| Dayton, Ohio United States |
|
|---|---|
| Branding | ThinkTV 16 |
| Slogan | Imagine. Discover. Experience. |
| Channels | Digital: 16 (UHF) Virtual: 16 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 16.1 PBS HD 16.2 Again 16.3 Life 16.4 Ohio Channel 16.5 PBS |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Public Media Connect (Greater Dayton Public Television, Inc.) |
| First air date | March 8, 1972 |
| Call letters' meaning | Watch Public Television Dayton |
| Sister station(s) | WPTO, WCET |
| Former callsigns | WKTR-TV (1967–1971) WOET-TV (1972–1977) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 16 (1972–2009) Digital: 58 (2003-2009) 63 W63AH Maplewood (?-2009) |
| Former affiliations | 16.3 Create (2003-2009) ABC (as WKTR-TV) Independent (as WKTR-TV) |
| Transmitter power | 155 kW |
| Height | 350 m |
| Facility ID | 25067 |
| Website | www.thinktv.org |
| Cincinnati, Ohio United States |
|
|---|---|
| City of license | Oxford, Ohio |
| Branding | ThinkTV 14 |
| Slogan | Imagine. Discover. Experience. |
| Channels | Digital: 28 (UHF) Virtual: 14 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 14.1 PBS HD 14.2 Prime 14.3 Learn/PBS Kids 14.4 PBS World/Ohio Channel 14.5 PBS |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Public Media Connect (Greater Dayton Public Television, Inc.) |
| First air date | October 14, 1959 |
| Call letters' meaning | Watch Public Television Oxford |
| Sister station(s) | WPTD, WCET |
| Former callsigns | WMUB-TV (1959–1977) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 14 (1959–2009) |
| Former affiliations | NET (1959–1970) |
| Transmitter power | 400 kW |
| Height | 268.4 m |
| Facility ID | 25065 |
| Website | www.thinktv.org |
WPTD is a television station in Dayton, Ohio that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service. It broadcasts in digital on channel 16, and is relayed by W32DS-D in Maplewood, Ohio.
WPTO, WPTD's sister station, is a member of PBS, licensed to Oxford, Ohio. It broadcasts digitally on channel 28 but is displayed on-screen as channel 14, its former analog and present virtual channel, via the PSIP protocol. Oxford is located in the Cincinnati market, and WPTO's digital transmitter is on the same tower as WXIX-TV, Cincinnati's Fox affiliate.
WPTD brands itself ThinkTV16, while WPTO brands itself ThinkTV14. Together, the two stations are known on-air as the ThinkTV Network and operate as a subsidiary of Public Media Connect, a regional non-profit company that also owns Cincinnati's PBS member station, WCET.
Neither WPTD nor WPTO is a satellite of the other: Master control operations for both stations are performed at ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.[1] Individual programs may be shared between the two stations. However, each station is separately programmed and scheduled; there is virtually no overlap, except during pledge drives.
Both stations' signals are multiplexed, each broadcasting one high-definition channel, and several standard definition channels.
WPTD's broadcast coverage includes much of southwestern Ohio, including Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as portions of eastern Indiana. WPTO's smaller coverage area largely overlaps that of WPTD, but is more concentrated in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio, providing a stronger signal to Cincinnati, weaker to the Dayton area. Both stations are available on Time Warner Cable throughout southwestern Ohio, though some systems may offer only WPTD's set of multiplexed channels or WPTO's, depending on their location.
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WPTD began in 1972 as WOET-TV (for Ohio Educational Television), operated by the Ohio Educational Broadcasting Network Commission (OEB). Prior to that, Channel 16 was occupied by a commercial independent and sometime ABC-affiliated station, WKTR-TV.[2] That station was owned by Kitty Hawk Television Corporation and licensed to Kettering when it began broadcasting in April 1967. It went dark in 1970, but returned to the air briefly in 1971 before giving up its license to the Federal Communications Commission, which reallocated the frequency as non-commercial.
WPTD's sister station, WPTO, began in 1959 as WMUB-TV, which was operated by Miami University. The call letters matched those of then co-owned WMUB (FM) radio, and stood for Miami University Broadcasting.
The stations joined forces in 1975 under the banner of University Regional Broadcasting, a consortium of Miami, Wright State and Central State universities. WMUB-TV was the primary station for a year until 1976, when WOET-TV became the primary station. In 1977, the stations were transferred to a new community organization, Greater Dayton Public Television, and received their current callsigns.
From the creation of University Regional Broadcasting onward, the secondary station operated as a semi-satellite of the primary station, only rarely airing different, usually local public-affairs type, programs. This situation existed until cable television began to become widely available in the community. Both stations were carried on Dayton-area cable systems. As cable availability rose, the stations' programming was increasingly differentiated by Greater Dayton Public Television, and the stations eventually achieved separate programming and scheduling.
The stations rebranded themselves as the ThinkTV Network in 1998, though the legal name remained Greater Dayton Public Television.
On October 31, 2008, Greater Dayton Public Television and the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, owner of WCET, announced plans to merge their resources into one non-profit organization serving all of Southwest Ohio, while maintaining separate identities.[3] The merger completed on May 8, 2009 with the formation of Public Media Connect, Inc. Both ThinkTV and CET operate as subsidiaries under the new organization.[4] The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control operations to ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.[1]
On May 1, 2003, ThinkTV marked the beginning of its conversion to digital technology with the introduction of four new digital program services and a digital simulcast channel for ThinkTV16/WPTD. ThinkTV16's digital channel was UHF channel 58. One year later in May 2004, ThinkTV entered phase two of its digital conversion with the installation of new digital Master Control equipment and the introduction of new digital channels for ThinkTV14/WPTO. ThinkTV14's digital channel was UHF channel 28.
During this period, the digital channels were 16.2 - ThinkTV 16 DT, 16.3 - ThinkTV 16 Again, 16.4 - ThinkTV 16 Create, 16.5 - ThinkTV 16 Ohio, 16.6 - ThinkTV HD; 14.2 - ThinkTV 14 DT, 14.3 - ThinkTV 14 Prime, 14.4 - ThinkTV 14 Learn, 14.5 - ThinkTV 14 World and 14.6 - ThinkTV HD. Note that neither WPTD nor WPTO had an X.1 subchannel; the X.2 subchannels matched their respective analog channels; also, 16.6 and 14.6 carried identical PBS HD programming, which was distinct from the separate analog programming on WPTD and on WPTO.
ThinkTV switched to an all digital service on May 1, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States. On this date, ThinkTV16 ended its digital broadcast on channel 58 and switched channel 16 from an analog broadcast to a digital one. ThinkTV14 ended its analog broadcast on channel 14. It remained on its digital channel, 28, using the PSIP protocol to display its virtual channel as 14.
The subchannels were realigned as shown below. Note that 16.3 was changed from ThinkTV 16 Create to ThinkTV 16 Life later in 2009.
The digital signals of WPTD and WPTO are both multiplexed:
| Channel | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 16.1 | ThinkTV 16 HD | Main WPTD programming / PBS |
| 16.2 | ThinkTV 16 Again | Repeat broadcasts of WPTD primetime shows |
| 16.3 | ThinkTV 16 Life | Lifestyle and how-to programming |
| 16.4 | ThinkTV 16 Ohio | The Ohio Channel |
| 16.5 | ThinkTV 16 DT | SD simulcast of 16.1 |
| Channel | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 14.1 | ThinkTV 14 HD | Main WPTO programming / PBS |
| 14.2 | ThinkTV 14 Prime | Repeat broadcasts of WPTO primetime shows |
| 14.3 | ThinkTV 14 Learn | PBS Kids programming and college telecourses |
| 14.4 | ThinkTV 14 World | PBS World The Ohio Channel |
| 14.5 | ThinkTV 14 DT | SD simulcast of 14.1 |
Note that while the "DT" designation on 16.5 and 14.5 appears on the ThinkTV website and displays on-screen via PSIP, it is omitted from ThinkTV's advertising and on-screen "bugs".
Per FCC filings, WPTD's translator station W17AA in Celina had authorization in 2009 to flash-cut to digital operations on channel 17, at a tower site near its existing analog tower. However, before this conversion could be completed, W17AA suspended operations on January 5, 2011 due to circumstances beyond Greater Dayton Public Television’s control, namely a loss of site. The tower owner, the State of Ohio, has plans to dismantle the tower utilized by W17AA, and in anticipation has disconnected power to the tower site location. As a result, GDPTV was forced to suspend operations on W17AA. On January 14, 2011, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent (off-air) status. GDPTV then began the process of considering its options for modification of the W17AA license to allow for its resumption of service. On July 26, 2011, the FCC accepted GDPTV's surrender for cancellation of W17AA's license.
WPTD's other translator station, W63AH channel 63 in Maplewood, also had authorization in 2009 to switch to digital operations, on channel 32. However, W63AH suspended operations on March 30, 2010, also due to a loss of site, following a change in ownership for the translator station’s licensed tower location. On April 5, 2010, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent status. On September 9, 2010, GDPTV was granted authorization to relocate its approved digital broadcast facility to a tower near Celina, with the community of license remaining Maplewood. On January 18, 2011, the station was granted "license to cover", allowing it to resume broadcasting. The station now operates digitally on channel 32, as W32DS-D (it officially took the W32DS callsign in May, 2009).
W32DS-D covers both Celina and the Maplewood, Ohio, area and operates with a directional antenna towards the southeast.[5]
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