| West Palm Beach, Florida | |
|---|---|
| Branding | WXEL |
| Channels | Digital: 27 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Translators | W44AY-LP 44 (analog) Fort Pierce W31DC-D 31 (digital) Fort Pierce |
| Affiliations | PBS |
| Owner | Barry University (Barry Telecommunications, Inc.) |
| First air date | July 8, 1982 |
| Call letters' meaning | EXcELlence |
| Former callsigns | WHRS-TV (1982-1985) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 42 (1982-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 400 kW (digital) |
| Height | 440 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 61084 |
| Website | www.wxel.org |
WXEL-TV is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member public television station serving South Florida, and is licensed to West Palm Beach. WXEL is owned by Barry University, a Catholic university based in Miami; despite the Catholic-based ownership, WXEL shows no religious programming (other than documentaries provided by PBS). The station reaches viewers from the Treasure Coast all the way down to Miami-Dade County.
WXEL is one of at least three PBS members owned and operated by a Catholic-related organization (WLAE-TV in New Orleans, Louisiana and KMBH in the Rio Grande Valley are the others), and one of at least four run by a religious organization in general (counting Provo, Utah's KBYU-TV).
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WXEL's digital channel is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | PBS HD |
| 42.2 | 480i | 4:3 | Create (6 a.m.-6 p.m.) / World (6 p.m.-6 a.m.) [1] |
| 42.3 | V-Me | ||
| 42.4 | The Florida Channel / T.E.N. (The Education Network) |
WXEL signed on July 8, 1982 as WHRS-TV. Prior to that time, Miami's WPBT had doubled as the PBS member for the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast. On January 1, 1985, the station became known as WXEL-TV.
In early 2007, Barry University announced a pending purchase of WXEL-FM and WXEL-TV by a group consisting of Educational Broadcasting Corporation (owners of New York City's WNET and WLIW) and the Community Broadcast Foundation of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, a local volunteer organization. The purchase agreement was terminated in May, 2008. [1] Barry University signed an agreement to sell separately, WXEL-FM to American Public Media Group on April 20, 2010.[2] The sale was finalized on May 25, 2011 and the call letters of the radio station were changed to WPBI.
Currently WXEL-TV remains for sale and both the Palm Beach County School District and the Community Television Foundation of South Florida, which owns WPBT, have expressed interest in purchasing the station.[2]
WXEL moved its digital broadcasts to channel 27. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WXEL's virtual channel as 42.
The WXEL call sign was previously used on channel 8 in Cleveland, Ohio, on what is now WJW.
In addition to its main signals, WXEL is also carried on two repeaters.
| Call Letters | Channel | City of License | Licensee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W44AY-LP | 44 | Fort Pierce | Barry University | Analog repeater |
| W31DC-D | 31 | Fort Pierce | Barry University | Digital repeater |
WXEL's repeaters are necessary as WXEL's main signal does not reach all of its viewers in the Treasure Coast.
W31DC-D broadcasts on UHF channel 31. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display W31DC-D's virtual channel as 44.
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