WILL-TV

Last updated

WILL-TV
City Urbana, Illinois
Channels
BrandingPBS WILL
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WILL, WILL-FM
History
First air date
August 1, 1955
Former call signs
WTLC (CP, 1953–1955)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 12 (VHF, 1955–2009)
NET (1955–1970)
Call sign meaning
Illinois or the word "will"
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 68939
ERP 30 kW
HAAT 302 m (991 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 40°2′18″N88°40′10″W / 40.03833°N 88.66944°W / 40.03833; -88.66944 (WILL-TV)
Links
Public license information
Website will.illinois.edu
Campbell Hall at the University of Illinois, home of Illinois Public Media, including the WILL-TV studios Campbell Hall UIUC.jpg
Campbell Hall at the University of Illinois, home of Illinois Public Media, including the WILL-TV studios

WILL-TV (channel 12) is a PBS member television station licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States, serving the Central Illinois region. Owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of Illinois Public Media, it is sister to NPR member stations WILL (580 AM) and WILL-FM (90.9). The three stations share studios at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university's campus; WILL-TV's transmitter is located on East 1700th Road North, five miles (8 km) west of Monticello.

Contents

History

Commercial television operation in the United States was first authorized in 1941. However, by 1948, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) determined that insufficient channels had been created to provide for national interference-free coverage, and there was also a need to set aside allocations for use by non-commercial educational stations. In order to give itself time to review options, a "freeze" on new TV station construction was announced, which would last until 1952. Meanwhile, in May 1951, the Illinois General Assembly included funding for a University of Illinois TV program-production unit. [2]

In 1952, the FCC announced a new TV allocation plan, which included a reservation for an educational station in Urbana on VHF channel 12. At this time the FCC also announced the creation of 70 UHF TV channels; however, existing receivers could only receive VHF stations, and UHF assignments were considered to be uneconomical for commercial operation. In particular, the Illinois Broadcasters Association complained that the Urbana channel 12 assignment was the only VHF channel allocation in south central Illinois; moreover, that the university should not operate its own TV station, and should only prepare programming for use by commercial stations. [3] There were also petitions filed with the FCC to modify the Urbana educational channel 12 allocation; however, the commission left this assignment unchanged. [2]

In November 1953, the university filed an application to build the new station. After a bill that would have forced the university to withdraw its application was narrowly defeated in the legislature, the Illinois Broadcasters Association funded a taxpayer's lawsuit filed by Evanston restaurant owner Stephen Turkovich, that claimed financial support for the station violated provisions of the state's 1955 Finance Act. The case ultimately went to the Illinois Supreme Court, which in 1957 ruled that the state financing was proper. [4]

Because the station's initial application listed a main studio location in Champaign, regulations at the time meant it could not be assigned the call sign WILL-TV, because sister station WILL was licensed to a different community, Urbana. Thus when the application was approved and a construction permit issued, the TV station was initially issued the call sign WTLC. [5] However, in March 1955, prior to commencing operations, the main studio location was changed to Urbana, which allowed the call sign to be changed to WILL-TV. [6]

WILL-TV inaugurated broadcasting on August 1, 1955, from makeshift studios underneath the west stands of Memorial Stadium. [7] Financial support included a transmitter donated by General Electric, and $100,000 from an independent Ford Foundation agency, the Fund for Adult Education.[ citation needed ] Originally airing for only a few hours at night, the station began daytime broadcasts in 1958, consisting of telecourses from the university. [8] Also aired during this era was news, documentaries, and children's programming. [9]

WILL-TV became an affiliate of PBS upon the network's formation. [9] The station added Saturday programming in 1974, four years after joining PBS. [8]

Programming

In addition to PBS network and local programming, WILL-TV carries PBS Kids on one digital subchannel, and a mixture of programming from the Create and World networks on a second subchannel.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WILL-TV [10]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
12.1 1080i 16:9 WILL-HDMain WILL-TV programming / PBS
12.2 480i Kids PBS Kids
12.3Create

Analog-to-digital conversion

WILL-TV shut down its analog signal on VHF channel 12 on June 12, 2009, the official date when full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 9, [11] using virtual channel 12.

See also

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">WWNY-TV</span> TV station in Carthage, New York

WWNY-TV is a television station licensed to Carthage, New York, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Watertown area. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate WNYF-CD. The two stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown; WWNY-TV and WNYF-CD's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126/State Street on Champion Hill.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUFT (TV)</span> PBS member station in Gainesville, Florida

WUFT is a PBS member television station in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is owned by the University of Florida alongside low-power weather-formatted independent station WRUF-LD, NPR member WUFT-FM (89.1), and commercial radio stations WRUF and WRUF-FM (103.7). The five stations share studios at Weimer Hall on the university's campus; WUFT's transmitter is located on Northwest 53rd Avenue in Gainesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJCT</span> Non-profit public media corporation

WJCT, Inc. is a non-profit public media organization in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It operates PBS member television station WJCT "Jax PBS" and NPR member radio station WJCT-FM 89.9, as well as their associated digital platforms. The company's studios and offices are located on Festival Park Avenue in the Stadium District in downtown Jacksonville.

KTWU is a PBS member television station in Topeka, Kansas, United States, owned by Washburn University. The station's studios are located on the western edge of the Washburn University campus at 19th Street and Jewell Avenue in central Topeka, and its transmitter is located on Wanamaker Road on the city's northwest side.

WYCC was a public television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was last owned by not-for-profit broadcasting entity Window to the World Communications, Inc., alongside PBS member station WTTW and classical music radio station WFMT. WYCC's operations were housed with WTTW and WFMT in the Renée Crown Public Media Center, located at 5400 North Saint Louis Avenue in the city's North Park neighborhood; WYCC and WTTW shared transmitter facilities atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. WYCC previously maintained studios at Kennedy–King College on South Union Avenue and Halsted Parkway in the Englewood neighborhood.

KERA-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Owned by North Texas Public Broadcasting, Inc., it is sister to NPR member station KERA, adult album alternative station KKXT, and classical music station WRR. The stations share studios on Harry Hines Boulevard; KERA-TV's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRSP-TV</span> TV station in Springfield, Illinois

WRSP-TV is a television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by GOCOM Media, LLC, alongside Decatur-licensed CW affiliate WBUI. GOCOM maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with the Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Springfield-licensed ABC affiliate WICS, channel 20, for the provision of certain services. WRSP's transmitter is located west of Mechanicsburg, in unincorporated Sangamon County; the station shares studios with WBUI and WICS on East Cook Street in Springfield's Eastside. However, WBUI also operates an advertising sales office on South Main Street/US 51 in downtown Decatur.

WSIU-TV is a PBS member television station in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. It is owned by Southern Illinois University alongside NPR member WSIU. The two stations share studios on the university's campus in Carbondale; WSIU-TV's transmitter is located along US 51 near Tamaroa, Illinois.

KDTN is a religious television station licensed to Denton, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as the flagship outlet of the Daystar Television Network. The station's studios are co-located with Daystar headquarters off SH 121 in Bedford, and its transmitter is located on Tar Road in Cedar Hill, just south of the Dallas–Ellis county line. It is operated separately from sister station KPTD-LP in Paris, Texas, which shares spectrum with full-power KDTN despite being licensed as a low-power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Public Media</span> Broadcasting non-profit

Illinois Public Media, previously "WILL AM-FM-TV", is a not-for-profit organization located within the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which is responsible for the university's public media service activities. It manages three university educational broadcasting stations licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States: NPR member stations WILL and WILL-FM, and PBS member station WILL-TV. Illinois Public Media provides locally produced programs to supplement the network programs carried by its stations. In addition, it manages the Illinois Radio Reader Service, a streaming audio service for the reading impaired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-FM</span> Radio station in Urbana, Illinois

WILL-FM is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university campus. Most of WILL-FM's schedule is classical music with NPR news programs heard in weekday morning and afternoon drive times. Weekends feature classical and other genres of music, including jazz and opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL (AM)</span> Radio station in Urbana, Illinois

WILL is a public broadcasting station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMAZ-TV</span> TV station in Macon, Georgia

WMAZ-TV is a television station in Macon, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Gray Highway on the northeast side of Macon; its transmitter is located on GA 87/US 23/129 ALT along the Twiggs–Bibb county line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVIR-TV</span> TV station in Charlottesville, Virginia

WVIR-TV is a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Media, the station has studios on East Market Street in downtown Charlottesville, and its primary transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.

The West Central Illinois Educational Telecommunications Corporation was incorporated on February 9, 1976. Its membership was a consortium of Educational Institutions in West-Central Illinois. Bradley University in Peoria, Western Illinois University in Macomb, Blackhawk Community College in Moline, and Sangamon State University in Springfield. Its mission was "to establish an educational television network, provide educational content, create local and public affairs programming to serve the residents and businesses of west-central Illinois". Bylaws for the corporation were approved on January 13, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHQA-TV</span> TV station in Hannibal, Missouri

KHQA-TV is a television station licensed to Hannibal, Missouri, United States, serving the Quincy, Illinois–Hannibal, Missouri–Keokuk, Iowa market as an affiliate of CBS and ABC. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on South 36th Street in Quincy; its transmitter is located northeast of the city on Cannonball Road near I-172.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WABG-TV</span> ABC/Fox affiliate in Greenwood, Mississippi

WABG-TV is a television station licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi, United States, serving the Delta area as an affiliate of ABC and Fox. It is owned by Imagicomm Communications alongside two low-power stations: Grenada-licensed NBC affiliate WNBD-LD and Cleveland-licensed CBS affiliate WXVT-LD. The three stations share studios on Washington Avenue in Greenville; WABG-TV's transmitter is located northeast of Inverness, Mississippi.

KSYS is a PBS member station in Medford, Oregon, United States, 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WILL-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 "Part II: Final TV Report: 528. The Urbana Educational Reservation" (Sixth Report and Order, adopted April 11, 1952, released April 14, 1952), Broadcasting, April 14, 1952, pages 61-62.
  3. ↑ "Ill. TV Hassle", Broadcasting, March 24, 1952, page 72.
  4. ↑ "Far Reaching Decision", Daily Illini, June 1, 1957, page 6.
  5. ↑ "UI Will Let Bids For TV Location Upon FCC OK", Daily Illini, January 19, 1955, page 3.
  6. ↑ History Cards for WILL-TV, fcc.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  7. ↑ FCC History Cards for WILL-TV. Federal Communications Commission.
  8. 1 2 "The History of WILL". Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois. July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "WILL Illinois Public Media", American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  10. ↑ Digital TV Market Listing for WILL (rabbitears.info)
  11. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved March 24, 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.