 | |
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|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | PBS 39 Extra |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WLVT-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | June 10, 1990 (1990-06-10) |
Former call signs | WYBE (1990–2018) |
Former channel numbers |
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| |
Call sign meaning | Pennsylvania Public Television[3] |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 28480 |
| ERP | 80.6kW |
| HAAT | 332.5 m (1,090.9 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°33′52″N75°26′24″W / 40.56444°N 75.44000°W /40.56444; -75.44000 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WPPT (channel 35) is aPBS membertelevision station inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned byLehigh Valley Public Media alongsideAllentown-licensed fellow PBS memberWLVT-TV (channel 39). AsWYBE, the station's transmitter was located in theRoxborough section of Philadelphia; in 2018, it entered into achannel sharing agreement with Allentown-basedindependent stationWFMZ-TV (channel 69) and began operating from WFMZ's transmitter onSouth Mountain near Allentown.
WYBE's main channel was previously carried in theNew York Citytelevision market on the 66.4digital subchannel ofWest Milford, New Jersey–licensedMHz WorldView affiliateWNYJ-TV.
TheUHF channel 35 allocation in Philadelphia was first used byWHYY-TV in 1957. However, it was obvious by then that a UHF station was not nearly enough to serve a market that stretched from theLehigh Valley to the north to theJersey Shore in the south. In 1963, WHYY moved its call sign and programming toVHF channel 12, licensed to nearbyWilmington, Delaware. Metropolitan Philadelphia Educational Radio and Television, owner of WHYY, continued to operate channel 35 as WUHY-TV, using it mostly to air instructional programming on weekdays (outside of designated legal and administrative holidays) during the school year. WUHY-TV was the first station in the world to broadcastSesame Street during a week of test broadcasts in July 1969. A slightly-retooled version of the show made its national premiere onNational Educational Television (NET) four months later in November 1969.
By 1975, WHYY had stopped operating the UHF station, and its license was canceled effective August 31, 1976.[5] In the 1980s, the channel 35 frequency was used by W35AB, a translator relayingUnivision programming from New York City'sWXTV, while the FCC evaluated applications for a new permanent licensee. The translator ultimately moved to channel 28 and evolved intoWFPA-CD, the Philadelphia outlet for Univision sister networkUniMás, following Univision's acquisition of full-power stationWUVP.
The current incarnation of channel 35 began broadcasting as WYBE on June 1, 1990, under the ownership of Independence Public Media of Philadelphia, Inc. (also known as Independence Media).
From 1998 to 2004, the organization was led by Sherri Hope Culver, formerly of theNew Jersey Network (NJN). During this period, WYBE moved into a new facility; began operating a digital signal, and focused on original productions, such asCulture Trek (a series of three specials, followed U.S. teenagers as they pursued projects with local teens inCosta Rica,Ireland andJamaica),The Neighbors Project andThe Tolerance Project (which addressed race, sexual orientation and religion). The station also featured a nightly talk show,Philly Live, which was later restructured into five different talk shows:Gente (aimed at Hispanic audiences),Shades of Opinion (focusing on issues relevant to African-American community),Asian Outlook,Global Lens andOut Loud (focusing onLGBT issues). Most of WYBE's programs in this period were syndicated shows distributed byAmerican Public Television (APT) and the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA); the weeknightly news discussion programDemocracy Now! was also part of the program schedule. Several of these programs won national Telly Awards,Emmy nominations and a special screening at thePhiladelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The WYBE World Heritage Council Initiative supports Philadelphia's diverse ethnic communities, funded by theWilliam Penn Foundation.
Since 2005, WYBE was led by Howard Blumenthal, who also served simultaneously as executive director of the New Jersey Network from 2009 to 2010.
On May 15, 2008, the station was rebranded as "MiND: Media Independence", which emphasized its schedule on short-form programs, often with a "public media for the public good" perspective. MiND became the first broadcast television station in the U.S. whose program stream was simultaneously available online and on broadcast television worldwide, in a form of an internet simulcast of its broadcast signal, and a library of programs availableon-demand. Some WYBE programs are also available on theMHz Worldview network, which is seen on selected television stations and cable systems, as well as on satellite and the internet.
On April 13, 2017, Independence Public Media of Philadelphia, Inc. announced that it gave up its broadcast license as WYBE (channel 35), and would sign off the air on November 3, 2017. Independence Media, however, would continue to operate as a non-profit corporation.
On October 27, 2017, it was announced that WYBE would continue MiND 35.1, despite previous notices regarding termination of broadcast. Prior to its planned termination date, MiND TV went temporarily off air due to the equipment at the WYBE transmitter site having failed, according to the channel's website, but would be restored on November 1, 2017.
On January 5, 2018, WYBE beganchannel-sharing withWBPH-TV, significantly reducing its over-the-air coverage in theDelaware Valley. MiND ended their short-form viewer-created programming format, transitioning their main channel to an affiliate of MHz Worldview, while 35.2 became an affiliate ofWorld. The WYBE license was transferred to the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation, owner ofWLVT-TV, on March 15, 2018; concurrently the call letters were changed to WPPT.[3][6] After MHz Worldview discontinued operations on March 1, 2020, the station switched to a secondary lineup of PBS programming as "PBS 39 Extra", serving as abrand extension of WLVT.
WYBE broadcast a wide array of programming, such as those featuring independent filmmakers (such asThrough the Lens andPhiladelphia Stories); international programming from countries such asIndia,Japan,France,China,Greece, theUnited Kingdom, andGermany; programming aimed at the LGBT community (such asGay USA); andpublic affairs and current events programming (such asDemocracy Now andGRITtv).
WYBE was also first U.S. station to air theAustraliandramaWater Rats, the Australian children's seriesThe Shapies and the Irish dramaRos na Rún.
| License | Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBPH-TV | 60.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WBPH-D1 | Lighthouse TV |
| 60.2 | 480i | WBPH-D2 | Radiant TV | ||
| WPPT | 35.1 | 39EXTRA | PBS | ||
| WLVT-TV | 39.1 | 720p | WLVT-DT | PBS | |
| 39.3 | 480i | FRAN24 | France 24 | ||
| WFMZ-TV | 69.1 | 720p | WFMZ-HD | Independent | |
| 69.2 | 480i | WFMZ-WC | Local weather | ||
| 69.3 | WFMZ-ME | MeTV (WDPN-TV) |
WYBE shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 35, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 34 to channel 35 for post-transition operations.[8]
The station's digital signal formerly operated at only 25% power until March 2010, when WYBE's power was increased fully to their FCC-authorizedeffective radiated power.
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