station of Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station's transmitter is located in unincorporated Williams County, Ohio, near the Indiana state line, midway between Butler, Indiana, and Edgerton, Ohio. Though most of the city proper is adequately covered by the main signal, WINM's signal is relayed in Fort Wayne on digital translator WEIJ-LD.

WYIN, branded on-air as Lakeshore PBS, is a secondary PBS member television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, United States, serving the Chicago area. It is owned by Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, Inc., as a sister station to NPR member WLPR-FM (89.1). Both stations share studios on Indiana Place in Merrillville, while WYIN's transmitter is located near Lake Dalecarlia. WYIN is one of two PBS member stations in the Chicago television market, alongside Chicago-licensed WTTW.

WKMJ-TV is a PBS member television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the flagship station for KET2, the second television service of Kentucky Educational Television (KET), which is owned by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCLJ-TV</span> Bounce TV station in Bloomington, Indiana

WCLJ-TV is a television station licensed to Bloomington, Indiana, United States, serving the Indianapolis area as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Bounce TV. It is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings alongside Ion Television affiliate WIPX-TV. WCLJ-TV and WIPX-TV share offices on Production Drive in southwestern Indianapolis; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WIPX-TV's spectrum from an antenna on SR 252 in Trafalgar, Indiana.

Milwaukee PBS is the collective brand for two Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television stations licensed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States: WMVS and WMVT. Both stations are owned and operated by the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WFWA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 3 Zaenger, Thomas D. N. (November 26, 1986). "Channel 39 will become WFWA on Dec. 5". The News-Sentinel .
  3. ↑ Zaenger, Thomas D. N. (February 14, 1985). "Channel 39 gets OK for local TV broadcasts". The News-Sentinel .
  4. ↑ Kilbane, Kevin (September 28, 1989). "Independent 39 repackaging PBS favorites". The News-Sentinel.
  5. ↑ High-definition 39.1
  6. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WFWA
  7. ↑ "PBS39 viewers have a new digital channel choice... CreateTV on digital 39-3". Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ 39-4you information
  9. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  10. ↑ "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.