WNIT (TV)

Last updated

WNIT
New WNIT Michiana PBS logo 2021.png
Channels
BrandingPBS Michiana
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerMichiana Public Broadcasting Corporation
History
FoundedDecember 1972
First air date
January 31, 1974;50 years ago (1974-01-31) [lower-alpha 1]
Former call signs
WNIT (CP, 1972–1974) [1]
WNIT-TV (1974–1989)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 34 (UHF, 1974–2008)
  • Digital: 35 (UHF, until 2019)
Call sign meaning
Northern Indiana Television
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 41671
ERP 78.3 kW
HAAT 332.9 m (1,092 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 41°36′49.2″N86°11′20″W / 41.613667°N 86.18889°W / 41.613667; -86.18889 (WNIT)
Links
Public license information
Website www.wnit.org

WNIT (channel 34) is a PBS member television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, owned by the Michiana Public Broadcasting Corporation. The station's studios are located at the corner of Lafayette and Jefferson Boulevards in downtown South Bend, and its transmitter is located just off of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway in the southern portion of South Bend.

Contents

History

WNIT's antenna and transmitter were purchased from KFIZ-TV in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, [3] after that station went dark in November 1972. The station first signed on the air in February 1974 (the "-TV" suffix was used in the call letters from 1974 to 1989). Prior to the station's launch, PBS programs had been offered to the market's commercial stations on a per-program basis, while Chicago member station WTTW was available over-the-air in the extreme western portions of the market. Channel 34's original studio facilities were located at the Elkhart Area Career Center on California Road in Elkhart.

The WNIT studios in South Bend. WNITstudio.jpg
The WNIT studios in South Bend.

On February 26, 2008, the klystron tube that powered WNIT's transmitter failed, [4] which reduced WNIT's analog signal strength to only 15 percent of its normal 1.38 million-watt effective radiated power. The transmitter's major signal amplifiers subsequently failed on March 25, completely disabling the station's analog signal. With analog broadcasting due to end in the United States in 2009, the station opted to broadcast solely in digital. Most viewers did not lose access to WNIT programming due to the high penetration of cable and satellite television in the area.

On January 11, 2009, a fire severely damaged WNIT's administrative offices in Elkhart; there were no injuries resulting from the fire and the station's broadcast facilities and programming were unaffected. Local program production continued at the Elkhart Area Career Center and the station's administrative offices moved to a temporary location in the Tower Building on West Franklin Street in downtown Elkhart.

This arrangement continued until May 11, 2010, when WNIT moved to CBS affiliate WSBT-TV (channel 22)'s former studio on Lafayette and Jefferson streets in downtown South Bend. [5] On December 17, 2008, WNIT had acquired and taken possession of the 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) facility with the assistance of an in-kind donation by WSBT's owner, Schurz Communications; that station had moved to new facilities in Mishawaka in September 2008. [6]

In December 2020, the station re-branded as PBS Michiana and adopted the current PBS logo.[ citation needed ]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed: [7]

Subchannels of WNIT [8]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
34.1 1080i 16:9 WNIT-HD PBS
34.2 480i WNIT-SDPBS Michiana WNIT 2
34.31080iWNIT-KC PBS Kids
34.4480iWNIT-WXWeather Michiana WNIT 4
34.5MLCMichigan Learning Channel
28.2 480i16:9CRIME True Crime Network (WSJV-DT2)
28.3 MYSTERY Ion Mystery (WSJV-DT3)
28.5 Quest Quest (WSJV-DT5)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

WNIT's analog signal, over UHF channel 34, shut down on March 25, 2008, due to the problems with its analog transmitter. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 35, [9] using virtual channel 34.

Notes

  1. ↑ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says February 14, while the Television and Cable Factbook says February 18.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSJV</span> TV station in Elkhart, Indiana

WSJV is a television station licensed to Elkhart, Indiana, United States, serving the South Bend area as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Heroes & Icons. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WNDU-TV. The two stations share studios on the University of Notre Dame campus along State Road 933 on South Bend's north side; WSJV's transmitter is co-located within the WSBT-TV site on Ironwood Road in South Bend.

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.

In North American broadcast television frequencies, channel 1 was a former broadcast (over-the-air) television channel which was removed from service in 1948.

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

WMVS is a PBS member television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is owned by Milwaukee Area Technical College alongside secondary PBS member WMVT. Collectively branded as Milwaukee PBS, the two stations share studios at the Continuing Education Center on the MATC campus on North 8th Street in downtown Milwaukee, and transmitter facilities on North Humboldt Boulevard in Milwaukee's Estabrook Park neighborhood.

KIXE-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Redding, California, United States, and also serving Chico. The station is owned by the Northern California Educational Television Association. KIXE's studios are located along North Market Street on the north side of Redding and its transmitter is located atop Shasta Bally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSBT-TV</span> CBS/Fox affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WSBT-TV is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and Fox. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios on East Douglas Avenue in Mishawaka, and its transmitter is located on Ironwood Road in South Bend, near the St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNDU-TV</span> NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WNDU-TV is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Elkhart-licensed Heroes & Icons affiliate WSJV. The two stations share studios on the campus of WNDU-TV's founding owner the University of Notre Dame along State Road 933 on South Bend's north side; WNDU-TV's transmitter is located southeast of the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds on the city's south side.

WGVU-TV is a PBS member television station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It operates a full-time satellite station, WGVK in Kalamazoo. The two stations are owned by Grand Valley State University, and maintain studios in the Meijer Public Broadcast Center, located in the Eberhard Center on the GVSU Pew Campus in downtown Grand Rapids. WGVU's transmitter is located near the GVSU main campus in Allendale, while WGVK's transmitter is based in Kalamazoo's Westwood neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHME-TV</span> Religious independent TV station in South Bend, Indiana

WHME-TV is a religious television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, serving as the flagship station of World Harvest Television. The station is owned by locally based Family Broadcasting Corporation, an organization founded by Assembly of God minister Lester Sumrall, whose sons are still active with the ministry. WHME's studios are located on Ironwood Road on the south side of South Bend, and its transmitter is located in Mishawaka.

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">KLFY-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana

KLFY-TV is a television station in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Eraste Landry Road in Lafayette, and its transmitter is located in Maxie, north of Rayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBND-LD</span> ABC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WBND-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, and is sister to CW affiliate WCWW-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD. The three stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend; WBND-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCWW-LD</span> CW affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WCWW-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting alongside two other low-power stations: ABC affiliate WBND-LD and MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYS-LD. The three stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend; WCWW-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMYS-LD</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WMYS-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, and is sister to ABC affiliate WBND-LD and CW affiliate WCWW-LD. The three stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend; WMYS-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

KOZK is a PBS member television station licensed to Springfield, Missouri, United States, owned by Missouri State University. The station's studios are located on the Missouri State University campus on National Avenue in southern Springfield, and its transmitter is located on Highway FF north of Fordland.

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.

<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.

WQPT-TV, virtual channel 24, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Moline, Illinois, United States, serving the Quad Cities area of northwestern Illinois and southeastern Iowa. The station is owned by Western Illinois University-Quad Cities. WQPT-TV's studios are located at Riverfront Hall on the WIU-QC campus in Moline, and its transmitter is located in Orion, Illinois. Master control is based at fellow PBS member WTVP in Peoria, which also has an agreement with WILL-TV in Champaign.

WSBT is a commercial radio station in South Bend, Indiana, which airs a sports radio format. It is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting, with studios and offices on East Monroe Street in downtown South Bend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFIZ-TV</span> Television station in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

KFIZ-TV, UHF analog channel 34, was an independent television station licensed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States that operated from August 1, 1968, to November 30, 1972. The station was a sister station to KFIZ-AM, and covered an 11-county area in east-central Wisconsin. Both stations were owned by RK Communications, parent company of Fond du Lac's daily newspaper, the Fond du Lac Reporter. Although this was contrary to regulations, the owners were "grandfathered" due to their cross-media ownership pre-dating the regulations.

References

  1. ↑ "FCC History Cards for WNIT".
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WNIT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Delay WNIT Opening 'til Jan 6". The South Bend Tribune. December 23, 1973. p. 4. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ Request for Silent STA for analogue WNIT TV 34
  5. ↑ Etruth.com
  6. ↑ "History". WNIT. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Channel Guide". WNIT. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  8. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WNIT
  9. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. 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.