WGBH Educational Foundation

Last updated
WGBH Educational Foundation
Named after Great Blue Hill
FormationApril 5, 1951;73 years ago (1951-04-05)
Founded atBoston, Massachusetts
04-2104397
FieldsPublic broadcasting
Official language
English
Leader Susan Goldberg
Subsidiaries PBS Distribution
Affiliations PBS
NPR
Public Radio Exchange
American Public Media
American Public Television
National Educational Telecommunications Association
Revenue (2016)
$187 million
Expenses (2016)$176 million
Website www.wgbh.org
[1] [2]

The WGBH Educational Foundation (also known as GBH since August 2020) is an American public broadcasting group based in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1951, it holds the licenses to all of the PBS member stations in Massachusetts, and operates its flagship station WGBH-TV, sister station WGBX-TV, and a group of NPR member stations in the state. It also owns WGBY-TV in Springfield, which is operated by New England Public Media under a program service agreement.

Contents

Nationally, WGBH is known as the distributor of a number of major PBS programs, including American Experience , Arthur , Frontline , Masterpiece , and Nova , among others; as the owner of Public Radio International until 2018, [3] [4] a syndicate of public radio programming; and for its role in the development of closed captioning and audio description technologies for broadcast television.

History

WGBH logo used from 1974 to 2020 WGBH logo black (1974-2020).svg
WGBH logo used from 1974 to 2020

In the 1990s, the WGBH Educational Foundation published books and other educational materials such as Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery. [5]

In 2003, WGBH and the City of Boston formed a joint venture for Boston Kids & Family TV channel that replaces one of the city's cable access channels. Boston Kids was launched on October 31, 2003. [6]

By December 2005, Boston’s WGBH and New York City's WNET were already broadcasting a local version of World on a subchannel. [7] and added by April 2006, Washington’s WETA. Then, WGBH and WNET teamed up with PBS, APT and NETA to roll out a national version of the local channels as PBS World. The network was launched nationally on August 15, 2007. [8]

In July 2012, WGBH acquired Public Radio International (PRI). PRI would continue with its own board while WGBH would be able to distribute more of its programs through PRI. [9]

In November 2015, WGBH purchased GlobalPost, with editorial operation and reporting resources being merged with PRI's The World news staff. [10]

On August 27, 2020, it was announced that WGBH would shorten its name to "GBH" as part of a larger corporate reimaging (which saw the adoption of purple as a new corporate color, and a font originally commissioned for Red Hat as its new corporate typeface) The foundation stated that due to its present-day multi-platform operations, the full WGBH call sign was too synonymous with broadcast media; "WGBH" will still be used as part of the organization's formal name. All other WGBH-owned and operated stations similarly dropped the W from their respective brandings, such as WCRB rebranding as "CRB Classical 99.5". [11] [12]

Board of trustees

Richard M. Burnes Jr. of Charles River Ventures is the chair of the board as of 2014, replacing Amos Hostetter Jr., who left the board. Henry P. Becton Jr., former WGBH President, and Maureen L. Ruettgers, the wife of former EMC Corporation CEO Michael Ruettgers, are vice chairs. Jonathan C. Abbott, as WGBH president, is also on the board. William N. Thorndike Jr., managing partner of the Housatonic Partners private equity firm, is on the board of trustees as the chair of the WGBH board of overseers.

The presidents of four regional universities are institutional trustees: Joseph E. Aoun of Northeastern University, Jackie Jenkins-Scott of Wheelock College, Frederick M. Lawrence of Brandeis University, and L. Rafael Reif of MIT.

The remaining board members are:

Units

Radio

WCAI, WNAN, and WZAI are the Cape, Coast, and Islands (CCI) NPR stations, serving part of southeastern Massachusetts. [14]

Former Radio Properties

Television

Public Media Management

Public Media Management is a joint venture of WGBH and Sony Electronics for remote TV master control services over the internet. [16]

Public Media Management was tested for a year. [17] The services were available starting April 1, 2015, just before the two Las Vegas shows, PBS's April 8–10 TechCon and NAB Show April 11–16, to be able to showcase the service during the shows. [16] WGBH's two Boston stations went live with PMM first followed by its Springfield, Massachusetts station WGBY in early May 2015. New Hampshire Public Television launched the system next. [17] In August 2015, Maryland Public Television switched to using their system. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Radio International</span> American radio organization (1983–2019)

Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States.

WNET, branded on-air as "Thirteen", is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group, it is a sister station to the area's secondary PBS member, Garden City, New York–licensed WLIW, and two class A stations: WMBQ-CD, and WNDT-CD. The WNET Group also operates New Jersey's PBS state network NJ PBS, and the website NJ Spotlight through an outsourcing agreement.

The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service and is considered one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. The awards were established in 1942 and administered until 1967 by Washington and Lee University's O. W. Riegel, Curator and Head of the Department of Journalism and Communications. Since 1968 they have been administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, and are considered by some to be the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another program administered by Columbia University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBH-TV</span> PBS member station in Boston

WGBH-TV, branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBX-TV</span> PBS member station in Boston

WGBX-TV, branded GBH 44, is the secondary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation, alongside WGBH-TV, WFXZ-CD, and multiple public radio stations in Boston and on Cape Cod. WGBX-TV, WGBH-TV and the WGBH and WCRB radio stations share studios on Guest Street in northwest Boston's Brighton neighborhood; WGBX-TV's transmitter is located on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PBS Distribution</span> Home video distribution company

PBS Distribution (PBSd), formerly known as PBS Ventures, PBS Home Video, and Public Media Distribution, is the home distribution unit of American television network PBS. The company manages streaming channels, video on demand releases, and sells home videos of PBS series and movies and PBS Kids series in various formats, as well as programming from other public television distributors such as American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunications Association.

WFCR is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Amherst, Massachusetts. It serves as the National Public Radio (NPR) member station for Western Massachusetts, including Springfield. The station operates at 13,000 watts ERP from a transmitter on Mount Lincoln in Pelham, Massachusetts, 968 feet above average terrain. The University of Massachusetts Amherst holds the license. The station airs NPR news programs during the morning and afternoon drive times and in the early evening. Middays and overnights are devoted to classical music and jazz is heard during the later evening hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCAI</span> Radio station in Woods Hole, Massachusetts

WCAI in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, WNAN in Nantucket, and WZAI in Brewster, are NPR member radio stations serving the Cape Cod and Islands area of southeast Massachusetts. They broadcast primarily news and information programming and are owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston. WCAI's studios are located at 3 Water Street in Woods Hole and its transmission facilities are located in Tisbury, Massachusetts.

The Lowell Institute is a United States educational foundation located in Boston, Massachusetts, providing both free public lectures, and also advanced lectures. It was endowed by a bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell Jr., who died in 1836. The Institute began work in the winter of 1839/40, and an inaugural lecture was given on December 31, 1839, by Edward Everett.

WGBY-TV is a PBS member television station in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Owned by the Boston-based WGBH Educational Foundation, it is a sister station to that organization's flagship and namesake, WGBH-TV, channel 2 ; New England Public Media, which also controls Amherst-licensed NPR member WFCR, operates WGBY-TV under a program service agreement. WGBY-TV provides programming to much of western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, with studios based in the Irene Mennen Hunter Public Media Center on Hampden Street alongside I-91 in downtown Springfield. Its transmitter is located on the peak of Mount Tom in Holyoke with the area's commercial television stations. WGBY-TV is also available on Comcast Xfinity channel 2 in Windham County, Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Public Television</span> PBS member network

Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) is the PBS member network for the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is owned by Connecticut Public Broadcasting, a community-based non-profit organization that holds the licenses for all PBS member stations licensed in the state, and also owns the state's NPR member, Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Together, the television and radio stations make up the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN). CPBN is the state's only locally owned media organization producing TV, radio, print and Internet content for distribution across the state. As of 2019, Mark Contreras was announced as the new President / CEO. The organizational structure of CPTV also includes a Board of Trustees. The network co-produced the long-running children's television series, Barney & Friends until the show were transferred to WNET.

WNCK is radio station known as "89.5 Quahog Country".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFXZ-CD</span> Television station in Massachusetts, United States

WFXZ-CD is a Class A television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The station is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation. WFXZ-CD's studios are located in Woburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Channel</span> American digital multicast public television network (launched 2005)

World Channel, also branded as World, is an American digital multicast public television network owned and operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation. It is distributed by American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunications Association and features programming covering topics such as science, nature, news, and public affairs. Programming is supplied by the entities, as well as other partners such as WNET and WGBH. It is primarily carried on the digital subchannels of PBS member stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBH (FM)</span> Public radio station in Boston

WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of National Public Radio (NPR) and affiliate of Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and American Public Media (APM). The license-holder is WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns company flagship WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV, along with WGBY-TV in Springfield.

WGBH may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PBS</span> American public television network

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Crystal City, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programs to public television stations in the United States, distributing shows such as Frontline, Nova, PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, Sesame Street, and This Old House.

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The AAPB is a national effort to digitally preserve and make accessible historically significant public radio and television programs created over the past 70+ years. The archive comprises over 120 collections from contributing stations and original producers from US states and territories. As of April 2020, the collection includes nearly 113,000 digitized items preserved on-site at the Library of Congress, and 53,000 items in the collection are streaming online in the AAPB Online Reading Room.

New England Public Media is a non-profit organization that operates the public broadcasting outlets in Western Massachusetts, including the Springfield area. It operates the region's NPR member, Amherst-licensed WFCR and its associated satellites, and the region's PBS member, Springfield-licensed WGBY-TV.

Jonathan C. Abbott is an American media executive who was the president and CEO of WGBH Educational Foundation from 2007 until his resignation in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Ownership Report For Noncommercial Educational Broadcast Station". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ "WGBH Educational Foundation on the Forbes The 100 Largest U.S. Charities List". Forbes . Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Falk, Tyler (August 15, 2018). "PRI, PRX merge to form new organization". current.org. Current. Retrieved January 16, 2020. Public Radio International and PRX will merge under an unusual arrangement that allows both to maintain separate identities and program portfolios.
  4. 1 2 Beard, David (August 20, 2018). "Merger of 2 public radio outsiders has something for both". poynter.org. Poynter Institute. Retrieved January 16, 2020. Last week, the two public radio experimenters announced they would merge.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Charles R.; Smith, Patricia; Blight, David; Else, Jon H.; Fields, Barbara; Frey, Sylvia; Gates Jr., Henry Louis; Gill, Gerald; Harding, Vincent; et al. (Authors) (1998). Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery (1st ed.). United States: Harcourt Brace. p. iv. ISBN   978-0-15-100339-6.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Suzanne C. (October 31, 2003). "City revives kids' PBS channel". Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Knight Foundation backs launch planning for PBS's Public Square". Current. December 19, 2005. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ Egner, Jeremy (April 3, 2006). "World and Go! streams flow into PBS plans". Current. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ Everhart, Karen (July 26, 2012). "WGBH, the top producer of PBS programs, now owns Public Radio International". Current. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ Yu, Roger (September 24, 2015). "Boston-based WGBH buys world news site GlobalPost". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  11. ↑ Wyllie, Julian (August 31, 2020). "To change with the times, WGBH drops its 'W' and pivots to purple". Current . Retrieved August 31, 2020. WGBH in Boston is removing the 'W' from its branding to become 'GBH.' [...] The legal name for the organization will remain the WGBH Education Foundation. The 'W' will also remain in its FCC registration.
  12. ↑ "WGBH is dropping the 'W' from its name. Here's why". Boston.com. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  13. ↑ WGBH Spring 2009
  14. ↑ "About Us". WCAI. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  15. 1 2 June-Friesen, Katy (March 2, 2009). "Packaged channels for multicasting, 2009". Current.org . Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Halonen, Doug (April 16, 2015). "Sony, WGBH roll out cloud-based alternative to master-control systems". Current . American University School of Communication . Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Soltz, Ned (May 7, 2015). "WGBH and Sony Partner on Cloud Workflow". TV Technology . NewBay Media . Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  18. ↑ Zurawik, David (July 28, 2015). "More downsizing at MPT as master control function shifts to Boston". Baltimore Sun . Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ralph Lowell Award". USA: Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
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.