WTVP
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| WTVP | |
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| Peoria, Illinois | |
| Slogan | Public Television for Central Illinois |
| Channels | Analog: 47 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Illinois Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation |
| First air date | June 27, 1971 |
| Call letters’ meaning | TV Peoria |
| Transmitter Power | 1410 kW (analog) 190 kW (digital) |
| Height | 216 m (both) |
| Facility ID | 28311 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wtvp.org |
WTVP is the PBS station for Peoria, Bloomington, and Galesburg, Illinois. Its analog television station allocation is channel 47, and its digital allocation is channel 46. WTVP has 3 digital subchannels: WTVP DT, WTVP HD, and WTVP Create.
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[edit] Governance
The FCC license to WTVP is owned by the Illinois Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation, an Illinois non-profit organization. IVPTC is governed by a board of trustees, all of whom serve voluntarily. Its studio is located in Peoria, Illinois, USA and its broadcast tower is located in East Peoria. The station serves a radius of 50 miles with viewers in 20 counties.
Each IVPTC trustee is nominated by the Board's nominating committee and approved by a vote of the full Board. The full Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public. Permanent seats were reserved by its original charter for one voting representative from each of the following institutions: Bradley University, Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria Public Schools, Peoria Public Library, Pekin Public Schools, and Illinois Central College.
[edit] History
From its first broadcast in 1971 until 2003, the station resided in Jobst Hall on the campus of Bradley University. A Bradley University academic dean, Phil Weinberg, founded WTVP and is credited with pursuing the idea for the station in the late 1960s. He served as its first President. From 1971, Elwin Basquin served as the station's first paid mananger and retired as General Manager in 1996. Chet Tomczyk succeeded Basquin as general manager and became President & CEO.
WTVP has had a long history of cooperation with Bradley University and public radio station WCBU, but is independently owned by the non-profit Illinois Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation.
Originally channel 59 was reserved in Peoria for public television, but WTVP chose the lower open channel 47 allocation. The FCC later moved the public television reservation to 47 to allow commercial use of channel 59; years later, WAOE came on the air on 59.
Originally the call letters WTVP belonged to a station now known as WAND in Decatur, Illinois.
[edit] Local Programming
The station broadcasts PBS programming and other national content, but also has produced many original programs for local audiences. Projects include documentaries such as a Peoria historical documentary entitled MAIN STREET MEMORIES and its first high definition program entitled GRAND VIEW DRIVE. In addition, WTVP has produced local public affairs programming such as AT ISSUE and INTERESTING PEOPLE.
WTVP has collaborated widely with other non-profits in the Central Illinois region. Since constructing and moving to the Peoria downtown/riverfront studio facility in June, 2003, WTVP's 101 State Street location has become a frequent space for events, open houses, tours, dinners, productions, and art exhibitions.
[edit] Awards and Recognitions
In 2005, the station earned the ArtsPartner of the Year Award in recognition of its efforts to promote culture in Central Illinois, acknowledging its investment in local arts production such as a series of broadcasts with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and its short-form programs produced and broadcast by the station at no charge to many local arts organizations that year.
WTVP patrons Glen and Polly Barton received the PBS Leadership Award in 2003. The O'Neill Family, represented by P. Joseph O'Neill, received the PBS Leadership Award in 2006.[1]
Since its inception, WTVP has received national recognition in the form of PBS Development Awards and Certificates of Achievement for its fund-raising innovations and achievements.
[edit] Fund-Raising
As a result of a fund-raising campaign beginning in 1999 entitled Funds for Forty-Seven, WTVP raised the resources toward its conversion to digital broadcasting. WTVP became the first public television station in the state of Illinois and the first of any kind in Central Illinois to convert to digital broadcasting with a test broadcast in late 2001 and a public ceremony on January 7, 2002.
At the end of 2007 and early 2008, the station faced long-term debt pressures, which were widely reported by other local media and later resolved in an agreement with its bank, and with the help of thousands of special contributions resulting from a campaign called Save Our Station. [2]
[edit] Studio location
To accommodate for its anticipated digital broadcasting capacity, the station began to plan for a new facility in 2000. Once the Board of Trustees approved a search for an appropriate site to construct a new studio, the station explored many possibilities. The former location of the O'Neill Transportation depot in downtown Peoria was identified as a potential location, and through the generosity of the property owner William J. O'Neill, the faciliy was made affordable to the station. A 30,000 sq. ft. facility was designed by PSA and Clark Engineering. After a competitive bid process, CORE Construction was selected as general contractor. The facility was designed to give the station the ability to offer more and better productions of interest, services to the public, and community interaction.
WTVP no longer has its main offices near Bradley University. The current address is:
- WTVP-TV
- 101 State Street
- Peoria IL 61602-1547
[edit] External links
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