WBPH-TV
Encyclopedia
WBPH-TV is a television
station in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DMA. The station, owned by Sonshine Family Television Corporation, broadcasts programming as a FamilyNet
affiliate, Worship Network programming, special interest programs that are produced in-house, and religious programming. WBPH-TV is also an affiliate of the Lafayette College
Sports Network.
WBPH-TV's transmitter is located on South Mountain
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
(specifically Salisbury Township
in the Lehigh Valley
region of the state). The station is licensed to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, but maintains offices and studio facilities in Allentown.
cable TV channel. In 1985, Huber formed the Sonshine Family Television Corporation and applied for a television broadcast license.http://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/about_us.htm
WBPH is also an affiliate of the Lafayette Sports Network. Broadcasts are produced by RCN
channel 4 and include all of Lafayette College
's football games (including early rounds of the playoffs) and all home men's and women's basketball games. Very few away basketball games are televised, one exceptions are games at Princeton by the men.
in conjunction with the Fallout concert, a large Christian music festival
held annually in the Lehigh Valley
as a promotional event for See You at the Pole
. The end of the program was brought on by the need to put efforts into the building of their 3 Megawatt transmit facility to reach beyond the Lehigh Valley into Philadelphia.
, most of southern New Jersey
, and Delaware
.http://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/coverage_cable.htm The majority of areas in which WBPH-TV is carried are those within reach of the station's over-the-air broadcast signal.
, channel 8169. It is in the process of being added to DirecTV
.http://www.wbph.org/coverage_cable.htm
to broadcast on a VHF channel.http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-020715.html
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
station in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
DMA. The station, owned by Sonshine Family Television Corporation, broadcasts programming as a FamilyNet
FamilyNet
FamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
affiliate, Worship Network programming, special interest programs that are produced in-house, and religious programming. WBPH-TV is also an affiliate of the Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
Sports Network.
WBPH-TV's transmitter is located on South Mountain
South Mountain (eastern Pennsylvania)
South Mountain is a colloquial name applied to features in the mountain range extending south and south west from the Lehigh Valley to the Lebanon Valley regions of Pennsylvania. At times, it also been known as Durham Hills, Reading Hills, and the Lehigh Mountains...
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
(specifically Salisbury Township
Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania
Salisbury Township is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania:*Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania*Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania...
in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the state). The station is licensed to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, but maintains offices and studio facilities in Allentown.
History
WBPH-TV signed on December 27, 1990. The station was an outgrowth of Christian programming Pat Huber had begun on a local public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channel. In 1985, Huber formed the Sonshine Family Television Corporation and applied for a television broadcast license.http://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/about_us.htm
Current programming
Since its inception, two of WBPH's in-house programs have been 60 Live and Bethlehem Glory, both hosted by station owner Pat Huber.http://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/60_live.htmhttp://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/bethlehem_glory.htmWBPH is also an affiliate of the Lafayette Sports Network. Broadcasts are produced by RCN
RCN Corporation
RCN Corporation, founded in 1993 and based in Herndon, Virginia, is the first American facilities-based competitive provider of bundled telephone, cable television and high-speed internet service delivered over its own fiber-optic local network to consumers in the Boston, New York, Eastern...
channel 4 and include all of Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
's football games (including early rounds of the playoffs) and all home men's and women's basketball games. Very few away basketball games are televised, one exceptions are games at Princeton by the men.
Past programming
Through the course of its existence, the station has also produced shows in conjunction with area radio stations and churches. One program that had short lived popularity among area church youth was Live from Studio 60. Produced along with Word FM, Live from Studio 60 showcased local Christian bands performing to a live audience at the WBPH-TV studio in Allentown. The program reached its peak in 2000 when it played host to Christian band The WaitingThe Waiting (band)
The Waiting is a Christian alternative pop rock band, consisting of Brad Olsen , Todd Olsen , Clark Leake , and Brandon Thompson...
in conjunction with the Fallout concert, a large Christian music festival
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
held annually in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
as a promotional event for See You at the Pole
See You at the Pole
See You at the Pole is an annual gathering of Christian students of all ages at a flagpole in front of their local school for prayer, scripture-reading and hymn-singing, during the early morning before school starts. The American SYATP events occur on every fourth Wednesday of September. This...
. The end of the program was brought on by the need to put efforts into the building of their 3 Megawatt transmit facility to reach beyond the Lehigh Valley into Philadelphia.
Cable
Presently, WBPH-TV is seen on cable systems in most of the Philadelphia DMA. Exceptions are a majority of Chester CountyChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, most of southern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.http://www.netmpapps.com/clients/wbph/coverage_cable.htm The majority of areas in which WBPH-TV is carried are those within reach of the station's over-the-air broadcast signal.
Satellite
WBPH-TV is carried on Dish NetworkDish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, channel 8169. It is in the process of being added to DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
.http://www.wbph.org/coverage_cable.htm
Digital allocation
In 2002, WBPH applied to have their digital channel assignment reallocated from channel 59 to channel 9. The reason for this was that both their analog and digital channels were out-of-core and would be taken out of television service in the future. With the FCC's approval of this application, WBPH became the first station in the Lehigh ValleyLehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
to broadcast on a VHF channel.http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-020715.html