West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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WPBY / WSWP / WNPB
Image:WV_Public_TV.jpg
WPBY: Huntington / Charleston, West Virginia
WSWP: Bluefield / Beckley / Oak Hill, West Virginia
WNPB: Clarksburg / Morgantown / Weston, West Virginia
Branding West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Channels WPBY: 33 (UHF)
WSWP: 9 (VHF)
WNPB: 24 (UHF) analog,
WPBY: 34( UHF)
WSWP: 53 (UHF)
WNPB: 33(UHF) digital
Translators W15AD Wardensville
W17AL Mathias
W41AA Wheeling
W41AO Hampshire County
W48AA Keyser
W57AG Parkersburg
W69AC Romney
Affiliations PBS
Owner West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority
Founded WPBY: July 14, 1969
WSWP: November 1, 1970
WNPB: February 25, 1969
Call letters meaning WPBY: Public Broadcasting for You
WSWP: Southern West Virginia Public Television
WNPB: West Virginia (Northern) Public Broadcasting
Former callsigns WPBY: WMUL
WNPB: WWVU
Former affiliations WPBY: NET (1969-1970)
Website wvpubcast.org

West Virginia Public Broadcasting is the statewide PBS network of television stations in West Virginia, whose flagship station is WPBY, based in Huntington, West Virginia. Its studios are located at the Marshall University main campus. The network carries a basic PBS schedule, along with several programs of local production.

The origins of WVPB date back to WMUL, copying the call letters of Marshall's student radio station, although the television station has never been a student-run operation. It began broadcasting in 1967.

In 1980 WMUL, and the public station at West Virginia University, WWVU (now WNPB) received 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 in Beckley, West Virginia to become de facto repeaters of WPBY. WNPB broadcasts on Channel 24 and WSWP on Channel 9.

The network has low power repeaters on Channel 15 in Wardensville, Channel 17 in Mathaias, Channel 48 in Keyser, Channel 41 in rural Hampshire County and Channel 69 in Romney. Because all of these locations are in the Washington, DC television market, the station's shows are the only real source of West Virginia program content in those areas. In the past the channel showed some Marshall University and West Virginia University sports content for this reason, but has abandoned this practice as the schools have found other outlets. The station is also repeated on Channel 41 in Wheeling and Channel 57 in Parkersburg, making it receivable in almost all of the state.

The current local content consists of a daily recap of the state legislative sesson, half hour weekly shows produced by the State Bar and by the West Virgnia University medical school, and student produced news from campus weekly products from Marshall University and West Virginia State University.

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