OnJanuary 1, 2015, West Virginia PBS and West Virginia Public Radio merged their brands, branding exclusively as "West Virginia Public Broadcasting" across radio and television.[1]
The firstpublic television station in West Virginia signed on July 14, 1969 under the callsign WMUL-TV, broadcasting fromMarshall University inHuntington. In 1981, WMUL-TV changed its call letters to WPBY-TV;[2] two years later, the public station atWest Virginia University in Morgantown, WWVU-TV, was renamed WNPB-TV.[3] WPBY-TV and WNPB-TV received their new call letters to underline that the operations were managed by the state educational broadcasting authority, and not the university system. In 1992, the state completed a microwave link that permitted it to convert WNPB and the state's third PBS station, WSWP-TV inGrandview to become repeaters of WPBY-TV in Huntington and form a state network. On January 5, 2015, WPBY-TV changed its call letters to WVPB-TV[2] as part of an effort to unify all of West Virginia Public Broadcasting's services under a single brand; the television network had previously been branded as "West Virginia PBS", a name that was phased out starting on January 1, 2015.[4]
The state network has a total of five low-powered repeaters serving other areas out of the range of the three full-powered stations, most notablyWheeling andParkersburg. Three directly repeat WNPB, one repeats WVPB and one repeats WSWP.
The current local content consists of a daily recap of the state legislative session, shows produced by the West Virginia University medical school, and student produced news from campus weekly products from Marshall University andWest Virginia State University. It also broadcasts original documentaries on West Virginia history and culture, as well as live musical performances ofMountain Stage and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
The combined footprint of WVPB's television network covers almost all of West Virginia, as well as portions ofKentucky,Maryland,Ohio,Pennsylvania andVirginia. It is carried on the basic tier of all cable systems in West Virginia.
On June 1, 2016, West Virginia Public Broadcasting announced a plan to shut down five of its translators — W07DN-D, W08EE-D, W09CT-D, W30CO-D, and W41AO — due to state budget cuts and changes in viewing habits.[6] All five translators were originally planned to be taken silent for a year in order to determine a long-term plan. Operations on W08EE-D (Martinsburg) and W30CO-D (Wheeling) resumed on August 10, 2016, while the licenses for W07DN-D (Wardensville), W09CT-D (Mathias), and W41AO (Hampshire) were surrendered to the FCC for cancellation on May 26, 2017.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting's TV stations shut down their analog signals 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 channel allocations post-transition are as follows:[9]
WPBY-TV shut down its analog signal, overUHF channel 33; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34,[10] usingvirtual channel 33.
WSWP-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9; the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 53, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to VHF channel 10,[11] using virtual channel 9.
WNPB-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 24; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 33,[12] using virtual channel 24.
WVPB's state radio network includes eleven full-powered stations and seven low-powered translators, all on theFM band. The state network carries programs from NPR,PRI and other distributors, as well asclassical andfolk music. WVPB produces original weekly programs, includingEclecTopia,A Change of Tune,Inside Appalachia andSidetracks, plus the nationally distributedMountain Stage. The network was known as "West Virginia Public Radio" until WVPB's 2015 transition to a single brand.[4]
In addition to five low-powered, separate-frequency translators, two low-poweredboosters also extend coverage. Boosters are licensed on the same frequency as the parent station but at a different location. They are given the same callsign as the parent station with a number added to differentiate the transmitter site.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting maintains awebsite with West Virginia news and free access to original video and audio productions. It also provides its videos through itsYouTube page.
WVPB also operates a free website with educational videos and games for teachers, parents and students calledWest Virginia LearningMedia, part of PBS LearningMedia.
(*) – indicates station is in one of West Virginia's primaryTV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of West Virginia
(*) – indicates station is in one of Ohio's primaryTV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Ohio
