WTVS

WTVS

Detroit, Michigan
Branding	Detroit Public TV
Channels	Digital: 56.1, 56.2, 56.3 (HD)
Affiliations	PBS
Owner	Detroit Educational Television Foundation
First air date	October 3, 1955
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 56 (1955-2009)
Former affiliations	NET (1955-1970)
Transmitter power	600 kW
Height	318 m
Facility ID	16817
Transmitter coordinates	42°26′52″N 83°10′23″W / 42.44778°N 83.17306°W / 42.44778; -83.17306
Website	www.dptv.org

WTVS, branded as Detroit Public TV, is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local programs including Get Up! Get Out, In the Frame: Exploring the DIA, Leaders on Leadership American Black Journal, and Am I Right among others. It is also a leading producer of fundraising programs for PBS. Detroit Public TV partners with Detroit Public Schools by managing WRCJ-FM with a classical and jazz music format. The station is located inside the Detroit School of Arts. The station's President and General Manager is Rich Homberg and Richard Rassel presides as Chairman, Board of Trustees. WTVS is also one of only three stations that mention Windsor and London as among their primary viewing areas, with the other two being WDIV, and WMYD.

Its transmitters are located in suburban Oakland County with its studios and offices in Detroit and Wixom. It is one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada on Shaw Broadcast Services and the Shaw Direct satellite provider. WTVS broadcasts its digital signal from the same tower as WMYD Channel 20 and WWJ-TV Channel 62 at 8 Mile and Meyers Road in Oak Park, Michigan at a height of 1073 feet (327 m). Prior to the digital TV switchover, WTVS transmitted its signal from a 1,000-foot (300 m) tower located near the intersection of 11 Mile and Inkster Roads in Southfield along with WMYD (channel 20) and WKBD (channel 50). Today, only WKBD broadcasts from that tower.

Digital channels

WTVS's digital channel is 43, using PSIP to display its virtual channel as 56. it is multiplexed into the following digital subchannels.

Digital channels

Channel	Name	Video	Aspect	Programming
56.1	WTVS-DT	1080i	16:9	Main WTVS programming / PBS HD
56.2	WTVS-DT2	480i	16:9	DPTV Plus (PBS Satellite Service)
56.3	WTVS-DT3	480i	4:3	Create

WTVS permanently turned off its analog signal on April 16, 2009, at 12:05 p.m. eastern time, after presenting the national anthems of Canada and the USA. WTVS had cited repeated failures of their 28 year old transmitter as a reason for ending the analog transmissions on April 16 rather than June 12 (the analog had failed seven times just since January 1, 2009 alone).

On October 12, 2009 WTVS upgraded to a new 600 kW transmitter, tripling its old power and vastly increasing its coverage area. ^[1]

WTVS also has plans for a Mobile DTV feed of subchannel 56.1.^[2][3]

• The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years (1998) PBS

Coverage

WTVS is carried on most cable systems in Southeast Michigan, Southwestern Ontario and parts of the British Columbia Southern Interior.

WTVS was carried by the Cancom system since 1983 as the PBS signal for Canadian cable television systems too distant to receive a border station over-the-air. It developed a strong base of Canadian viewer support in all provinces and territories.

External links

• WTVS TV Channel 56 Detroit (4-27-2005). Michigan's Radio & TV Broadcast Guide.
• Official site
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WTVS
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WTVS-TV
• Gallery of past logos for WTVS

References

1. ^ WTVS Detroit Public TV Digital TV information page
2. ^ http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atscmph
3. ^ http://www.mdtvsignalmap.com/