WMVS
Encyclopedia
WMVS is a public television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin, including the cities of Racine
, Kenosha
, Sheboygan
, and Waukesha
.
WMVS is a non-commercial educational
public television broadcasting station, and is a member of Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS). WMVS' owner, Milwaukee Area Technical College
, also owns sister Milwaukee PBS member station WMVT
. Both stations together refer to themselves collectively as Milwaukee Public Television
. The stations are separate from the Wisconsin Public Television
state network
owned by the University of Wisconsin Extension which serves the rest of the state, although WMVT runs that station's instructional television
programming, and MATC/MPTV coordinate instructional television efforts for their broadcast area.
2007 marked the 50th anniversary of WMVS (and Milwaukee Public Television
in general).
WMVS's digital signal is on Channel 8 and carries a 720p
signal for WMVS's main schedule on 10.1. Formerly, WMVS-DT was carried on digital channel 35, the home of WMVT-DT, due to interference issues with Grand Rapids
' WOOD-TV
's channel 8 analog signal until a channel shuffle on September 1, 2008. On September 1, 2010, another channel shuffle took place which added three of MPTV's digital subchannel
services to WMVS's bandwidth, while a standard definition simulcast
of WMVS's 10.1 schedule was added to channel 36.2 to address antenna viewers who have been unable to receive WMVS's VHF signal since the conversion, which has been a major problem for many broadcasters on VHF post-transition. The picture format on 10.1 was also reduced to 720p
to enable multicasting on WMVS's bandwidth. A secondary translator station for WMVS to be based on Channel 36 is to be built and launched sometime in 2011 from MPTV Tower to better serve the main portion of WMVS's service area with UHF-only antennas, along with a boost in power to the main WMVS signal courtesy of a Public Telecommunications Facilities Program award.
The layout of Milwaukee Public Television's digital services are detailed further within that article. Since the shuffle, the channel's branding has switched to MPTV 10-HD.
MPTV signed off their analog signals at 9am on June 12, 2009.
in May (which started in 1969, and is one of the oldest station auction campaigns in existence) has been broadcast in HD since 2003, along with all of the station's weekly local programs, which include Black Nouveau, ¡Adelante! (a Spanish language
program with English subtitles), I Remember, Outdoor Wisconsin, and Interchange. Tracks Ahead
, which premiered in 1990, also is produced in HD, and is syndicated
by MPTV to air on HDNet
, Mark Cuban
's HD-only cable channel.
The station also distributes their programs on Time Warner's video on demand
service, Wisconsin On Demand 1111 http://www.mptv.org/insidemptv/news/detail.php?n=184.
WMVS began broadcasting on October 28, 1957, as the 28th Educational television
station in the United States
and the second in Wisconsin, after WHA-TV in Madison
. Among the strongest and earliest backers of the creation of Milwaukee Public Television (over the opposition of at least some of the commercial stations) was Frank Zeidler, Milwaukee's mayor from 1948 to 1960.
MPTV/WMVS/WMVT also has the unique distinction of having the channel numbers for both of their stations within their studio's address number
, which is in Milwaukee's street numbering system (most television or radio stations with their channel number as an address use a vanity address/street not within a community's numbering system). The studios are in the Continuing Education Center of the MATC Downtown Campus, at 1036 North 8th Street.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin, including the cities of Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, Sheboygan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
, and Waukesha
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
.
WMVS is a non-commercial educational
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 broadcasting station, and is a member of 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). WMVS' owner, Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College is a two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. Enrollment is about 60,000...
, also owns sister Milwaukee PBS member station WMVT
WMVT
WMVT is a public television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin, including the cities of Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan, and Waukesha....
. Both stations together refer to themselves collectively as Milwaukee Public Television
Milwaukee Public Television
For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
. The stations are separate from the Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
state network
State network
A State Network in the United States broadcasting industry is a term which refers to a miniature television network serving an entire state or multiple states...
owned by the University of Wisconsin Extension which serves the rest of the state, although WMVT runs that station's instructional television
Instructional television
Instructional television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. Educational television programs on instructional television may be less than one half hour long to help their integration into the classroom setting...
programming, and MATC/MPTV coordinate instructional television efforts for their broadcast area.
2007 marked the 50th anniversary of WMVS (and Milwaukee Public Television
Milwaukee Public Television
For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
in general).
Digital television
- For more on MPTV's digital television services, see Milwaukee Public Television#Digital programming.
WMVS's digital signal is on Channel 8 and carries a 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
signal for WMVS's main schedule on 10.1. Formerly, WMVS-DT was carried on digital channel 35, the home of WMVT-DT, due to interference issues with Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
' WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
's channel 8 analog signal until a channel shuffle on September 1, 2008. On September 1, 2010, another channel shuffle took place which added three of MPTV's digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
services to WMVS's bandwidth, while a standard definition simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of WMVS's 10.1 schedule was added to channel 36.2 to address antenna viewers who have been unable to receive WMVS's VHF signal since the conversion, which has been a major problem for many broadcasters on VHF post-transition. The picture format on 10.1 was also reduced to 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
to enable multicasting on WMVS's bandwidth. A secondary translator station for WMVS to be based on Channel 36 is to be built and launched sometime in 2011 from MPTV Tower to better serve the main portion of WMVS's service area with UHF-only antennas, along with a boost in power to the main WMVS signal courtesy of a Public Telecommunications Facilities Program award.
The layout of Milwaukee Public Television's digital services are detailed further within that article. Since the shuffle, the channel's branding has switched to MPTV 10-HD.
MPTV signed off their analog signals at 9am on June 12, 2009.
Local productions
The station's annual fundraising auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in May (which started in 1969, and is one of the oldest station auction campaigns in existence) has been broadcast in HD since 2003, along with all of the station's weekly local programs, which include Black Nouveau, ¡Adelante! (a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
program with English subtitles), I Remember, Outdoor Wisconsin, and Interchange. Tracks Ahead
Tracks Ahead
Tracks Ahead is a television series about railroading, produced by Milwaukee Public Television for PBS starting in 1990.In general, the series examines all aspects of railroading, both in the United States and in the rest of the world. Content covers a wide range of railroad-related materials...
, which premiered in 1990, also is produced in HD, and is syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
by MPTV to air on HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
, Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American business magnate and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet....
's HD-only cable channel.
The station also distributes their programs on Time Warner's video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service, Wisconsin On Demand 1111 http://www.mptv.org/insidemptv/news/detail.php?n=184.
Educational television
Educational television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable television in the United States as Public, educational, and government access ...
station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the second in Wisconsin, after WHA-TV in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. Among the strongest and earliest backers of the creation of Milwaukee Public Television (over the opposition of at least some of the commercial stations) was Frank Zeidler, Milwaukee's mayor from 1948 to 1960.
MPTV/WMVS/WMVT also has the unique distinction of having the channel numbers for both of their stations within their studio's address number
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
, which is in Milwaukee's street numbering system (most television or radio stations with their channel number as an address use a vanity address/street not within a community's numbering system). The studios are in the Continuing Education Center of the MATC Downtown Campus, at 1036 North 8th Street.
See also
- WMVTWMVTWMVT is a public television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin, including the cities of Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan, and Waukesha....
- Milwaukee Public TelevisionMilwaukee Public TelevisionFor information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
- Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee Area Technical College is a two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. Enrollment is about 60,000...
- Public Broadcasting ServicePublic 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....