Wisconsin Public Television

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Wisconsin Public Television
Statewide throughout Wisconsin
Slogan	A place to grow through learning
Channels	(see grid) analog, (see grid) digital
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Various, see grid
Founded	(see grid for individual founding dates)
Former callsigns	Wisconsin Educational Television Network (1975-1990)
Website	WPT.org

Wisconsin Public Television is a network of non-commercial and non-profit PBS stations that are mostly run by the Educational Communications Board, a state agency, and the University of Wisconsin Extension. ECB also manages the state's public radio network, Wisconsin Public Radio.

The network is carried statewide via cable television and satellite, and Wisconsin Public Television's major six stations also carry separate digital television signals. The DTV signal is divided into five subchannels; a main analog up-converted DTV feed of Wisconsin Public Television's regular programming schedule, an HDTV channel of material from PBS and WPT (This channel is on the air from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.), American Public Television's Create channel, which offers a mix of arts and crafts, DIY, cooking and instructional programming (This channel is on the air from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.), a channel of PBS kids programming (This channel is on the air from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and a simulcast feed of WPT's Madison-based cable channel (This channel is on the air from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

WPT also airs same-day tape coverage (usually after 10:30pm) of some home games for Wisconsin Badgers football, along with men's/women's basketball and hockey. This coverage is produced in association with UW's athletic department, and highlights are usually distributed to local commercial stations for use in their sportscasts.

[edit] History

Graphic showing WPT's main signals' coverage areas, their call signs and channel numbers (excepting WDSE and WMVT)

WPT's flagship station, WHA-TV, went on the air on May 3, 1954. It was named after WHA, the radio station owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was one of the stations considered to be the oldest radio station regularly broadcasting.

In 1971, the state legislature created the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, activating five stations during the 1970s--WPNE in Green Bay in 1972; WHWC in Menomonie and WHLA in La Crosse in 1973; WHRM in Wausau in 1975 and WLEF in Park Falls in 1977--as satellites of WHA-TV. The stations adopted the on-air name of Wisconsin Public Television in 1986.

[edit] Stations

There are six full-power stations in the network, spread throughout the major cities within the state, along with two affiliates who carry only the instructional programming from the network;

¹ - WHA's signal is imported into the Milwaukee area via basic and digital cable to provide a second PBS choice for viewers.
² - WHWC is within and also serves portions of the Minneapolis-St. Paul television market, and is carried by some cable systems in Minnesota, providing a second PBS choice to viewers besides TPT's stations.
³ - WMVT and WDSE are independent stations within the network that carry WPT's instructional programming only, and also work with WPT and the WECB on joint statewide projects.

A translator network also serves portions of the state where over-the-air reception for a regular station is poor;

[edit] External links

• Wisconsin Public Television Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WHA-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WHLA
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WHRM
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WHWC
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WLEF
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WPNE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W18CU
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W22CI
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W24CL
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W45CD
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W47CO
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W48DB
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W67AC