WSBE-TV

Last updated

WSBE-TV
RIPBSWSBE.png
Channels
BrandingRhode Island PBS
Programming
Affiliations
  • 36.1: PBS
  • 36.2: Learn
Ownership
OwnerRhode Island PBS Foundation
History
First air date
June 8, 1967(56 years ago) (1967-06-08)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 36 (UHF, 1967–2009)
  • Digital: 21 (UHF, 2005–2019)
NET (1967–1970)
Call sign meaning
 Rhode Island State Board of Education (original licensee)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 56092
ERP 13.6 kW
HAAT 273.4 m (897 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 41°51′55.4″N71°17′12.7″W / 41.865389°N 71.286861°W / 41.865389; -71.286861
Links
Public license information
Website www.ripbs.org

WSBE-TV (channel 36), branded Rhode Island PBS, is a PBS member television station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island, United States, serving the entire state as well as Bristol County, Massachusetts. The station is owned by the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, a non-profit organization. WSBE-TV's studios are located on Park Lane in Providence, and its transmitter is located on Pine Street in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

Contents

History

The station began broadcasting on June 8, 1967, from the campus of Rhode Island College. In 1974, WSBE moved to the former WPRO-TV (now WPRI-TV) facilities at 24 Mason Street in Providence. In January 1991, WSBE moved to new studios on 50 Park Lane in Providence, near the Cranston city line. Its analog transmitter was located on Neutaconkanut Hill in Johnston, until the FCC-mandated digital conversion in 2009. From 1973 to 2000, WSBE-TV's programming was relayed in Westerly on translator W62AB. This translator was turned off in 2000, largely because of the high penetration of cable in the state. On May 1, 2003, WSBE rebranded itself as Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE-TV's license was originally held by the Rhode Island State Board of Education (from which the call letters are derived). In 1981, what had become the Board of Regents for Education transferred the station to the Rhode Island Public Telecommunications Authority, a quasi-state agency. [3] The Channel 36 Foundation was founded in 1987 [4] as an independent fundraising arm of WSBE; it subsequently became the Rhode Island PBS Foundation following the station's 2003 rebranding. [5] In June 2012, the Rhode Island Public Telecommunications Authority voted to begin the process of transitioning WSBE-TV from a state licensee to a community licensee, with the Rhode Island PBS Foundation assuming full control of the station. According to a release announcing the decision, the state budget extended funding to the station until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2013. [6] The license transfer was completed on October 10, 2012. [7]

On November 9, 2023, Rhode Island PBS and The Public's Radio (the public radio network in Rhode Island) announced their intention to merge. [8]

Programming

WSBE airs well-known PBS series ( Nature , Masterpiece , Antiques Roadshow ) on a schedule typically delayed by eight or more days from full-carriage public television stations such as Boston's WGBH-TV. WSBE has differentiated its on-air schedule by including independent local and national productions, and content from program distributors American Public Television (APT), National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), and Executive Program Services. WSBE-DT2 (WSBE Learn) airs similar programming to the main channel, but on a different time schedule.

WSBE co-produced the nationally distributed Italian cooking show, Ciao Italia , since 2002, with production on-site through 2015.

Local content currently produced by WSBE includes:

Recent series no longer in production:

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WSBE-TV [9]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
36.1 1080i 16:9 WSBE-HDMain WSBE-TV programming / PBS
36.2 480i 4:3 WSBE-D2Learn

Analog-to-digital conversion

On January 16, 2009, the analog transmitter for WSBE suffered a "catastrophic failure". The old RCA transmitter developed a leak in the water cooling system. Due to the scarcity of parts, time required to repair (two weeks minimum), cost, and the proximity to the original February 17 date for the analog shutdown, the station discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 36, at that time. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 21 on February 18, 2009, [10] [11] using virtual channel 36.

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> CBS affiliate 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 Television alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate WNYF-CD. Both stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown, while WWNY-TV and WNYF-CD's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126/State Street on Champion Hill.

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

Alabama Public Television (APT) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is operated by the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC), an agency of the Alabama state government which holds the licenses for all of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. The broadcast signals of the nine stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. The network produces public affairs, cultural, natural history, and documentary programming; broadcast and online education programs for classroom use and teacher professional development; and electronic field trips serving K-12 students.

KHET, branded as 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">WMHT (TV)</span> PBS member station in Schenectady, New York

WMHT is a television station licensed to Schenectady, New York, United States, serving the Capital District as a member of PBS. It is owned by WMHT Educational Telecommunications alongside NPR member WMHT-FM (89.1). The two stations share studios in the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush ; the TV station's transmitter is located in the Helderberg Escarpment in New Scotland.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLNE-TV</span> ABC affiliate in New Bedford, Massachusetts

WLNE-TV is a television station licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Providence, Rhode Island, area. The station is owned by Standard Media, and maintains studios in the Orms Building in downtown Providence; its transmitter is based in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPPT (TV)</span> PBS member station in Philadelphia

WPPT is a PBS member television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by Lehigh Valley Public Media alongside Allentown-licensed fellow PBS member WLVT-TV. As WYBE, the station's transmitter was located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia; in 2018, it entered into a channel sharing agreement with Allentown-based independent station WFMZ-TV and began operating from WFMZ's transmitter on South Mountain near Allentown.

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.

WHPX-TV is a television station licensed to New London, Connecticut, United States, serving as the Ion Television affiliate for the Hartford–New Haven market. The station is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, and maintains offices in New London and a transmitter on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLAE-TV</span> Educational independent TV station in New Orleans

WLAE-TV is an educational independent television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The station is owned by the Educational Broadcasting Foundation, a partnership between the Willwoods Community and the Louisiana Educational Television Authority. WLAE's studios are located on Howard Avenue in New Orleans, and its transmitter is located on Paris Road/Highway 47.

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">WNAC-TV</span> TV station in Providence, Rhode Island

WNAC-TV, branded on-air as Fox Providence, is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WPRI-TV, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on Catamore Boulevard in East Providence, Rhode Island; WNAC-TV's transmitter is located on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

WPXQ-TV is a television station licensed to Newport, Rhode Island, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Providence area. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, it shares transmitter facilities with former sister station WLWC on Champlin Hill near Ashaway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRIW-CD</span> WYCN-LD translator in Providence, Rhode Island

WRIW-CD is a Class A television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is a standard-definition translator of Telemundo owned-and-operated station WYCN-LD which is owned by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WRIW-CD's parent station maintains studios on Kenney Drive in Cranston.

Nebraska Public Media, formerly Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), is a state network of public radio and television stations in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC). The television stations are all members of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), while the radio stations are members of National Public Radio (NPR).

<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.

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Curtis (broadcaster)</span> American journalist

Mark Corrigan Curtis is an American broadcast journalist, author and political analyst. He is currently Chief Political Reporter for the Nexstar Media Group stations in West Virginia.

References

  1. ↑ "Modification of a Licensed Facility for Digital Class A TV Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WSBE-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Application Search Details". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ Piccirilli, Anthony (July 1, 1989). "Tuning in to Channel 36". The Providence Journal . p. A-19. Retrieved January 25, 2014. Before the formation of the foundation in 1987… (preview of subscription content)
  5. ↑ Lapin, Andrew (September 20, 2013). "Susan Farmer, Rhode Island politician and pubTV exec, dies at 71". Current . Retrieved January 25, 2014. At WSBE [Susan] Farmer established an independent fundraising nonprofit for the state-owned network. The Channel 36 Foundation, now the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, helped the station reduce its reliance on state subsidies…
  6. ↑ "PBS transitioning to community license". June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  7. ↑ Piccerelli, David W. (October 11, 2012). "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  8. ↑ Donnis, Ian (November 9, 2023). "The Public's Radio and Rhode Island PBS plan to merge". The Public's Radio . Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WSBE
  10. ↑ "WSBE Analog Transmitter Meets Premature Demise". Rhode Island PBS. January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  11. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the 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.