WGVU-TV

WGVU-TV, virtual channel 35 (VHF digital channel 11), is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It operates a full-time satellite station, WGVK (virtual channel 52, VHF digital channel 5) 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.

WGVU-TV
Grand Rapids, Michigan
United States
ChannelsDigital: 11 (VHF)
Virtual: 35 (PSIP)
BrandingPBS WGVU Public Media
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerGrand Valley State University
History
First air dateDecember 17, 1972 (1972-12-17)
Former call signsWGVC (1972–1987)
Former channel number(s)Analog: 35 (UHF, 1972–2009)
Call sign meaningGrand
Valley State
University
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID24784
ERP41.5 kW
HAAT259.9 m (853 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°57′34.7″N 85°53′44.9″W
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS
Websitewww.wgvu.org/television/
WGVK
(satellite of WGVU-TV)
Kalamazoo, Michigan
United States
ChannelsDigital: 5 (VHF)
Virtual: 52 (PSIP)
Brandingsee WGVU-TV infobox
Slogansee WGVU-TV infobox
Programming
Affiliations
  • 52.1: PBS
  • 52.2: PBS Kids
  • 52.3: PBS Encore
  • 52.4: World
Ownership
OwnerGrand Valley State University
History
First air dateOctober 1, 1984 (1984-10-01)
Former channel number(s)Analog: 52 (UHF, 1984–2009)
Call sign meaningWGVU Kalamazoo
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID24783
ERP10 kW
HAAT169 m (554 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°18′23.1″N 85°39′25″W
Links
Public license information
(satellite of WGVU-TV) Profile
LMS

History

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

WGVC-TV'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-TV 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 in 1987, when Grand Valley State was elevated to university status.

Programming

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

Weekly
  • 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 University 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
  • 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

WGVU produces documentaries. Notable documentaries are 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.

Digital television

Digital channels

WGVU and WGVK's digital channels are multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[1][2]
35.1
52.1		1080i16:9WGVU-DT
WGVK-DT		Main programming / PBS
35.2
52.2		720pWGVU-DT2
WGVKDT2		PBS Kids
35.3
52.3		480i4:3WGVU-DT3
WGVKDT3		PBS Encore
35.4
52.4		WGVU-DT4
WGVKDT4		World
35.5
52.5		WGVU-DT5
WGVKDT5		Schedule and WGVU/WGVS/WGVU-FM

WGVU/WGVK's main channel offers programming in 1080i high definition; standard definition programs are shown with pillarboxing. WGVU/WGVK's fifth digital subchannel offers a scrolling still screen featuring schedule information for the station's three other subchannels, along with background audio and NPR news updates from oldies radio sister station . WGVU-FM is available through the SAP channel.

Analog-to-digital conversion

Both stations shut down their analog signals respectively, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television:[3]

  • 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 PSIP to display WGVU-TV's virtual channel as 35 on digital television receivers.
  • WGVK shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 52; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 5, using PSIP to display WGVK's virtual channel as 52 on digital television receivers, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.
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References
  1. RabbitEars TV Query for WGVU
  2. RabbitEars TV Query for WGVK
  3. List of Digital Full-Power Stations
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