WSRE

Last updated

WSRE
City Pensacola, Florida
Channels
BrandingWSRE PBS
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
Founded1967
First air date
September 11, 1967(57 years ago) (1967-09-11)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 23 (UHF, 1967–2009)
  • Digital: 31 (UHF, 2001–2019)
NET (1967–1970)
Call sign meaning
 Santa Rosa and Escambia counties
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 17611
ERP 859 kW
HAAT 551.6 m (1,810 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 30°36′41″N87°36′26.4″W / 30.61139°N 87.607333°W / 30.61139; -87.607333
Links
Public license information
Website www.wsre.org

WSRE (channel 23) is a PBS member television station in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It is owned by Pensacola State College (PSC), with studios located at the Kugelman Center for Telecommunications on the Pensacola State main campus, and its transmitter near Robertsdale, Alabama.

Contents

WSRE went on the air in 1967 under the ownership of the Escambia County board of education. Its transmitter and studios were located at what was then known as Pensacola Junior College, and it provided instructional television and production services for local K-12 schools and the junior college as well as evening programming from National Educational Television, later supplanted by PBS. The college became the licensee in 1971, after Florida state law moved junior colleges under the control of the State Board of Education. In 1991, the WSRE-TV Foundation was established to provide financial support and administration. [2] In addition to a range of local programming, WSRE has provided public telecommunications and other services, including a radio reading service.

History

The Board of Public Instruction of Escambia County, Florida, applied on May 24, 1965, for a construction permit to build a new non-commercial television station in Pensacola. The station was initially allocated channel 21, but this was changed to channel 23 before the permit was granted on May 10, 1966. [3] Though Pensacola was among the last population centers in the state to receive educational television, it already had suitable studio facilities at Pensacola Junior College (PJC), which would administer the new station. [4] The Pensacola educational television system had begun as a closed-circuit setup at Ferry Pass Junior High School in 1963 before moving to PJC; it was already broadcasting closed-circuit programming on the college campus and one educational series for elementary school students on Pensacola commercial station WEAR-TV. [5]

WSRE began broadcasting on September 11, 1967. The station offered courses for K-12 students, junior college courses, and programming from National Educational Television (NET). [6] These programs served as the core of channel 23's offerings; for instance, a fourth-grade science class that was offered in 1968 featured a chimpanzee from the Pensacola Zoo and was accompanied by a 60-page booklet for teachers. [7] The station operated only on weekdays until April 1969, when it was able to add programming on Saturdays and Sundays. [8] NET was supplanted by PBS in October 1970. [9]

In 1971, WSRE obtained equipment to begin broadcasting in color. [10] That August, the Escambia County school board transferred the license to Pensacola Junior College; the change was described as a "paper transfer" and followed a reorganization that moved junior colleges from the jurisdiction of county school systems to the State Board of Education. The school board ceased providing an appropriation for channel 23 after the 1972–73 school year. [11]

WSRE debuted a new local series, Gourmet Cooking with chef Earl Peyroux, in 1977. The program, originally ordered for 13 episodes, began national syndication to other public television stations in 1982 and was in production with new episodes as late as 1996, even though Peyroux had to take a two-year break to battle throat cancer. [12] [13]

In 1988, the station became one of the first ten PBS stations to be equipped to broadcast multiple audio channels and thus to participate in a trial of Descriptive Video Service (DVS) audio description. The ten trial stations and PBS itself shared an Emmy Award in 1990 for their efforts; by 1991, there were 55 DVS-capable PBS stations. [14] Using the technology, WSRE also launched a radio reading service, Sightline, which operated from 1992 to 2011. [15] WSRE discontinued operation of Sightline when Florida cut all public broadcasting funding and had to lay off five people; production responsibilities were then assumed by public radio station WUWF. [16] Another service offered by the station was local cable channel "WLNE" (Where Learning Never Ends), which offered telecourses from 1997 to 2008. [2]

The Kugelman Center for Telecommunications, which houses WSRE's studios, was completed in 1994. It is named for Jack and Jane Kugelman, whose gift helped finance the construction of the $10 million complex. [17] The Kugelmans made a second major gift that financed the construction of a digital transmitter for the station; [18] WSRE built its digital transmitter in Baldwin County, Alabama, in 2001, increasing its coverage area to include Mobile. [2] [19] In 2005, the station opened the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio; the donor was the founder of insurer Aflac and his wife. [20] The studio boasted seating for 650 people as well as digital equipment. [21] Another studio at the station was used for the production of MSNBC's Scarborough Country when its host, former representative Joe Scarborough, was in Pensacola. [22]

In 2010, Pensacola Junior College was renamed Pensacola State College in anticipation of adding four-year degrees to its offerings. [23]

Funding

In 2021–2022, WSRE had a total revenue of $4.625 million. A total of 4,503 contributors and members donated $461,000, or 10 percent, of the total. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provided $1.11 million, most of that in the form of a Community Service Grant. Pensacola State College provided another $1.18 million, while $1.36 million of income came from a one-time insurance reimbursement. [24]

Local programming

Local programs produced by WSRE as of 2022 included community affairs show Connecting the Community, discussion program Conversations with Jeff Weeks, and Nightmare Theatre, presentations of horror movies aired by several PBS stations in other Southeastern cities. [25]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WSRE [26]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
23.1 1080i 16:9 WSRE-HD PBS
23.2 480i WSRE-2 World
23.3WSRE-3 The Florida Channel / Create
23.4WSRE-4 PBS Kids

Analog-to-digital conversion

WSRE discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 23, on February 17, 2009, in compliance with the transition from analog to digital broadcasts. [27] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition channel 31, using virtual channel 23. [28] WSRE relocated its signal from channel 31 to channel 24 on January 17, 2020, as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction. [29]

Related Research Articles

WHYY-TV is a television station licensed to Wilmington, Delaware, United States, serving as the primary PBS member station for the Philadelphia area. It is owned by WHYY, Inc., alongside NPR member station WHYY-FM 90.9. WHYY-TV and WHYY-FM share studios and offices on Independence Mall in Center City, Philadelphia, with an additional office in Wilmington; through a channel sharing agreement with WMCN-TV, the two stations transmit using WHYY-TV's spectrum from an antenna in Philadelphia's Roxborough section.

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.

WEDU is a PBS member television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. It is owned by Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting alongside WEDQ. The two stations share studios on North Boulevard in Tampa and transmitter facilities in Riverview, Florida.

WVIZ is a PBS member television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Ideastream Public Media alongside classical music station WCLV and co-managed with Kent State University–owned WKSU, the NPR member for both Cleveland and Akron. The three stations share studio facilities at the Idea Center on Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland; WVIZ's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.

WNPT is a PBS member television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The station is owned by Nashville Public Television, Inc., a community-funded, non-profit organization. WNPT's studios are located on Rains Avenue in southeast Nashville, and its transmitter is located in the southern suburb of Forest Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTD</span> PBS member station in Dayton, Ohio

WPTD is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, serving the Miami Valley as a member of PBS. The station broadcasts from studios in downtown Dayton and a transmitter near South Gettysburg Avenue in the Highview Hills neighborhood in southwest Dayton. Its signal is relayed by translator station W25FI-D in Maplewood, Ohio, which broadcasts to Celina, Lima, and Wapakoneta.

KCOS, branded on-air as PBS El Paso, is a PBS member television station in El Paso, Texas, United States, owned by Texas Tech University. The station's offices are located on Viscount Boulevard in east El Paso, and its transmitter is located atop the Franklin Mountains on the El Paso city limits. Its nominal main studio is located at Texas Tech-owned KTTZ-TV in Lubbock.

WKAR-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to East Lansing, Michigan, United States, serving central southern Michigan. The station is owned by Michigan State University (MSU) and operated as part of WKAR Public Media, along with NPR members WKAR and WKAR-FM (90.5). The three stations share studios in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at the southeast corner of Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus in East Lansing; WKAR-TV's transmitter is located off Dobie Road near Kinawa Drive in Meridian Charter Township between East Lansing and Williamston.

WLJT-DT, branded West TN PBS, is a PBS member television station licensed to Lexington, Tennessee, United States, serving western and northwestern Tennessee. The station is owned by the West Tennessee Public Television Council and maintains studios in Martin on rented space at the University of Tennessee at Martin; its transmitter is located on U.S. Route 412 midway between Jackson and Lexington.

Wyoming PBS is the statewide public broadcaster, part of PBS, for the U.S. state of Wyoming. Wyoming PBS is owned and operated by Central Wyoming College and originates from its campus in Riverton. Three high-power transmitters—KCWC-DT in Lander, KWYP-DT in Laramie, and KPTW in Casper—and 40 low-power translator stations broadcast the signal across the state.

WLRN-TV is a secondary PBS member television station in Miami, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district alongside NPR member WLRN-FM (91.3); the two outlets are operated under a management agreement by Friends of WLRN, the stations' fundraising arm. Both stations share studios on Northeast 15th Street and Northeast 1st Avenue in Miami, while WLRN-TV's transmitter is located at McTyre Park in Miami Gardens.

WXEL-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Boynton Beach, Florida, United States, serving the West Palm Beach area. Owned by South Florida PBS, it is a sister station to Miami-based flagship and fellow PBS member WPBT and low-power station WURH-LD. The three stations share transmitter facilities on Northwest 199th Street in Andover; WXEL's studios are located on South Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach. WXEL, WPBT, and WURH-LD are also broadcast by a translator in Fort Pierce.

WEFS is a television station in Cocoa, Florida, United States, serving the Orlando area. The station is owned by Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) and maintains studios at the EFSC campus in Cocoa; its transmitter is located on Brown Road near Christmas, Florida.

WEDQ is a secondary PBS member television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area. Owned by Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting, it is a sister station to primary PBS member WEDU. The two stations share studios on North Boulevard in Tampa and transmitter facilities in Riverview, Florida.

WTCE-TV is a religious television station licensed to Fort Pierce, Florida, United States, serving as the West Palm Beach–area outlet for the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is owned and operated by TBN's Community Educational Television subsidiary, which manages stations in Florida and Texas on channels allocated for non-commercial educational broadcasting. WTCE-TV broadcasts from a transmitter in unincorporated southeastern Martin County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUAT-TV</span> PBS member station in Tucson, Arizona

KUAT-TV is a PBS member television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is the television station of the University of Arizona (UA) and broadcasts from studios in the Modern Languages Building on the UA campus. Two high-power transmitters broadcast its programming: KUAT-TV itself on Mount Bigelow and KUAS-TV on Tumamoc Hill, west of downtown Tucson, which provides coverage to northwest Tucson and communities west of Mount Lemmon that are shielded from the Mount Bigelow transmitter. There is also a translator in Duncan. KUAT-TV and the UA's radio stations, KUAT-FM and KUAZ, are grouped under the unified brand of Arizona Public Media (AZPM).

KPBT-TV, branded Basin PBS, is a PBS member television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, serving the Permian Basin area. Owned by Permian Basin Public Telecommunications, Inc., the station maintains studios at the historic Ritz Theater in downtown Midland and a transmitter near Gardendale.

Blab TV is a local television channel in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It airs local programming as well as locally produced infomercials for businesses in the Florida Panhandle. Blab TV programming airs on local cable systems and on WPAN, a broadcast station serving the Mobile–Pensacola region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola State College</span> Public college in Pensacola, Florida, US

Pensacola State College (PSC) is a public college in Pensacola, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Originally established as Pensacola Junior College in 1948, the college underwent a name change in July 2010 to reflect its expanded academic offerings to include both associate and baccalaureate degrees.

WETP-TV and WKOP-TV, together branded as East Tennessee PBS, are public television stations serving Knoxville and the Tri-Cities in East Tennessee, United States. The stations are owned by the East Tennessee Public Communications Corporation and broadcast from studios and offices on East Magnolia Avenue in downtown Knoxville. WETP-TV, licensed to Sneedville, Tennessee, is broadcast from a transmitter atop Short Mountain near Mooresburg, while WKOP-TV's transmitter is situated on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WSRE". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 3 "History". WSRE. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ "FCC History Cards for WSRE". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  4. ↑ Ellis, George (July 16, 1966). "Education TV Nearing Here". The Pensacola Journal . pp. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Channel 23: There's No Summer Hiatus for Pensacola's Educational TV As The Staff Gets Ready for School". The Pensacola News-Journal . July 17, 1966. pp. All Florida Magazine 7, 8, 11. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Educational Station WSRE-TV Goes on Air at 3 P.M. Today: New Station Gives Varied Program". The Pensacola Journal. September 11, 1967. pp. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Kennedy, Harold (September 8, 1968). "She Has Two Things Over Shirley Temple: Little Dee to Make TV Debut". The Pensacola News-Journal. p. 1A. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "WSRE-TV Extends Telecasting Schedule". The Pensacola News-Journal. April 20, 1969. p. E12. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Does ETV hold key to fairness?" (PDF). Broadcasting . October 5, 1970. p. 50. ProQuest   1016855219. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2022– via World Radio History.
  10. ↑ "Video Tape: WSRE TV Gets Color". The Pensacola News-Journal. August 29, 1971. p. 1D. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Betty (November 9, 1972). "School Board Withdraws WSRE-TV Budget Funds". The Pensacola Journal. p. 1B. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Bradley, Mark (May 23, 1996). "What's cooking on TV? Chef Earl Peyroux enjoys sharing gourmet techniques with viewers". Pensacola News Journal. pp. 1B, 3B. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Lovett, Valerie (October 24, 2003). "'Down-to-earth' TV chef Peyroux dies after long illness". Pensacola News Journal. p. 1C. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Suchcicki, Mike (October 1, 1991). "WSRE one stop on Emmy's trail". Pensacola News Journal. p. 1D. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Freckmann, Donna (November 14, 1994). "Sightline members 'party on'". Pensacola News Journal. p. 1B. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "SightLine for blind returning: TV, radio stations to provide service". Pensacola News Journal. August 11, 2011. pp. 1B, 2B. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Bradley, Mark (November 5, 1994). "Center brings more broadcast technology to PJC, station". Pensacola News Journal. p. 1C. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "More Panhandle philanthropists". Pensacola News Journal. November 14, 2000. p. 3B. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Brantley, Mike (July 21, 2005). "Do you do digital? FCC mandates are aimed at speeding transition to new television standard". Press-Register . p. D1.
  20. ↑ Crane, Charlotte (October 1, 2002). "Public TV station gets $500,000 family gift". Pensacola News Journal. p. 8C. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Lozare, Nicole (March 5, 2005). "WSRE opens high tech studio: Several already have called station to use new facility". Pensacola News Journal. pp. 1C, 4C. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Haller, Doug (September 14, 2003). "Joe-TV". Pensacola News Journal. pp. 1A, 4A. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Griggs, Travis (April 27, 2010). "PJC will become PSC: Pensacola State College will offer four-year degrees". Pensacola News Journal. pp. 1B, 3B . Retrieved October 20, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Annual Financial Report 2022" (PDF). WSRE. February 17, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Local Content and Service Report 2021–22" (PDF). WSRE. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  26. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WSRE". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  27. ↑ "List of TV stations ending analog broadcasts". NBC News . Associated Press. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  29. ↑ "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table" (CSV). Federal Communications Commission . April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
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.