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WGVU-TV

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WGVU-TV
Channels
BrandingPBS WGVU Public Media
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerGrand Valley State University
History
First air date
December 17, 1972 (51 years ago) (1972-12-17)
Former call signs
WGVC (1972–1987)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 35 (UHF, 1972–2009)
Call sign meaning
Grand Valley State University
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID24784
ERP41.5 kW
HAAT259.9 m (853 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°57′34.7″N 85°53′44.9″W / 42.959639°N 85.895806°W / 42.959639; -85.895806
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.wgvu.org/television/
Satellite station
WGVK
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
History
First air date
October 1, 1984 (40 years ago) (1984-10-01)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 52 (UHF, 1984–2009)
Call sign meaning
"WGVU Kalamazoo"
Technical information[2]
Facility ID24783
ERP10 kW
HAAT169 m (554 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°18′23.1″N 85°39′25″W / 42.306417°N 85.65694°W / 42.306417; -85.65694 (WGVK)
Links
Public license information

WGVU-TV (channel 35) is a PBS member television station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It operates a full-time satellite station, WGVK (channel 52) 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.

History

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The station signed on the air on December 17, 1972, as WGVC, owned by what was then Grand Valley State College.[3] Channel 35 originally operated from the basement of Manitou Hall on GVSC's Allendale campus.

WGVC's signal was somewhat marginal in the southern portion of the vast West Michigan market (Kalamazoo and Battle Creek). It must conform its signal to protect fellow PBS member WNIT in South Bend, Indiana, on adjacent channel 34. In much of this area, WGVC could only be seen on cable. This was very similar to what the area's main ABC affiliate, WZZM-TV (channel 13), faced due to the presence of WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. To make up for this shortfall in coverage, Grand Valley State signed on WGVK as a satellite station in 1984. In 1986, the station relocated to its current studio facility at the Meijer Public Broadcast Center. The station's callsign was changed to WGVU-TV in 1987, when Grand Valley State was elevated to university status.

Programming

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WGVU produces numerous local programs. It also carries national shows from PBS, American Public Television, and the National Educational Telecommunications Association. NPR and PRX programming heard on WGVU-FM is aired on the fifth digital subchannel's SAP channel.

Weekly

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  • Ask The... – a live call-in show about a specific topic, hosted by Shelley Irwin; it airs Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.
  • Grand Valley State Sports Report (formerly GV Sports) – hosted by WZZM-TV sports anchor Brent Ashcroft, this program covers Grand Valley State athletics. During the athletic season, it airs Mondays at 6 and 11 p.m., and does not air during the summer months.
  • West Michigan Week – a program discussing the week's news headlines, hosted by Patrick Center; it airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m.
  • WGVU Newsmakers – a program profiling people and issues, hosted by Patrick Center; it airs Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.

Specials

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  • WGVU Community Connection – a monthly program hosted by Shelley Irwin. It spotlights non-profit agencies in West Michigan.
  • WGVU Family Health Matters – a program covering health issues.

Documentaries

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Notable documentaries produced by WGVU include LZ Michigan (A "Landing Zone" to Remember, Honor, and Celebrate our Community's Veterans and Their Families), Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History, Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah and Defying Hitler.

Technical information

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Subchannels

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The stations' signals are multiplexed:

Subchannels of WGVU-TV[4] and WGVK[5]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
WGVU-TV WGVK WGVU-TV WGVK
35.1 52.1 1080i 16:9 WGVUPBS WGVKPBS PBS
35.2 52.2 720p PBSKIDS PBSKids PBS Kids
35.3 52.3 480i CREATE Create Create
35.4 52.4 World World
35.5 52.5 WGVUMLC WGVKMLC Michigan Learning Channel
35.6 52.6 Guide Schedule scroll and WGVU-FM
(WGVU-FM audio also on DT1 SAP channel during programs without audio description)

Analog-to-digital conversion

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Both stations shut down their analog signals respectively, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television:[6]

  • WGVU-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 35; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 11, using virtual channel 35.
  • WGVK shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 52; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 5, using virtual channel 52.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGVU-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGVK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ FCC History Cards for WGVC (WGVU-TV). Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WGVU
  5. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for WGVK
  6. ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations
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