| South Bend, Indiana/Benton Harbor, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Branding | WNIT Public Television |
| Slogan | Picture It. |
| Channels | Digital: 35 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 34.1 PBS-HD 34.2 PBS |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Michiana Public Broadcasting Corporation |
| First air date | February 1974[1] |
| Call letters' meaning | Northern Indiana Television |
| Former callsigns | WNIT-TV (1974-1989) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 34 (1974-2008) |
| Transmitter power | 50 kW |
| Height | 332.9 m |
| Facility ID | 41671 |
| Website | www.wnit.org |
WNIT is the PBS member television station for South Bend, Indiana. Its studios are located in South Bend. WNIT broadcasts on digital channel 35 (virtual channels 34.1 and 34.2).[2]
The station has been serving Michiana since February 1974, when it signed on UHF channel 34. Previously, PBS programs had been offered to the market's commercial stations on a per-program basis, or via cable from WTTW in Chicago.
On February 26, 2008, the klystron tube that powered WNIT's transmitter failed,[3] which reduced WNIT's analog signal strength to only 15 percent of its normal 1.38 million-watt ERP. On March 25, the transmitter's major signal amplifiers failed, completely disabling the station's analog signal. With analog broadcasting due to end in the United States in 2009, the station opted to broadcast solely in digital.
Most viewers did not lose access to WNIT programming due to the high penetration of cable and satellite television in the area.
On January 11, 2009, a fire in WNIT's administrative offices severely damaged the building; there were no injuries and WNIT's broadcast facilities and programming were unaffected. Local program production continued at the Elkhart Area Career Center and the administrative offices moved to a temporary location in the Tower Building on West Franklin Street in downtown Elkhart. This arrangement continued until May 11, 2010 when WNIT made the move to their new South Bend studios.[4] On December 17, 2008 WNIT had acquired and taken possession of the 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) former WSBT-TV building at Lafayette and Jefferson in downtown South Bend with the assistance of an in-kind donation by WSBT's owner, Schurz Communications; that station had moved to new facilities in Mishawaka in September 2008.[5]
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