Branding South Florida PBS | Owner South Florida PBS | |
City Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Slogan Explore Your Possibilities Channels Digital: 18 (UHF)
Virtual: 2 (PSIP) Affiliations .1: PBS
.2: Create
.3: World
.4: PBS Kids | ||
WPBT-TV (virtual channel 2, UHF digital channel 18) is a PBS member television station located in Miami, Florida, United States. The station is owned by the Community Television Foundation of South Florida, a subsidiary of South Florida PBS. WPBT maintains studio facilities located on Northeast 20th Avenue in North Miami and its transmitter is located on Northwest 199th Street in Andover. In addition to serving the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market, the station has significant viewership in much of the West Palm Beach market, and is the only Miami area television station to serve the entire South Florida metropolis.
Contents
History
The Community Television Foundation of South Florida was formed in November 1953. It immediately jumped into the bidding for Florida's first non-commercial educational television station. The only major competition came from the Dade County School Board. Ultimately, the Federal Communications Commission awarded licenses to both groups in a time-share arrangement. They signed on channel 2 as a shared operation on August 12, 1955, operating as a member station of National Educational Television.
Under the arrangement, the school board and the foundation alternated airtime on channel 2 airing their programming from separate studios. The school board would air five hours of educational programming during the day under the WTHS-TV call letters, while the foundation aired two hours of programming in the evenings under the WPBT calls.
Gradually, Community Television Foundation expanded WPBT's broadcasting hours, especially after the school board signed on WSEC-TV (channel 17) as a secondary station. WPBT's broadcast day increased further after the formation of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1970. Finally, in 1979, the Dade County School Board relinquished its share of channel 2 and turned over the WTHS license to the Federal Communications Commission. The board moved WTHS' programming inventory to channel 17, which changed its calls to WLRN-TV.
Until WXEL-TV signed on as the PBS member for West Palm Beach in 1982, WPBT served as the default PBS member for the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast. For some time after WXEL signed on, WPBT continued to claim the Palm Beaches as part of its primary coverage area, going as far as to identify as "Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beaches." The analog channel 2 signal traveled a very long distance under normal conditions.
In 2010, WPBT rebranded as "2 HD" along with its children's program block KidVision.
On July 15, 2015, the Community Television Foundation announced an agreement with the WXEL Public Broadcasting Corporation, owner of WXEL-TV in West Palm Beach, to merge the two stations' operations into a new entity, to be known as "South Florida PBS". The merger, which was formally filed with the FCC on July 16, would enable the two stations to pool resources and fundraising efforts to offer more program content. However, the two stations have separate governing boards and conduct separate fundraising efforts.
Digital channels
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
Analog-to-digital conversion
WPBT ended programming on its analog signal, on VHF channel 2 on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 18. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 2.
Original programming
Some of WPBT's notable national programs include the science program Star Gazers, the bilingual sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, USA? and its most well known program, the business news and analysis program Nightly Business Report (which is widely distributed by public television stations, mainly those that are members of PBS and had its production responsibilities assumed by CNBC in 2012). Locally produced programs that are seen exclusively on the station include Check, Please! South Florida, a restaurant review show based on the series Check, Please that originated on fellow PBS station WTTW in Chicago.
The station also produces four public affairs programs: Issues (a weekly half-hour public affairs and news program, hosted by Helen Ferre, that addresses issues in the local community), Viewpoint (a monthly program hosted by Steve Gushee, which addresses topics pertaining to religion and ethics), Pulse (a public affairs program hosted by Jessy Schuster, which addresses issues affecting Miami residents of Caribbean and Caribbean-American descent) and Haiti Journal (which debuted in 2011 and covers current affairs in Haiti).
WPBT has also produced two nature series, Wild Florida (hosted by Hunter Reno, which explored Florida’s ecosystems and wildlife) and Changing Seas (which was narrated by Peter Thomas and explores the world's oceans along with leading experts who study our planet's 'last frontier'). It also produces several documentaries about the South Florida area; projects in development include Stranahan House, Florida’s State Parks, Into the Wild and Lost in Florida.
Since January 1, 1993 (2 months after the 24th Season of Sesame Street and 9 months after the debut of Barney & Friends), WPBT got it's very own children's programming block called KidVision.
uVu
Launched in 2007, uVu (pronounced you view) is a South Florida community video website hosted by WPBT. It incorporates user-generated video, along with content created and submitted to the site by community groups and cultural/educational institutions, as well as repurposed content of programs previously aired on WPBT that are also available for viewing and sharing in clip format. In April 2009, uVu was relaunched with a redesigned website and new URL (www.uvuvideo.org). Along with video hosting, the site now includes personal blogs, profiles and message boards. A relaunch party was held at the WPBT studios on April 2 of that year and invited organizations from around South Florida and individuals that work closely with the website.
In October 2007, WPBT launched a weekly companion television program called uVu TV, airing on digital subchannel 2.2, which highlights local organizations, places and activities around South Florida.