WGBH-TV
Encyclopedia
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational
public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS), and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time
television program
ming. Programs produced for PBS include Masterpiece, NOVA
, Frontline, American Experience
, The Victory Garden and This Old House
. WGBH is also well-known for having co-produced numerous period dramas and has collaborated for years with British production companies.
The WGBH Educational Foundation, the parent organization, also owns and operates WGBX-TV
(channel 44) and the public radio stations WGBH (FM)
and WCRB
in the Boston area, and WCAI (and satellites WZAI and WNAN) in Cape Cod
. Another sister station is WGBY-TV
(channel 57), the PBS member station in Springfield, Massachusetts
.
WGBH is also considered a leader in accessible media services for people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, or visually impaired. WGBH invented television closed captioning
, audio description
(Descriptive Video Service
), and created the Rear Window Captioning System
for film
s they provide these access services to commercial and public TV producers, and to home video, Web sites, and movie theaters nationwide.
Cooperative Broadcasting Council see the article on John Lowell, Jr.
WGBH Educational Foundation received its first broadcasting license (for radio) in 1951 under the auspices of the Lowell Institute
Cooperative Broadcasting Council, a consortium of local universities and cultural institutions, whose collaboration stems from an 1836 bequest by textile manufacturer John Lowell, Jr. calling for free public lectures for the citizens of Boston.
WGBH Radio Boston
signed on at 89.7 MHz FM on October 6, 1951, with a live broadcast of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The original construction permit for Channel 2 in Boston went to Raytheon
, an electronics company based in neighboring Waltham, Massachusetts
, who would have launched a commercial television station under the call letters WRTB-TV (for Raytheon Television Broadcasting). WRTB never made it on the air, opening the way for the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to allocate Channel 2 for noncommercial purposes and for WGBH to receive a license to operate on that channel.
WGBH-TV Channel 2 went on the air on May 2, 1955, at 5:20 p.m. with studios located at 84 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge
. When a fire destroyed the studios in the early morning hours of October 14, 1961, WGBH-TV Channel 2 and WGBH 89.7 FM broadcast from the studios of other broadcasting stations until they were able to build new studios located at 125 Western Avenue in Allston, and begin operations there on August 29, 1963. WGBH moved to a new studio complex on Guest Street in Boston in June 2007.
WGBH was New England's first non-commercial television station and a pioneer in what is now known as public television. Many programs seen on National Educational Television
and later, the Public Broadcasting Service
, originated at the facilities of WGBH or were otherwise produced by the station.
Today WGBH is known around the U.S. as PBS's primary station due to its great production for PBS prime time
television program
ming and PBS Kids programming.
, the location of WGBH's FM transmitter, as well as the original location of WGBH-TV's transmitter. Great Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts
, has an elevation of 635 feet (193 m) and is the highest point in the Boston area. Today, WGBH-TV's and WGBX-TV's transmitters are located at the CBS
digital television facility in Needham, Massachusetts
, where channel 44 first transmitted on September 25, 1967; channel 2 moved there on June 18, 1966. WGBX-TV's digital service on channel 43 shares the master antenna at the very top of the tower with the commercial stations. Analog channel 44 has a separate antenna lower down that is shared with WGBH-DT on channel 19.
WGBH operates a Shaw Broadcast Services satellite uplink facility which provides Boston broadcast television stations to Canadian cable and satellite TV distributors. As a Canadian company, Shaw is not legally entitled to operate an uplink facility in the United States. Hence, it pays WGBH to perform this service on its behalf. This facility is also located at the CBS (WBZ-TV
) tower in Needham.
(presently Stratton Student Center) on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
until the building burned down in a 1961 fire. Three years later, after being based in temporary offices and using the studios of Boston's commercial television stations to produce local programming, the station moved to 125 Western Avenue in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. The ZIP code
of the station and its post-office box—PO Box 350, Boston, MA 02134—gained notice in a recurring jingle on its 1970s and late 1990s children's program, ZOOM
.
As WGBH's operations grew, the 125 Western Avenue building proved inadequate; some administrative operations were moved across the street to 114 Western Avenue, with an overhead pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings. By 2005, WGBH had facilities in more than a dozen buildings in the Allston area. The station's need for more studio space dovetailed with Harvard Business School
's desire to expand its adjacent campus; Harvard already owned the land on which the WGBH studios were located. WGBH built a new studio complex, designed by James Polshek
& Partners, in nearby Brighton, spanning the block of Market Street from Guest Street to North Beacon Street, with radio studios facing pedestrian traffic on Market Street. The postal address and lobby entrance of the new studio building is 1 Guest Street; it was inaugurated in June 2007. The outside of the building carries a 30 by 45 feet (13.7 m) "digital mural" LED screen, displaying a different image each day to commuters on the passing Massachusetts Turnpike
. Television shows and radio programs continued to shoot at the Western Avenue studios until migration to the new facility reached completion in September 2007. The old Western Avenue studios are currently empty except for a substation of the Harvard University police department which moved in June 2008.
in Milton, Massachusetts
(thus the choice of WGBH as a callsign) and the FM radio transmitter is still there. In the late 1960s, WGBH planned a second TV station for Boston, and four other TV stations across Massachusetts. As a result, all of WGBH's TV stations have the WGB* call letters; channel 44 in Boston (launched in 1967) has WGBX, while channel 57 in Springfield, Massachusetts
(launched in 1971) has WGBY. There were to have been three additional WGBH-owned stations, including a WGBW
in Adams, Massachusetts
on channel 35 (its W was to stand for West; the callsign has since been reassigned to a radio station
in Two Rivers, Wisconsin
), and stations in New Bedford and Worcester. Only WGBX and WGBY actually made it on the air.
WGBH's callsign is occasionally jokingly expanded as "God Bless Harvard
", although the station's connections with the university are at best indirect. (Harvard was one of several Boston-area universities which took part in the Lowell Institute Cooperative Broadcasting Council, and provided land on Western Avenue in Allston for the station's studios.)
and has aired for almost 40 years, accompanied by different animating graphics. The first such logo appeared in 1972 and can be found on the first episode of ZOOM. The seven-second jingle begins with a blue background, with the letters "WGBH" in a yellow Helvetica
font quickly zooming away from the viewer. Then, the word "Boston" quickly zooms forward (similar in motion and gradual enlargement to the V symbol in Viacom's 1976 to 1985 identification, nicknamed the V of Doom), engulfing the whole screen and creating a yellow background, after which the word "Presents" zooms forward at a fast pace in blue. This ident is generally believed to be extinct, but it has surfaced on tapes of old WGBH programming (such as the 1972 version of ZOOM, The French Chef
, and 1974-1977 NOVA
episodes) and in video clips. A black-and-white version appeared in 1974. In this version, "WGBH" and "Boston" are in black while "Presents" is in white.
The music is also used in the current ID. The "circle outline" ident, featuring two little lights forming the WGBH logo in orange began in late 1977 at the beginning of WGBH's national shows. It was shortened to just the latter part of the animation in 1986, and moved to the end of shows in 1993, when the sound effect was shortened to conform to PBS's desire for shorter station ID's. It is also edited out on some shows with a program's closing credits
music playing over the WGBH Boston production card.
The full seven-second music appears in the "neon" station IDs on WGBH itself, along with different animation for the outline logo; one version features the 1977-style version flashing out to reveal the PBS logo, while the other features the outline done at first from the point of view of the tracing line, then zooming out to reveal the 'WGBH' logo rendered as a neon sign
with the matching numeral 2 illuminating in white from behind.
Many programs produced today have a voiceover stating, "Produced in Boston...shared with the world."
Beginning in 2002, a series of WGBH promotional announcements began airing that feature the station's "spokesnumeral", the 2 Guy. The character, portrayed by actor and comedian Brian Frates, is an affable, quick-witted figure with a royal blue torso shaped like WGBH's iconic "2" logo. The 2 Guy engages in improvisational man-on-the-street interviews with WGBH viewers, as well as pre-written, narrative pieces. Since 2008, the 2 Guy has also served as a co-host of the station's annual WGBH Auction broadcast.
market; it however has its own branding and logo and is run separately from the Boston operation. Its digital channel carries similar programming to WGBX.
At one point, WGBH operated a Hyannis
translator on channel 8 that had the W08CH call sign, which later ceased operations. It was deleted by the FCC
in 2004.
Digital channels>
Channel
Video
Programming
2.1
1080i
Main WGBH programming / PBS
2.2
480i
Formerly WGBH HD showed a separate slate of programming from the analog channel to showcase PBS's high definition content; however, in 2008 it switched to a high-definition simulcast of the analog channel, with standard-definition programming presented in windowbox
or letterbox
format.
WGBH now exclusively broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 19, retaining its Channel 2 branding and mapping on digital tuners as virtual channel
2 via PSIP technology. After the June 12, 2009 transition to digital TV mandated by the FCC, WGBH's analog signal broadcast nightlight service
information at a lower power before permanently ceasing transmission. Eventually the channel 2 frequency (54-60 megahertz) will be available for other uses.
In early 2010, the station became the first mobile DTV provider in the Boston area. It transmits two free-to-air
channels using the ATSC-M/H
standard, at 2.75 Mbit/s, with its first subchannel labelled as "WGBH CH 2".
WGBH alum maintain a website where stories and photographs can be shared. Occasional reunions are held, including ones in 2000 and 2006.
Non-commercial educational
The term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS), and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming. Programs produced for PBS include Masterpiece, NOVA
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
, Frontline, American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
, The Victory Garden and This Old House
This Old House
This Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
. WGBH is also well-known for having co-produced numerous period dramas and has collaborated for years with British production companies.
The WGBH Educational Foundation, the parent organization, also owns and operates WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV is a public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a sister station to PBS member station WGBH-TV, airing PBS programming not aired by WGBH as well as additional supplemental programming. Reruns of the previous night's programming either from WGBH-TV or from WGBX-TV...
(channel 44) and the public radio stations WGBH (FM)
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
and WCRB
WCRB
WCRB is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts and based in the Brighton area of Boston, which serves the Greater Boston area. It broadcasts a classical music format; it existed as a commercial station from the early 1950s until December 2009, and as a listener-supported...
in the Boston area, and WCAI (and satellites WZAI and WNAN) in Cape Cod
Cape Cod and Islands
Cape Cod and the Islands is a common local name for the area of southeast Massachusetts including Barnstable , Dukes , and Nantucket Counties, and by some definitions including part or all of the towns of Plymouth and Wareham...
. Another sister station is WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV is a PBS station licensed to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a division of the WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, but has its own independent web presence, logo, and local programming. Its transmitter is located on the peak of Mt...
(channel 57), the PBS member station in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
.
WGBH is also considered a leader in accessible media services for people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, or visually impaired. WGBH invented television closed captioning
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...
, audio description
Audio description
Audio description refers to an additional narration track for blind and visually impaired consumers of visual media...
(Descriptive Video Service
Descriptive Video Service
The Descriptive Video Service is a major United States producer of video description, which makes visual media, such as television programs, feature films, and home videos, more accessible to people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired...
), and created the Rear Window Captioning System
Rear Window Captioning System
The Rear Window captioning system is a method for presenting, through captions, a transcript of the audio portion of a film in theatres for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The system was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder....
for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s they provide these access services to commercial and public TV producers, and to home video, Web sites, and movie theaters nationwide.
History
For more of a history of the Lowell InstituteLowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
Cooperative Broadcasting Council see the article on John Lowell, Jr.
WGBH Educational Foundation received its first broadcasting license (for radio) in 1951 under the auspices of the Lowell Institute
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
Cooperative Broadcasting Council, a consortium of local universities and cultural institutions, whose collaboration stems from an 1836 bequest by textile manufacturer John Lowell, Jr. calling for free public lectures for the citizens of Boston.
WGBH Radio Boston
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
signed on at 89.7 MHz FM on October 6, 1951, with a live broadcast of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The original construction permit for Channel 2 in Boston went to Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
, an electronics company based in neighboring Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, who would have launched a commercial television station under the call letters WRTB-TV (for Raytheon Television Broadcasting). WRTB never made it on the air, opening the way for the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) to allocate Channel 2 for noncommercial purposes and for WGBH to receive a license to operate on that channel.
WGBH-TV Channel 2 went on the air on May 2, 1955, at 5:20 p.m. with studios located at 84 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. When a fire destroyed the studios in the early morning hours of October 14, 1961, WGBH-TV Channel 2 and WGBH 89.7 FM broadcast from the studios of other broadcasting stations until they were able to build new studios located at 125 Western Avenue in Allston, and begin operations there on August 29, 1963. WGBH moved to a new studio complex on Guest Street in Boston in June 2007.
WGBH was New England's first non-commercial television station and a pioneer in what is now known as public television. Many programs seen on National Educational Television
National Educational Television
National Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
and later, the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, originated at the facilities of WGBH or were otherwise produced by the station.
Today WGBH is known around the U.S. as PBS's primary station due to its great production for PBS prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming and PBS Kids programming.
Transmission facilities
"GBH" stands for Great Blue HillGreat Blue Hill
Great Blue Hill is a hill of 635 feet located within the Blue Hills Reservation in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, 10 miles southwest of Boston. It is the highest point in Norfolk County...
, the location of WGBH's FM transmitter, as well as the original location of WGBH-TV's transmitter. Great Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
, has an elevation of 635 feet (193 m) and is the highest point in the Boston area. Today, WGBH-TV's and WGBX-TV's transmitters are located at the CBS
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
digital television facility in Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, where channel 44 first transmitted on September 25, 1967; channel 2 moved there on June 18, 1966. WGBX-TV's digital service on channel 43 shares the master antenna at the very top of the tower with the commercial stations. Analog channel 44 has a separate antenna lower down that is shared with WGBH-DT on channel 19.
WGBH operates a Shaw Broadcast Services satellite uplink facility which provides Boston broadcast television stations to Canadian cable and satellite TV distributors. As a Canadian company, Shaw is not legally entitled to operate an uplink facility in the United States. Hence, it pays WGBH to perform this service on its behalf. This facility is also located at the CBS (WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
) tower in Needham.
Studios
WGBH's original studios were located at 84 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(presently Stratton Student Center) on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
until the building burned down in a 1961 fire. Three years later, after being based in temporary offices and using the studios of Boston's commercial television stations to produce local programming, the station moved to 125 Western Avenue in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. The ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of the station and its post-office box—PO Box 350, Boston, MA 02134—gained notice in a recurring jingle on its 1970s and late 1990s children's program, ZOOM
Zoom (1999 TV series)
ZOOM is an American educational television series, created almost entirely by children, which aired on Public Broadcasting Service originally from January 4, 1999 to June 24, 2005. It was a remake of a 1972 TV series by the same name. Both versions were produced by WGBH-TV in Boston...
.
As WGBH's operations grew, the 125 Western Avenue building proved inadequate; some administrative operations were moved across the street to 114 Western Avenue, with an overhead pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings. By 2005, WGBH had facilities in more than a dozen buildings in the Allston area. The station's need for more studio space dovetailed with Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
's desire to expand its adjacent campus; Harvard already owned the land on which the WGBH studios were located. WGBH built a new studio complex, designed by James Polshek
James Polshek
James Stewart Polshek is an American architect based in New York City. He is the founder of Polshek Partnership, the firm at which he was Principal Design Partner for more than four decades...
& Partners, in nearby Brighton, spanning the block of Market Street from Guest Street to North Beacon Street, with radio studios facing pedestrian traffic on Market Street. The postal address and lobby entrance of the new studio building is 1 Guest Street; it was inaugurated in June 2007. The outside of the building carries a 30 by 45 feet (13.7 m) "digital mural" LED screen, displaying a different image each day to commuters on the passing Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
. Television shows and radio programs continued to shoot at the Western Avenue studios until migration to the new facility reached completion in September 2007. The old Western Avenue studios are currently empty except for a substation of the Harvard University police department which moved in June 2008.
Callsign history
WGBH's original transmitter was located on Great Blue HillGreat Blue Hill
Great Blue Hill is a hill of 635 feet located within the Blue Hills Reservation in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, 10 miles southwest of Boston. It is the highest point in Norfolk County...
in Milton, Massachusetts
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
(thus the choice of WGBH as a callsign) and the FM radio transmitter is still there. In the late 1960s, WGBH planned a second TV station for Boston, and four other TV stations across Massachusetts. As a result, all of WGBH's TV stations have the WGB* call letters; channel 44 in Boston (launched in 1967) has WGBX, while channel 57 in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
(launched in 1971) has WGBY. There were to have been three additional WGBH-owned stations, including a WGBW
WGBW
WGBW is a radio station licensed to serve Two Rivers, Wisconsin, USA. The station is owned by Mark Heller and licensed to WTRW, Inc. WGBW airs a satellite-fed oldies music format. On January 1, 2010 the station dropped CNN Radio as its top-of-the-hour news source, and contracted with ABC Radio...
in Adams, Massachusetts
Adams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
on channel 35 (its W was to stand for West; the callsign has since been reassigned to a radio station
WGBW
WGBW is a radio station licensed to serve Two Rivers, Wisconsin, USA. The station is owned by Mark Heller and licensed to WTRW, Inc. WGBW airs a satellite-fed oldies music format. On January 1, 2010 the station dropped CNN Radio as its top-of-the-hour news source, and contracted with ABC Radio...
in Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae...
), and stations in New Bedford and Worcester. Only WGBX and WGBY actually made it on the air.
WGBH's callsign is occasionally jokingly expanded as "God Bless Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
", although the station's connections with the university are at best indirect. (Harvard was one of several Boston-area universities which took part in the Lowell Institute Cooperative Broadcasting Council, and provided land on Western Avenue in Allston for the station's studios.)
Identification, sounder and promos
WGBH's distinctive and well-recognized audio sounder was written by Gershon KingsleyGershon Kingsley
Gershon Kingsley a contemporary German American composer, is well known as a pioneer of electronic music and the Moog synthesizer and founder of the First Moog Quartet, as a partner in the famous electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and for his rock-inspired compositions for Jewish religious...
and has aired for almost 40 years, accompanied by different animating graphics. The first such logo appeared in 1972 and can be found on the first episode of ZOOM. The seven-second jingle begins with a blue background, with the letters "WGBH" in a yellow Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
font quickly zooming away from the viewer. Then, the word "Boston" quickly zooms forward (similar in motion and gradual enlargement to the V symbol in Viacom's 1976 to 1985 identification, nicknamed the V of Doom), engulfing the whole screen and creating a yellow background, after which the word "Presents" zooms forward at a fast pace in blue. This ident is generally believed to be extinct, but it has surfaced on tapes of old WGBH programming (such as the 1972 version of ZOOM, The French Chef
The French Chef
The French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
, and 1974-1977 NOVA
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
episodes) and in video clips. A black-and-white version appeared in 1974. In this version, "WGBH" and "Boston" are in black while "Presents" is in white.
The music is also used in the current ID. The "circle outline" ident, featuring two little lights forming the WGBH logo in orange began in late 1977 at the beginning of WGBH's national shows. It was shortened to just the latter part of the animation in 1986, and moved to the end of shows in 1993, when the sound effect was shortened to conform to PBS's desire for shorter station ID's. It is also edited out on some shows with a program's closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
music playing over the WGBH Boston production card.
The full seven-second music appears in the "neon" station IDs on WGBH itself, along with different animation for the outline logo; one version features the 1977-style version flashing out to reveal the PBS logo, while the other features the outline done at first from the point of view of the tracing line, then zooming out to reveal the 'WGBH' logo rendered as a neon sign
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
with the matching numeral 2 illuminating in white from behind.
Many programs produced today have a voiceover stating, "Produced in Boston...shared with the world."
Beginning in 2002, a series of WGBH promotional announcements began airing that feature the station's "spokesnumeral", the 2 Guy. The character, portrayed by actor and comedian Brian Frates, is an affable, quick-witted figure with a royal blue torso shaped like WGBH's iconic "2" logo. The 2 Guy engages in improvisational man-on-the-street interviews with WGBH viewers, as well as pre-written, narrative pieces. Since 2008, the 2 Guy has also served as a co-host of the station's annual WGBH Auction broadcast.
WGBH-TV
This is the main television service of WGBH, as it is the television station first licensed by the Foundation. It broadcasts mixed programming during the week with children's programs during the day and documentary and entertainment material at night; Saturday programming focuses heavily on cooking and home improvement how-to shows.WGBX-TV
Similar to WQED-TV in Pittsburgh, WGBH operates a secondary station, WGBX-TV. The current tagline for this station is "independent, original, 'GBX 44". WGBX-TV focuses on program genres not covered by WGBH-TV. Reruns of the previous night's programming either from WGBH-TV or from WGBX-TV itself also makes up a part of the station's programming. WGBX's digital channel provides several digital side channels that rerun programming from both WGBH and from other PBS stations around the country.- WGBX-TV 44/DT 43 Boston
WGBY-TV
WGBH also owns and manages WGBY, the PBS affiliate in the Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
market; it however has its own branding and logo and is run separately from the Boston operation. Its digital channel carries similar programming to WGBX.
Other TV services
WGBH is one of six local Boston TV stations seen in Canada on the Bell TV satellite provider.At one point, WGBH operated a Hyannis
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
translator on channel 8 that had the W08CH call sign, which later ceased operations. It was deleted by the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
in 2004.
WGBH Online
The internet is WGBH's "third platform" - All radio and television programs have web components that are available at wgbh.org. There are also "web-only" productions:- WGBH Forum Network Free web public lecture videos and podcasts in partnership with Boston's leading cultural and educational organizations
- WGBH Podcasts - wgbh.org/podcasts
- WGBH Media Library and Archives - openvault.wgbh.org
Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:Formerly WGBH HD showed a separate slate of programming from the analog channel to showcase PBS's high definition content; however, in 2008 it switched to a high-definition simulcast of the analog channel, with standard-definition programming presented in windowbox
Windowbox (film)
Windowboxing in the display of film or video occurs when the aspect ratio of the media is such that the letterbox effect and pillarbox effect occur simultaneously...
or letterbox
Letterbox
Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
format.
WGBH now exclusively broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 19, retaining its Channel 2 branding and mapping on digital tuners as virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
2 via PSIP technology. After the June 12, 2009 transition to digital TV mandated by the FCC, WGBH's analog signal broadcast nightlight service
Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act
The Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act, or SAFER Act, is a U.S. law to require the Federal Communications Commission to allow the continuation of full-power analog TV transmissions in 2009 for 30 more days, for the purpose of broadcasting public service announcements regarding the...
information at a lower power before permanently ceasing transmission. Eventually the channel 2 frequency (54-60 megahertz) will be available for other uses.
In early 2010, the station became the first mobile DTV provider in the Boston area. It transmits two free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
channels using the ATSC-M/H
ATSC-M/H
ATSC-M/H is a standard in the USA for mobile digital TV, that allows TV broadcasts to be received by mobile devices.....
standard, at 2.75 Mbit/s, with its first subchannel labelled as "WGBH CH 2".
Major WGBH television productions
- Africans in America (1998–1999) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- All About YouAll About You (TV series)All About You was an educational television series that was syndicated to numerous PBS stations during the early and mid-1970s, mainly as part of weekday in-school telecasts....
- America's Ballroom ChallengeAmerica's Ballroom ChallengeAmerica's Ballroom Challenge is a competitive ballroom dance television series airing on Public Broadcasting Service in the United States since 2006.It is part of the annual Ohio Star Ball, a festival of DanceSport in Columbus, Ohio....
- American ExperienceAmerican ExperienceAmerican Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
(1988–present PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
) - Andre's MotherAndre's MotherAndre's Mother is a 1990 American drama film directed by Deborah Reinisch. The screenplay by Terrence McNally is an expansion of an eight-minute play written for an anthology called Urban Blight that was produced by the Manhattan Theater Club in 1988....
- Antiques Roadshow (U.S.)Antiques Roadshow (U.S.)Antiques Roadshow is an American television program broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations. The series features local antique owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. Provenance, history and value of the items are discussed...
(1997–2012) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Antiques Roadshow FYI
- ArthurArthur (TV series)Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service...
(1996–present PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
with Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.ÇinarÇınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey and also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
) - Basic BlackBasic BlackBasic Black is a weekly television series airing on WGBH in Boston. Originally known as Say Brother, the show was created in 1968 and aims to reflect the concerns and culture of African Americans through short-form documentaries, performances, and one-on-one conversations.Say Brother and Basic...
(formerly Say Brother) - Camera ThreeCamera ThreeCamera Three was a Sunday morning program devoted to the arts. It ran on CBS from 22 January 1956 to 21 January 1979, and moved to PBS in its final year to make way for the then-new CBS News Sunday Morning...
- Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World EconomyCommanding Heights: The Battle for the World EconomyThe Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy is a book by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, first published as The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World in 1998...
(2002) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Coyote Waits Granada TelevisionGranada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Curious GeorgeCurious George (TV series)Curious George is an animated television series based on the Curious George children's book series, which features Jeff Bennett as the voice of The Man with the Yellow Hat. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 feature film, returns here as the voice of Curious George. The stories of Season...
(with Imagine EntertainmentImagine EntertainmentImagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
and Universal Animation StudiosUniversal Animation StudiosUniversal Animation Studios , is an American animation studio which is a division of Universal Studios....
) - Culture ShockCulture Shock (TV series)Culture Shock is an American travel show hosted by Shenaz Treasurywala on the Travel Channel. It premiered on Monday 9 April 2007 at 8pm ET/PT. The program's self-described aim is to search out the "peculiar customs and bizarre traditions" of various cultures around the world...
(2000) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Design SquadDesign SquadDesign Squad is a PBS reality television series geared towards middle and high-school children, where they design whimsical machines in order to win an Intel college scholarship worth $10,000. The show is produced by WGBH.- Hosts :...
(with PBS Kids GO!PBS Kids GO!PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
) - Destinos: An Introduction to SpanishDestinosDestinos: An Introduction to Spanish, also known simply as Destinos, is an educational television program created by Bill VanPatten, who was, at the time, Professor of Spanish and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. The show, designed to introduce viewers...
- Discover: The World of Science
- Discovering PsychologyDiscovering PsychologyDiscovering Psychology is a PBS documentary on psychology presented by Philip Zimbardo, for which he received the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science...
- Don't Look Now! (1983, a short-lived spinoff clone of the Canadian TV show You Can't Do That On TelevisionYou Can't Do That on TelevisionYou Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before ultimately airing internationally in 1981...
) - Endgame: Ethics and Values in America (2002) Scott Goldstein Productions PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- Evening at PopsEvening at PopsEvening at Pops is one of the longest running programs on PBS. The program was a public television version of a variety show, hosted by a world-renowned orchestra, the Boston Pops...
(1970–2005) Boston Symphony OrchestraBoston Symphony OrchestraThe Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Evening Compass
- Evolution (2001) Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- FETCH! with Ruff RuffmanFETCH! with Ruff RuffmanFETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, sometimes shortened as FETCH!, is a children's television series for children ages 6–12 on PBS during the PBS Kids GO! block of educational programming. It is a game show/reality show that is hosted by an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's...
- French in ActionFrench in ActionFrench in Action is a French language course, developed by Professor Pierre Capretz of Yale University. The course includes workbooks, textbooks, and a 52-episode television series....
- The French ChefThe French ChefThe French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
- Frontline
- Frontline/World
- The Fool of the World and the Flying ShipThe Fool of the World and the Flying ShipThe Flying Ship or The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book and Arthur Ransome in Old Peter's Russian Tales....
- Greater Boston, a public affairs program on issues of local interest, airing weeknights on WGBH Channel 2 and repeated later on WGBH Channel 44, hosted by Emily RooneyEmily RooneyEmily Rooney is an American journalist, TV talk show and radio host and former news producer. Since 1997, Rooney has been the host, executive editor and creator of Greater Boston and the weekly Beat the Press on WGBH-TV, which are also later rebroadcast on the Boston-based WGBH radio station...
- Gourmet Magazine's Diary of a Foodie
- High School Quiz Show
- La Plaza
- Lidia's Italy (from 2009)
- Long Ago & Far Away
- Last Chance Garage
- Martha SpeaksMartha Speaks (TV series)Martha Speaks is an animated children's television sitcom based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh about a talking dog named Martha , who is owned by ten-year-old Helen Lorraine...
(as of September 1, 2008, co-produced by Studio B ProductionsStudio B ProductionsDHX Media Vancouver is a Canadian animation studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.-Studio B Productions original shows:*The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers...
) - MIT Science Reporter
- Masterpiece (formerly known as Masterpiece Theatre) (1971–present PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- Misunderstood Minds (2002) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- NOVANOVA (TV series)Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
(1974–present PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
) - NOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine version of the long running and venerable PBS science program Nova. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science, science that's right out of the lab, science...
- Old Settler (2001–2004) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- Peep and the Big Wide WorldPeep and the Big Wide WorldPeep and the Big Wide World is an animated cartoon that teaches nature and basic science concepts to preschoolers. The main characters include a baby chicken named Peep and his friends Quack, a blue duck, and Chirp, a red robin with purple eyelids...
- People's CenturyPeople's CenturyPeople's Century is a television documentary series examining the 20th century. It was a joint production of the BBC in the United Kingdom and PBS member station WGBH Boston in the United States. First shown on BBC in 1995, the 26 parts of one hour deal with the socio-economic, political, and...
(1995) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Postcards from BusterPostcards from BusterPostcards from Buster is a children's television series for children aged 6-12, containing both animation and live-action that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Service . It is a spin-off of the Arthur cartoon series. The show stars Arthur's best friend, 8-year-old rabbit Buster Baxter...
(2004-2008) (with Marc Brown StudiosMarc Brown StudiosMarc Brown Studios is a TV production company. Following the air of Arthur's Perfect Christmas, the Christmas special of the hit cartoon series Arthur, Marc Brown Studios was formed by Marc Brown in 2000 nationwide in the US...
and CinarÇinarÇınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey and also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - RebopRebop (TV)Rebop is an American children's television series that aired from 1976 to 1979 on PBS stations and produced by WGBH Boston. The premise was to promote social understanding and diversity among young people. LeVar Burton hosted for the final season....
- The ReportersThe ReportersThe Reporters was a newsmagazine show aired by FOX Television in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.The Reporters was much in the style of the syndicated show A Current Affair, except that there was no regular "host" role...
- Right Here, Right Now (2000) American Documentaries Inc. ITVS PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- A Science Odyssey (1997-1998) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- SkinwalkersSkinwalkers (2002 film)Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn...
PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - Simply MingSimply MingSimply Ming is a television cooking show hosted by chef Ming Tsai, and is produced by WGBH, Boston and Ming East-West, LLC. Simply Ming is presented by American Public Television.-Overview:...
- Conspiracy of KindnessChiune Sugiharawas a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice-Consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania. During World War II, he helped several thousand Jews leave the country by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees so that they could travel to Japan. Most of the Jews who escaped were refugees from...
(2005) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - The Ten O'Clock NewsThe Ten O'Clock News (WGBH)The Ten O'Clock News was a weeknight local television news show, broadcast from 1976 to 1991 by WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate. It replaced a pair of earlier news programs: The Reporters and Evening Compass ....
- The Wubbulous World of Dr. SeussThe Wubbulous World of Dr. SeussThe Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss is an American live-action/puppet television series based on characters created by Dr. Seuss, produced by Jim Henson Productions. It aired for two seasons on the Nick Jr. Block on Nickelodeon...
(1998) Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in... - This Old HouseThis Old HouseThis Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
(1979–present PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
) - Ask This Old House
- The New Yankee WorkshopThe New Yankee WorkshopThe New Yankee Workshop was a woodworking program produced by WGBH Boston, which aired on PBS. Created in 1989 by Russell Morash, the program was hosted by Norm Abram, a regular fixture on Morash's This Old House...
- They Made America (2004) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- Time Warp TrioTime Warp Trio (TV series)Time Warp Trio is an animated television series, based on the children's book series written by Jon Scieszka. Produced by Soup2Nuts in association with WGBH Boston, the show airs on Discovery Kids in the United States and on CBBC in the United Kingdom...
(the only WGBH-produced show that does not air on PBS) - The Question of God (2001) (co-production with Walden MediaWalden MediaWalden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original...
) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - The Victory Garden (1975–2010) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- War and Peace in the Nuclear AgeWar and Peace in the Nuclear AgeWar and Peace in the Nuclear Age is a 1989 PBS television series focusing on the effect of nuclear weapons development on international relations and warfare during the Cold War. The 13-part series was funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project and produced by WGBH in Boston in association with NHK and...
- The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz may refer to:*The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a 1900 book by L. Frank Baum and W.W. Denslow*The Wizard of Oz , a musical by L...
(1958, now produced by DiC Entertainment) - The Western Tradition
- Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego (in partnership with WQEDWQED (TV)WQED is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established April 1, 1954, it was the first community-sponsored television station in the United States as well as the fifth public TV station...
in Pittsburgh) - Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego (in partnership with WQED in Pittsburgh)
- WayBack (1998–2004) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- WOOF!Woof!Woof! is a Children's ITV television series produced by Central Independent Television about the adventures of a boy who turns into a dog. It was based on the book by Allan Ahlberg. It was directed by David Cobham. It was written by Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss.-History:The show was first...
(1998–2002) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - ZOOMZoom (1999 TV series)ZOOM is an American educational television series, created almost entirely by children, which aired on Public Broadcasting Service originally from January 4, 1999 to June 24, 2005. It was a remake of a 1972 TV series by the same name. Both versions were produced by WGBH-TV in Boston...
(1999–2006) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Online
Podcasting
- Morning Stories Public radio's first podcast directed and produced by Tony Kahn for WGBH 89.7 and WGBH.org.
Notable people who have appeared regularly in WGBH productions
- Julia ChildJulia ChildJulia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
, "The French ChefThe French ChefThe French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
" - James Underwood CrockettJames Underwood CrockettJames "Jim" Underwood Crockett was the original host of PBS's The Victory Garden, then called Crockett's Victory Garden. He had been chosen by producer Russell Morash because he had previously written several gardening books. The show debuted on April 16, 1975, and was focused on gardening at home...
, "The Victory Garden" - Bob VilaBob VilaRobert Joseph "Bob" Vila is an American home improvement television show host known for This Old House , Bob Vila's Home Again , and Bob Vila .-Early life:...
, "This Old HouseThis Old HouseThis Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
" - Alistair CookeAlistair CookeAlfred Alistair Cooke KBE was a British/American journalist, television personality and broadcaster. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and Alistair Cooke's America, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theater from 1971 to 1992...
, "Masterpiece TheatreMasterpiece TheatreMasterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
" - Russell BakerRussell BakerRussell Wayne Baker is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer known for his satirical commentary and self-critical prose, as well as for his autobiography, Growing Up.-His career:...
, "Masterpiece TheatreMasterpiece TheatreMasterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
" - Will LymanWill LymanWilliam Lyman is an American voice-over artist and actor, perhaps best known for his polished, resonant voice that has narrated the PBS series Frontline since its second season in 1984. Lyman has made a successful career in television and theater...
, "Frontline" - Gene ShalitGene ShalitGene Shalit is a film and book critic. He has filled these roles on NBC's The Today Show since January 15, 1973. He is known for his frequent use of puns, his oversized handlebar moustache, and for wearing colorful bowties.-Career:...
, "Mystery!Mystery!Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
" - Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, "Mystery!Mystery!Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
" - Diana RiggDiana RiggDame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, "Mystery!Mystery!Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
" - Robert KrulwichRobert KrulwichRobert Krulwich is an American radio and television journalist whose specialty is explaining complex topics in depth. He has worked as a full-time employee of ABC, CBS, National Public Radio, and Pacifica. He has done assignment pieces for ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight, as well as PBS's...
, "NOVA ScienceNOWNOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine version of the long running and venerable PBS science program Nova. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science, science that's right out of the lab, science...
" - Dr. Neil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse TysonNeil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
, "NOVA ScienceNOWNOVA scienceNOWNOVA scienceNOW is a newsmagazine version of the long running and venerable PBS science program Nova. Premiering on January 25, 2005, the series was originally hosted by Robert Krulwich, who described it as an experiment in coverage of "breaking science, science that's right out of the lab, science...
" - Christopher LydonChristopher LydonChristopher Lydon is an American media personality and author. He is best known for being the original host of The Connection, produced by WBUR and syndicated to other NPR stations.-Background:...
, "The Ten O'Clock News" - Michael KolowichMichael KolowichMichael Edmund Kolowich is an entrepreneur, new media and internet content entrepreneur, and documentary filmmaker. He is founder and CEO of KnowledgeVision Systems Incorporated, is executive producer of DigiNovations, a multimedia production company which he founded in Concord, Massachusetts,...
, "The Ten O'Clock News" - Steve CurwoodSteve CurwoodSteve Curwood is a journalist, author, public radio personality and actor.- Biography :Curwood was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and brought up as a Quaker in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where his mother, Sarah Thomas Curwood, was a sociology professor at Antioch College.In 1970, as a writer for the...
, "The Ten O'Clock News" - Meg Vaillancourt, "The Ten O'Clock News"
- Emily RooneyEmily RooneyEmily Rooney is an American journalist, TV talk show and radio host and former news producer. Since 1997, Rooney has been the host, executive editor and creator of Greater Boston and the weekly Beat the Press on WGBH-TV, which are also later rebroadcast on the Boston-based WGBH radio station...
, Greater Boston - Thomas J. MacDonaldThomas J. MacDonaldThomas J. MacDonald is a U.S. carpenter and woodworker and host of the PBS television series Rough Cut – Woodworking with Tommy Mac....
, Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac
WGBH alum maintain a website where stories and photographs can be shared. Occasional reunions are held, including ones in 2000 and 2006.